The Coach House Chester

About The Coach House Chester

The Coach House stands at 39 Northgate Street, directly across from Chester Cathedral and a minute's walk from the Northgate and the Rows. It has been run independently for two decades and works as three things at once: a pub for locals, a restaurant with a proper kitchen, and a small hotel with rooms above. That mix gives it an atmosphere the larger city-centre hotels cannot match.

The bedrooms are simple and comfortable rather than luxurious, in keeping with the price. They are spread over the upper floors of an old building, so expect stairs, sloping ceilings in places and variation between rooms. Front rooms look straight at the cathedral, which is a considerable view for the money, though they also sit above a street that stays busy until the pubs close. Ask for a rear room if you are a light sleeper.

Food is the strength. The kitchen serves from lunchtime through to the evening seven days a week, with an emphasis on local produce and a menu that runs from pub staples done properly to more ambitious plates. Breakfast is served late enough to suit anyone who has made a night of it, and the bar keeps a decent range of cask beer and stays open until half past eleven at weekends.

It suits couples and friends on a short city break who want to be in the middle of everything without paying city-centre hotel rates, and anyone who would rather stay somewhere with a bar full of Cestrians than a lobby full of luggage. There is no car park, so use the Northgate or Trinity Street multi-storeys, both a few minutes away. Storyhouse, the market and the cathedral are all on the doorstep.