please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Very good place with excellent beer from Spitting feathers and many others. Along with The Cellar, the best place for beer in Chester.
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What ? No reviews for this place in the whole of 2016 ?! Just to confirm that it continues to se as excellent as ever. Today I had the Rat Black Death - a wonderful 6.5% Brandy Porter. Expensive, but only 20p a pint more than a 3.8$ beer ...
Am thinking of giving this place an unprecedented 10/10 !
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After a beer in the Cross Keys we made our way across the road to this Spitting Feathers Brewery tap with an impressive line of 8 hand pumps consisting of 7 ales and 1 real cider.
I had several halves of ales during my hour long stay here with my selections being Phoenix’s Black Bee @ 4.5%; Elland Helium @ 3.8%; Spitting Feathers Thirst Quencher @ 3.9% and Ironbridge’s Gold @ 4.4%. My 2 favourites were Black Bee and Thirst Quencher.
The Brewery Tap is suited in a lovely building that is named Gamul House, a grade II listed hall which was home to one of Chester's most powerful families and was apparently visited by Charles 1st.
Nice relaxed atmosphere in side this large hall with diners situated in a small room to the right of the bar and the main door. Good, friendly attentive bar staff that were only to happy to help with beer choice and offer advice on the current range of ales and the ones about to be put on.
Probably the best pub I visited in Chester during my weekend there, 9/10 for me oh and the wife likes it as well!
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As many others have said, a beautiful building converted into an unusual pub. Whitewashed, bright and airy, it was was lovely and cool on a blistering day. Eight real ales on offer, all knowledgeably described by the enthusiastic barmaid. Spitting Feathers dark Velvet mild was a fine choice. Imaginative, reasonably priced menu (grilled mackerel was lip-smacking). A very pleasurable experience.
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Great place. Reached from the street by a set of steps, the large room has stone floor, very high ceilings, and a fantastic atmosphere.
Some of the best ale we discovered in town. Really well kept, and good quality.
Bar staff very friendly and helpful.
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Far and away the best pub we found in Chester.
A good 7 hand pulled pints. Of course, I had never heard of any of them. Staffed gave recommendations and a decent pint of Smoked Autumn was had.
But it's the building you really want to go in for. How often do you get to drink in a mediaeval banqueting hall? Superb.
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Thought I’d better expand on my previous rather brief review !
From the street this place doesn’t look anything special. Just a 17th century townhouse typical of the street. The first indication it is something different comes when you realise you have to climb a set of steps to first floor level to reach the entrance.
But that still doesn’t prepare you for the magnificence of the interior ! In looks exactly like what it is – an old medieval banqueting hall. The ceiling is high and airy, and there are a couple of large tapestries on the walls. The bar is immediately in front of you as you come in, and occupies most of one side of the room. There are tables and chairs arranged in groups of differing size. The place can easily get crowded, but it is also possible to find it relatively quiet.
The “Brewery Tap” name refers to it’s ownership by Spitting Feathers (actual brewery about 5 miles away), but strangely enough there are only ever a couple of their beers available here. There are usually 7 or 8 real ales available, with a good selection of different types. Breweries can range from the fairly well known (Mc Mullens) to the completely obscure (Nine Standards).
The food here is excellent, but unfortunately is rather expensive. Expect to pay around £10 for a main course. However, portions are (normally) large – even the “lite bites” can be pretty filling. I thoroughly recommend the Whitebait (with homemade Tartare Sauce). The menu does change fairly regularly, so beware the menu in the gents toilets might not be the current one !
And, oh yes, to top it all off, the barmaids are gorgeous as well !
9/10 – like I said, I really love this place !
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Six or seven ales available yesterday. Well worth a visit.
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I love this place !
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Yo dude,
Looking forward to 2014, I should be so optimistic! Will be in Belfast (obviously) for New Year's Eve, how about yourself?
Have you seen Scrumpy's reviews lately? BLAND OR WHAT!! Deffo an anorak in my opinion, no hope for the fellow.
Cheers
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Good selection of ale, served well. Interesting place with friendly helpful staff. Prices a little high but worth a visit.
PhilE - 30 Sep 2013 16:39 |
I still rate the Brewery Tap as the best pub in Chester. Although whilst the building itself is just as good as ever and the beer range is good, the quality was lacking on our last visit. It is also a victim of its own success, being very busy on our Saturdat afternoon visit. Beers on were Titanic Plum Porter, Spitting Feathers Basket Case & Dark Velvet Mild, Milestone Shine On, Island Nipper Bitter, Vale of Glamorgan Rorkes Drift & Black Country Ales Fireside. The cider or pyder was Gwynt y Ddraig Farmhouse Pyder. Down from 8/10 to 7/10 based on this visit.
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Unbelievable 16th century building with tapestry adorning the walls. I was in total awe of the place which Nokegthanks rightly points out is the best pub in Chester by a country mile.
Sampled the Peerless stout which was gorgeous. The food didn't let me down neither. Fish and chips was eagerly gobbled.
The bar staff were friendly and the toilets immaculate.
Solid 9/10 for me!
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Best pub in Chester in my humble opinion, not cheap but the quality is worth the expense!
Lovely young gals behind the bar, Peerless stout in superb condition and the offering from Batemans was very tasty as well.
The interior is quite monastic, peace surrounds whilst the ales descend!
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a must see in Chester, but only one Spitting Feathers ale on tap when we went in on Saturday. A bit odd for a brewery tap. 7 ales, 1 cider. Best ale was a 2.6% (!!)from Mobberley brewery
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Wot !!! No Cheesy Chips anymore ???
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I like the Tap a lot, and the beer is always from a good selection at a reasonable price. But had a terrible lunch there recently, when there were only about 6 people there. I would have hoped that on a slack day the kitchen staff would have been glad to have something to do. They put out way below standard food and bar staff were happy to serve it. PLEASE do try harder as it's a lovely place.
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Ancient Hall that has been converted sympathetically into a light and airy bar. Two Spitting Feathers beers available with a range of guest ales. Idle Dog was in good condition.
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Good brewery pub, with two of their own beers (good) and a decent selection of guest ales. Friendly staff (even if both barmaids managed to simultaneously time their trip to the cellar and left customers waiting for 5 minutes). Felt a little touristy late afternoon, but picked up early evening with a bit more atmosphere. Would thoroughly recommend for those visiting Chester.
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Interesting building and history. Very tall ceilings, like drinking in a church with candels on the tables. 5 beers on tap, the two I tried were in fine condition, but a bit cold. Didn't try the food,
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Great space, excellent ale choice, good looking menu. Well worth the ascent of the north face of those steps!
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For some reason someone with us thought this place Piscine...? Fire place, Charles 1st, church, spitting feathers, candle on table, helium balloon on ceiling, Cromwells eating house, tapestry, medieval, wattle and daub - great vales �18.70 for 6 ales.
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Yes it's a nice building, yes the ale is good (an Otley brew on this occasion) but is also a bit of a victim of it's own success in it being a little too crowded to be comfortable at times.
anonymous - 10 Dec 2011 00:33 |
My god, what a great place. We called in here during a friend's 40th birthday celebrations recently, and all liked it so much that we stayed in until closing.
Beautiful building, especially the interior with all of it's exposed woodwork, brickwork and tapestries. The beers were great and all in good form. I had a 6% extremely-hopped beer called Kahuna a couple of beers in and stuck with that for the rest of the night as it was absolutely gorgeous. Old Rosie was on too which my wife loves.
Great barstaff, who actually seem to know about what they're selling for a change. Sadly, never actually got to try any of the Spitting Feathers beers, so can't comment on any of those. I'll do that next time!
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a total MUST on a trip to chester,eight varied ales at quite reasonable prices (�2.70to�3.00pint)average,beautifully converted interior and fast friendly service,9/10
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Popped into here the other day for the 1st time and was pleasantly surprised. Very good range of beers and served in grand surroundings. Recommended.
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We called in here lunchtime Saturday 20 August and in spite of it being a Race Day (won't make that mistake again) but just managed to get a table in the corner and enjoy some beer-battered haddock and (particularly delicious) fat-chaps (like wedges). The staff were friendly and we enjoyed a honey beer from the Wentworth Brewery and a then had a ginger beer both tasted well kept and welcome! We decided to walk our lunch off touring the city walls and then seek out the Telford's Warehouse pub for further refreshments.
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My second visit to this pub which is up the road from the Bear and Billet. The interior is amazing but seating is somewhat limited. Every table was taken when I was here on Saturday afternoon and people seemed to be whispering to each other!
They had 7 ales on tap along with Westons Old Rosie. I had a very nice of Corvedale St Georges Stout which went down very well. I then had a pint of Spitting Feathers Thirst Quencher which I didn't enjoy as it was a bit too light for me.
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Pleasant place with decent mix of drinkers and diners, attractive location, house beer was average, as it often is with the micro-brews. Would try the more established brews next time.
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A good range of real ales and a very comfortable and interesting pub. Staff very welcoming and helpful. The Spitting Feathers beer I had was spot on.
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Went there whilst on a steam train trip from London. Echo all Corkypunt has said. Excellent ale and cider choice and yes the stout was superb. A must do in this city. Food was good as well
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Great pub, fantastic building, wide range of beers, liked the Spitting Feathers Stout. Nice staff-very helpful. Next time you are in Chester go and have a look!
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Visited The Tap following a trip to the brewery,an excellent venue with well kept beers and interesting decor to boot..
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Coach load of us 'bobbed' in here after Spitting Feathers Brewery tour (would recommend that)!!! This pub is certianly very atmospheric, very old, great fireplace that is utilised behind the bar. Spitting Feathers beer was really good (as usual) and also tried the Facers dark ale, very nice (4%). The staff were quick and friendly (seeing as so many of us decended) would recommend this and will certianly be arranging to visit again.
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Unfortunately I'm not a fan of Spitting Feather's offerings so I wasn't expecting more than a swift half of orange juice & to move on. Luckily for me there was a good choice of guests including Great Orme - Merlin, Corvedale - Sunrise, Bradfield - Farmer's Blonde, a cider & the remainder of the 8 pumps were from the pub's own brewery. The building itself is very impressive. A baronial type hall, with tapestries on the wall, chandeliers & a stone floor. There's also a smaller room to the side. Interesting building.
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Atmospheric pub serving beers from Heritage, Cambrinus, Summer Wine, oorhouses, Ossett and Great Orme, real cider too. Busy early Saturday evening. No problems with the staff. Good pub.
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Absolutely fantastic pub. Lovely interior, very tastefully done. Great range of beers, with Spitting Feathers being one of my favourite breweries. Staff always friendly and obviously very knowledgable too.
One of the best pubs in country.
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This building doesn't look quite as impressive from the outside as some other Chester pubs. But once inside, you feel as if you are in an old English manor house with high beamed ceilings. The beer range is good - Great Orme Welsh Black, Black Country Dudley Pale Ale, Jarrow Swinging Gibbet, Celebrance Aspinalls, Ossett Treacle Stout, Woodlands Redwood and Buzzard Pale Ale. The real cider was Gwynt y Draig Fiery Fox. The guy being served before me thought he was ordering an ale, when he ordered a Fiery Fox. After he declined the cider, I ended up getting his pint for the price of a half - bargain! The place was fairly busy, with all tables taken and food being served. The large main bar gives way to a more compact room to the right hand side. A thoroughly enjoyable experience. Certainly one I will return to in Chester.
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I must admit I found the staff fine and knowledgeable about the excellent beer range. Didn't eat but the pub was doing a good trade in food as well, menu looked good; but the main thing all the beers were in excellent quality. Really like this place, and would rank it above the Harkers and Albion as my favourite pub in Chester now, and will be back
mps77 - 12 Nov 2010 16:39 |
Similar style to the Harkers Arms, the staff can be a bit snooty.
The ale selection is good as is the quality, just the atmosphere and staff need to be a bit more customer friendly.
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Really lovely pub with a great range of ales. Sadly our visit was completely ruined by the attitude and treament we had from the egotistical manager.
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Great Beers and atmosphere. The food looked good.
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Visited on a quiet Tuesday evening. The moment you step through the door you feel you are stepping back in history.. Beers range from their own Spitting Feathers Quench thirster to their special. Guest beers make this a great range. Food excellent. The choice of two types of pie - very recommended.
The staff were very engaging, service lightening quick - this is a great pub with a history.
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Really nice pub with great range of hand pulled beers sadly let down by the egotistical landlord/manager.
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Top class, first visit. Enjoyed the atmosphere, the (mainly female) staff and landlady were very nice. Great interesting beer selection, all brilliantly kept. Food was delicious and very reasonably priced. Would recommend to all.
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Fantastic - yes I agree with that comment. Plenty of ales in good condition and well placed boards advertising what is available. Enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the beers served by friendly staff. Got busy later and deserves to do well. Hope it makes the Good Beer Guide next year as it is the best in Chester,
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The best real ale pub in Chester, without a doubt!
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FATASTIC pub! Always about 8 ales on, including the homebrew. Great venue, but shame not a lot of seating. Best pub in Chester.
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I wish I could live in Chester so this place could be my local. I just thought everything about it was fantastic. Excellent beer gorgeous food and I felt the bar staff were very attentive.
I could see on a busy summers day maybe a wait, but I wish I could see it at Chirstmas I bet it is amazing.
I highly recommend
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My wife and I visited this pub in early September and we very much enjoyed an evening there. It was not at all what we were expecting. The rooms are open and airy with wood carvings and wall hangings. Tables were big with room to spread out and relax. The beer was very good and we thought the food (Steak pie and pork sausages) was tasty and reasonably priced. We skipped desert as we were both too full. We had no complaints about the service either. Thoroughly recommended
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Currently my favourite pub to visit. Always a great choice and not just from Spitting Feathers. A little pricey but that seems to attract a, for want of a better word, better customer base. The only let down, as a previous review states, is that the bar maid is often distracted during quieter times by talking to the kitchen staff or reading the paper.
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Enjoyed our visit here in May while staying in the area. Great beers in lovely setting and the Liver and Onions with their chutney was out of this world. Wonderful. Enjoyed 2 Spitting Feathers and 2 guests with the food. Will be back.
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Could have really enjoyed our first visit here. Thought the food and ales first rate but a real shame about customer service standards. The visit was sadly let down by the bar maid chewing gum loudly with her mouth open and our placing an order clearly interrupting her chat with a colleague. Otherwise a great place and we will give it another go.
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Amazing place! Thought it was shut at first, until we saw you have to go up the steps...then 'Wow', what a lovely building. Great atmosphere, very intimate with candlelight and friendly folks!
I tried the 'Old Wavertonian' stout, which was excellent...shows up Guiness as flavourless fizz!!!
Well worth a visit...an excellent pub!
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A brilliant addition to the Chester real ale scene, and one that is bound to win plaudits if it continues in this current style. It's rare for a new ale pub to open these days, even rarer for it to be in a fantastic location like this one. The great hall of a Jacobean building is used as the main bar and drinking area, complete with high ceiling, original features, tapestries, candles on the tables etc. that combine to create a brilliant atmosphere. Very evocative. A smaller room with an emphasis on food can be found to the right. A library of beer-related books can be perused near the doorway. There are 8 real ales to choose from, as mentioned 4 from Spitting Feathers and some guests., and my beer was in top form. The place is about 100yds up the hill from the Bear and Billet, also worth a visit. I look forward to my next visit.
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Recently opened pub converted from a restaurant which is now the Spitting Feathers Brewery Tap. This is a fine old building, sympathetically converted leaving most of the old stonework, ceiling timbers etc intact. It was originally Gamul House which was a Jacobean great hall, the brick fa�ade was added in the 18th century. Has a large sign outside that says �Because life�s too short for crap beer�. It still has a small restaurant area but is now more wet trade led. It has 8 handpumps, usually serving 3 from Spitting Feathers, 4 guest ales and a real cider. I�ve never had a bad pint in here, it�s a class act all round. I wish all pub conversions/renovations were as good as this one. Well done Spitting Feathers Brewery.
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