Chester on a Plate Food Tours is a fantastic way to experience Chester’s vibrant food scene while learning about its rich history. This guided tour seamlessly blends food, drink, and fascinating historical insights, making for an unforgettable experience. Steph, your knowledgeable and friendly guide, leads you through the city, bringing it to life with hidden secrets and captivating tales, while helping you discover new and exciting places to eat. It’s the perfect way to explore the city—learning, indulging, and discovering new culinary gems along the way.
Top Info
🍤 Perfect for History & Food lovers
👩🦳 Friendly and knowledgeable host Steph
👣 About 3-5km of walking
⏰ 4-5 hours
📅 Available Mon - Sun
🫶 Tours can be personalised
🥘 Plenty of stops for food and sit downs
🍷 All food & drink are included in ticket
🥧 Interesting, tasty and fun
🍺 Lots of different tours available
🤵♂ Corporate and private tours available
🎟 Gift vouchers available
🏢 Meet your guide at Visitor Centre
🚗 Park at Linenhall Car Park £6 up to 10 hours
Ever since I first came across Chester on a Plate Tours on Facebook, I knew I had to go on one. So, my sister-in-law and I booked a half-day food and drink tour—and it absolutely exceeded our expectations!
Over five hours, we explored the city's hidden gems, stopping at independent restaurants, bars, and market stalls that showcase the best of Chester’s culinary offerings. Each location had its own unique charm, from the character-filled Brewery Tap Chester to the delightful treats at Pastry Pédaleur, to the chatty bar man at Providence Gin who told us amazing facts while making us gin cocktails. The opportunity to meet the owners and hear the stories behind their businesses added a personal touch that made the experience even more special.
Beyond the food, the tour wove in historical highlights, taking us along the Roman Walls, path the Amphitheatre, and the along the famous Rows, uncovering titbits of history I never knew. Some venues even had their own historical surprises—like Roman Baths hidden at the back or stunning Victorian tiles with fascinating, but also horiffic stories from the past.
If you love food, history, and exploring a city in a unique way, Chester on a Plate Food Tours is a must-do. Whether you're a local or a visitor, this tour offers a fresh perspective on Chester and its thriving independent food scene.
⭐ History on the Tour
Chester is filled with a beautiful mish mash of Roman, Medieval, Saxon, Norman, Tudor and Victorian architecture.
The walking aspect of the tour covers about 5k but has lots of stops and we found it to be a really relaxed pace. We hopped on and off the walls a couple of times, walked past all my favourite parts of Chester plus lots of new parts too.
Historic parts we explored:
Along part of the Chester Walls
The Cathedral
Bridge Chester Rows
Haunted Pubs
Roman Baths inside cafes
Chester Roman Amphitheatre
Eastgate Clock
Huxleys port hole view
Wishing Steps
Cheter Roman Gardens
Chester Cross
I loved how we found parts of history within the cafes and bars. I walked in to Providence Gin and instantly loved the tiles on the wall, to then find out they were infact real Victorian tiles dating back over 200 years. The fact the Bridge Cafe had a real Roman Bath at the back amazed me too. There were so many hidden surprises that Steph showed us.
⭐ Food & Drinks on the Tour
The selection of food stops was really quite wonderful on our tour. Each one stood out in its own way but all had the same theme of being a truely hidden gems. The dishes we sat and enjoyed had all been specially made for the tour, from the mini pie at The Brewery Tap as you could no way eat their normal sized one, to the selection of tapas at The Greenhouse Chester giving you just a bite of their offerings.
All food and drink are included in the tour price, ensuring a hassle-free and indulgent experience.
Where we visited for food & drink:
🐟 Chester Market Fishmonger
🥐 Pastry Pédaleur
🍛 Dabba
☕ Bridge Cafe & Bistro
🥧 The Brewery Tap Chester
🥘 Greenhouse Chester
🍸 Providence Gin Chester
🐟 Chester Market Fishmonger
We stopped here to try some hot roasted salmon and were shown some other fishy items on the counter. This was a quick stop but was a good opener as our first stop
🥐 Pastry Pédaleur
I loved this stop as it involved Cheshire Cheesecake. Specially made for the food tour this creamy and earthy cheesecake has both cheshire cheese and pale ale in. Im not usually a fan of cheesecake as find it too sweet but this was a much deeper flavour and was so interesting to try. Pastry Pedaleur is within Chester New Market and is ran by a baking godness. The cake counter was filled with handmade macaroons and filled cruffins that looks so tentilising. We heard about Stephanie Peters setting up her bakery of French inspired handcrafted gourmet pastries and desserts. I will definitely be back to try come other options from that counter!
🍛Dabba - Southern Indian
A fascinating place that comes with a fascinating story. Dabba serves up traditional South African cuisine by a lovely husband and wife team using recipes passes down by Rekha’s family. What was once Hanky Panky but covid made them change their menu but I'd say for the better.
Here we were given a selection of Indian brunch items, with a trio of homemade chutneys and the most gorgeous chai tea. This was definitely something i wouldn't have thought of trying myself and love how due to the tour i have found such an interesting and lovely independent place.
☕ Bridge Cafe & Bistro
A quick change of plan for our coffee stop due to the planned place being closed. Bridge Cafe is a simple cafe but what we visited for was hidden away down some old brick steps and into the cellar. 1800 year old Roman Baths and Hypocaust right there beneath the coffee shop. It was so random yet so facinating to find them. The cafe didn't particularly make a feature of it apart from some lighting but i thought it was an amazing thing to find.
🥧 The Brewery Tap Chester
Walking to the The Brewery Tap you will find it hard not to be impressed by the building inside. It's a 13th century Gamul House now turned into a pub serving a wide variety of cask and keg beers. Specially for the tour they produce a miniature pie. Partnered with a jug of gravy this pie was a real highlight. The pies are always different and todays was steak and mushroom and was so tasty. Even though you would never manage to eat one of their full sized pies ok the tour it did leave me wanting to revisit for full shabang. Paired with a half pint of their very own Spitting Feathers Pale Ale was another great stop on the tour and one i will have to bring my husband to.
🥘 Greenhouse Chester
Greenhouse is a cosy, intimate European tapas restaurant and Cocktail bar in Rufus Court. We were served up a mini selection of three different tapas plates they have on their menu. Their customer's favourite Patatas Bravas, a porcini mushroom croquette with tarragon mayo and the most gorgeous pan seared king prawn with a N'duja and honey sauce. I could have eaten a whole plate of those alone, i would actually say the nicest king prawn I've ever had. This is another place i will definitely be coming back to and bringing along my tapas loving husband.
🍸 Providence Gin Chester
On Chester's iconic Watergate Street is a building that dates back to 1652! With over 400 gins on offer it was the perfect final stop on the tour to finish with a cocktail. As soon as i walked in i made a comment how i loved the tiles on the wall, and then later found out they were the original Victorian tiles which were uncovered when the place was renovated. The building is steeped in history, the building being the only one to survive a plague outbreak that killed 2,000 people in the city. We sat in the cosy bar sipping our cocktails and enjoying a cheese board with Cheshire cheese on of course before begrudgingly having to make our way back home.
⭐ Our Tour Guide
Steph has a natural warmth that immediately puts you at ease. Friendly, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable, she made the experience both fun and enriching. It was clear she genuinely loves giving these tours—her passion shone through in every story she shared. With a smile on her face and real fondness for the history she recounted, she brought each tale to life.
Her enthusiasm extended beyond the history; she had a true connection with the local businesses she introduced us to. Chatting with the owners like old friends, she was genuinely excited about their latest dishes and updates. She even joined us for a few plates and drinks, making the experience feel more like a shared adventure than just a guided tour. Steph isn’t just leading the tour—she’s a part of it, and that makes all the difference.
Our Verdict
I loved Chester before but now I love it even more! Knowing all the little secret historic facts, its given me so much knowledge about the city and how its changed in so many way while some parts are 100s of years old. And wow the food, I literally would never have known about these places without this tour. It was so special going in to these independent places and finding out more from the owners about their business, food and the history of the building. Plus Steph, our guide was so passionate, knowledgeable and friendly, i could have spent another 5 hours walking round Chester with her!
Other Tours Available
Steph at Chester on a Plate has a selection of different tours available to book. Discover the perfect food and drink experience, whether you're a foodie looking to explore new flavors or simply want a fun night out, there's a tour to match your taste. Choose from:
• Chester Street Food Tour – Savor the best local street food
• Girls' Night Out – A fun-filled evening with great drinks and company
• Brewery with Cheese Tour – The ultimate pairing of craft beer and cheese
• Cheese and Wine Tour – Indulge in classic flavors with expert pairings
• Private Tours – Tailored experiences just for you and your group
• Seasonal Tours – Special events for Christmas, Mother’s Day, and more
Book your tour today
Press Visit March 2025
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