The Chester Arms, Chicheley - pub details
Address: Chicheley, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, MK16 9JE [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 14998) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
Pub facilities/features:
- Food served
- Outside seating
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> Current user rating: 4.3/10 (rated by 11 users)
other pubs nearby:
White Hart, Sherington (0.9 miles), Chequers, North Crawley (1.7 miles), Cock, North Crawley (1.7 miles), Bull, Newport Pagnell (2.0 miles), Kings Arms, Newport Pagnell (2.0 miles)
user reviews of the Chester Arms, Chicheley
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
5 most recent reviews of 6 shown - see all reviews
| Although this looks like a traditional pub from the outside with a few picnic benches in the front garden, in reality it is much more of a restaurant these days both in form and function. It's obviously been refurbished at some point (except for the loos) with the owners clearly going very firmly down the gastro route. It’s divided in to three rooms, a main bar at the front with a smaller room off to one side and a small cellar bar at the rear. The main bar has the distinct feel of a casual bistro type restaurant, although it was difficult to pin down exactly why. It still had a good sized bar counter and a couple of wooden beams on the ceiling, but other than that there was no sign of any pub like features. The walls were all just plain white, with wood panelling on the lower part and plasterwork above whilst there was a red patterned carpet on the floor. There was an old tiled fireplace off to one side and a few watercolours on the walls of wildlife, and most of these were for sale at around the £150 mark. Seating consisted of a mixture of black and red upright leather chairs and all the tables were laid up for food. The small room off to the left had tables that admittedly weren’t laid up, but there were only a couple of tables in here and it still had little in the way of atmosphere. The cellar bar that was down a couple of steps at the rear looked as though it may have been more promising with a tiled floor and whitewashed stone walls, but that was in darkness and apparently was available to hire for private dining functions. The menu was very much restaurant like in both the choice of dishes and the prices, with most of the mains being around the £15 - £20 mark, although that said a subset of dishes were available as part of a “2 courses for £14.95” or “3 courses for £17.50” menu which was considerably better value. Steaks featured prominently, as well as a few fish dishes which were apparently fresh off a boat from Cornwall. My Smoked Haddock Risotto with chargrilled Asparagus and a poached egg was a pleasant enough dish, although I’ve had tastier and it wasn’t a particular generous portion, especially as far as the fish went. If I’d been paying the regular price of £16.50 instead of having it as part of a meal deal, I would have felt very hard done by. As it was, combined with a very nice Chocolate and Bailey’s Bread and Butter Pudding, I suppose it was reasonable value for the quality of the food served. Beers selection was very disappointing with just Greene King IPA on tap. Even worse, there was no draught cider at all. This is a tricky one to mark. As a pub it fails to deliver on most fronts, and this is after all a pub review website, and hence my low mark. If you’re after a decent meal though, it may be worth giving it a go. Blackthorn - 21 May 2013 22:38 |
| Fairly characterless roadside pub that has been spoilt with makeovers. The white walls make it bright. But it really is too bland. There is modern artwork on the walls. The food seemed popular. Greene King IPA was the only beer. Too many kids for my liking and a shame that such an old pub is now devoid of any character. blue_scrumpy - 24 Oct 2011 21:57 |
| Went here on Saturday evening for dinner. Food was nice if not a little pricey. Staff friendly but beer choice was a little dissapointing. I know it is a Green King pub but only two cask ales on offer. These were IPA and Old Speckled Hen. I did see there were some pub games in the pub if they tickle your fancy. rwjc22 - 20 Apr 2011 08:32 |
| I went to this pub more for the food than the drink. Others have commented upon the limitations of the menu. But the quality of both the meat and fish served to my friends and I was very good. The service was prompt and friendly. As to the beer, not a wide choice, but good nevertheless. In summary a good small pub to go for a simple meal grayguy - 1 Oct 2007 11:25 |
| Small but welcoming pub, on a main road out of Milton Keynes so not ideal to sit outside when cars are rushing by at 60mph. Small beer garden at rear. Staff were very friendly and highly professional. Drinks were very well priced. Specialises in fish and steak only, so not much choice, but what they do offer is of a very high quality. anonymous - 3 Sep 2005 11:06 |
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