[edit] Chester Castle

The history of the city and that of the castle are entangled. Indeed, the name of the city means simply "castle" and was used almost interchangeably in mediaeval descriptions such as the following of Hadrian's Wall:

Hoole Bridge footpath and cycle lane

[edit] The Boot Inn

Now this is a pub!. None of that fancy foreign bottled malarkey. Just Sam Smith's frighteningly thick Old Brewery Bitter, and that terrifyingly strong lager whose name you can't remember that blows your head off. A pint of bitter is about £1.28 and pint of lager about £1.58! You cannot beat that! - in fact Southerners have been known to query the prices thinking that they have been undercharged:

• "...was that £2.50 a pint?"
• "No! that's two and a half quid a round, you Southern Jessie!"

Evidently, this sort of attitude did not go down well with Cromwell's troops. When they finally stormed the place they shot everyone inside.

"Das Boot" is located right slap bang in the city centre, on the Rows near to Meze, the Turko-Greek restaurant. The atmosphere is pretty much exactly what you would expect in an older pub - old men with red faces drinking at the bar, popping out to put a bet on every half hour and a piss every five minutes, and the random group of male students dotted around the outskirts discussing sex and showing (if overheard) an alarming ignorance of anatomy, practicality and legality (for example: one of them thought that a "Cleveland Steamer" was some kind of boat...)

Facilities are a little dated, for example the toilets appear to be outside… but in my opinion this all just seems to add to the effect of the place. It even has some exposed Roman wall, dating back to, erm, Roman times I suppose. If you are nice to the guy behind the bar he will show you his expensive and extensive selection of tattoo's...

All in all, the location, atmosphere and price make it a good place to start your evening off in, or end your afternoon session in. Or just go in and stay all evening.

[edit] Black House Grill

Formerly known as Est Est Est, this place was transformed at the end of 2006 into the Chester branch of The Black House Grill. The owning company is also responsible for hoisting the swanky Living Room upon us, and is indeed the owner of Est Est Est. And so if you have ever been to The Living Room then you pretty much know what you are going to get with the Black House Grill.

[edit] Where

Situated on Newgate Street, near to Zizzis and the Albion the location offers a good spring board for a night out. Bridge Street (Slug and Lettuce, Kings Head, Bear and Billet and the Cross Keys is only 5 minutes walk away, and Watergate Street (Watergates, Amber Lounge, Bar Lounge and the Custom House) only another couple of minutes on top of that. There is a little plaza (if you can call it that) in front of the Black House Grill that offers the option of dining outside in the warmer months, although don’t expect a glorious view, as you will be sadly disappointed with a view of Dawson’s Music Shop and a busy Newgate Street.

[edit] Atmosphere

If you have ever been to Est Est Est then you will feel immediately at home upon entering the Black House Grill. It is essentially exactly the same, apart from a few fancier chairs and probably a few more tables. This is all rather disappointing to be honest, as I was expecting a more impressive refurbishment. Not that the atmosphere inside is unpleasant. Indeed I always liked the “bustling” feel of Est Est Est and therefore I suppose you could say if it isn’t broke then don’t fix it. This bustling atmosphere remains, indeed on my two visits, both on a Saturday night, every seat was taken and it seemed very busy, although there were no delays in seating or service and the staff were all very professional if a little cool.