The Old Harkers Arms — Restaurant in England

Chester

On a recent visit to Chester, relatives booked a table at Harkers for an evening meal. This is the third time over the past few years we have visited Harkers in the evening. On this recent visit we found the venue very busy and extremely hot inside [cooler outside, but the tables were full].

What I noticed on our last visit and this most recent visit is the abundance of dogs inside the building. We love dogs, but this pub is serving food in very close proximity to dogs and with the constant flow of people walking through with their dogs to the loos, there was  considerable interacting/barking at dogs sitting on the floor, it was all a bit manic .

Therefore we would not recommend this pub if you want to eat , as its prices reflect restaurant charges  but the hygiene and  dog free surroundings are lacking . A few days later a neighbour told us they have a ‘’dog free area’’ if you walk to the left once in the pub. We were not aware of this, nor was the person who booked the table. I suggest when people book they are informed of this option by the staff. Obviously it seems when the dog free zone is full your booking is put in the dog area .Other visitors informed us this pub is known as a’’ no children allowed pub’’, please check with pub if this is true, before visiting.

We won’t be going there again for a meal, as besides having to share the space with dogs [towards the end of our meal, we had a very large German shepherd and collie at the table next to us].the meals were mediocre and overpriced, £16.95 for a beef burger and a mean portion of chips .

Even though the pub sits next to the canal ,an investment of air conditioning or ceiling fans would really be an improvement during Summer months.

The main problem was the amount of canine visitors, and the obvious oplressive heat, which I noticed most dogs were wearing fur coats ! They do not have a choice of where they are taken and some dogs do not do well in oppressive heat, especially if they cannot find shade or relief from the heat. I am astounded at the fact that management wouldnt provide air conditioning as pubs local to me do! Given the oppressive heat and the amount of food and smells of food around, it was tortureous to the dogs there. Most people choose not to eat in front of their dogs, my husband usually has our one in his room during meals, and he usually gets less food than the dog! I would call the pub BARKERS and hope that they at least aquire some air con ! The food is basic pub fayre not bad quality and staff ( Who must also suffer in the heat) did their...

I want to start by saying I like Harkers, the vibe is great and staff were very friendly and helpful (except for one). However, the man that tried to serve us last Sunday was very harsh to us. We are a large group so sometimes we do have to scoot a couple chairs around so we can sit together. However as we were trying to do this a large staff member/manager (with a shirt that was too tight for him) starting scolding us and called us "silly" and "inappropriate" and went into a tirade for about 5 minutes about how annoying we were. Fair enough if you need furniture in certain places to run the place safely and well, but going to that length and speaking to us like that only served to make us very uncomfortable. I tried to diffuse the situation by saying sorry but he wasn't having it - just went into blind frustration with no room to calm down. To top it off, the same man then continued to make comments at us under his breath every time he walked past. We decided to leave and eat somewhere else, and he got huffy with us then too like he actually expected us to stay there haha. I can't stress enough that we were not trying to cause problems, we just wanted a meal after a three hour walk along the canal. Anyway all I'm saying is if you're a big group and very hungry and the place is busy, I would go somewhere else. Otherwise for a few drinks it's fine. If guests are causing an inconvenience for staff maybe just approach the situation a bit more maturely and we would've easily spent about 50-70 quid each there and then we're all happy :) The Cellar across the road do some nice pizzas for...

Sunday service!

I opted for a starter of orange and carrot soup, which was served fresh with fried herbs and a hot bread roll and generous helpings of salted butter.

Next up was roast beef that had been roasted perfectly with slight pinkness and easy carving. This was accompanied by severely potent horseradish that I believe was locally sourced.

The beef was served on a bed of beautifully mashed potatoes and picked red cabbage.

The Yorkshire was baked to perfection too, with lashings of delicious gravy.

I opted for a side of cauliflower cheese which set the meal off perfectly to my tastebuds.

There was an assortment of leeks, carrots and kale to chose from on the plate too, giving the full spectrum of choice in between mouthfuls.

A valid shout out must be given to the potatoes which had neither hard, over cooked parts or undercooked and bland middles.

These were absolutely spot on to me, I would struggle to understand any negative reviews regarding these.

The Guinness(s) I washed all of this down with was poured in the correct manner in which you’d expect from such a warm environment.

Not quite done with eating enough food to sink a small boat, I opted for a double scoop of raspberry ripple ice cream which was followed by a cheeky Irish Coffee in a wine glass.

Needless to say, they were both class.

As the bill came, I had no choice but to congratulate Mark and his exquisite team on their service, their food and their work tonight.

If you want a Sunday roast in Chester, get out early and get some of the best.

You’ll find it...