Sticky Walnut

We visited Sticky Walnut last night after hearing great things about it from several people. The restaurant has a strong reputation, so we were really looking forward to the meal. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite live up to expectations. The menu had just changed and was quite limited. For our main, we had little choice but to order the double steak for two — not ideal since my partner prefers rare and I like medium. The steak arrived cooked somewhere in between, but it was on the small side and definitely not enough for two people. The potatoes were under-seasoned and rather dry, and while the salad looked pretty and fresh, it felt more like a garnish than a proper side. For starters, we had the bread and butter, but the butter was simply smeared on the side of the plate and the presentation was disappointing for a restaurant with this kind of reputation. Service was mixed — it took about 15 minutes before we were served, though once Camilla came over, she was lovely and chased up our drinks promptly. The wine was on the expensive side but unfortunately not the best quality. We did raise our concerns, and to their credit, the staff were understanding. They offered complimentary drinks, which was appreciated and did make us feel better. However, even after the discount, the total came to around £100, and we still left hungry — we actually stopped for McDonald’s on the way home. Overall, while the service was friendly and they tried to make things right, the food and value for money just didn’t match the high expectations or the reputation

First timer here. Small intimate restaurant. Absolutely delicious food. Presented so well that we felt like judges on Masterchef. Our server was lovely and friendly. Would definitely recommend.

Easily. One of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to. I would put this up there with the forestside, Gilpin and the stamp house in Ambleside. Ordered the steak tartare and to round it off the sirloin sharing board (for two) just for me haha. My other half had the halibut This was honestly phenomenal!!! I will rush back. Staff are sooo sound as well. BLOODY LOVED IT ha

We're not especially fans of American cuisine but as Sticky Walnut were doing it for their set menu this month we decided to give it another chance and expand our taste. It's still not my favourite but the frickles (deep fried, very lightly tempura battered pickles), barbequed Boston beans, and fried chicken with collared greens were all raised to level well beyond the norm. Very unusually for me, the puddings were the standout course; New York cheesecake was delicious, and Honeycomb ice cream served in a chilled glass with cracking good solidified chocolate sauce, absolutely fantastic. Service was lovely, very friendly and charming. Excellent value, £23 each for all three courses. I don't think you can do better in Chester.

I visited SW with 2 girlfriends this week. They have a new Chef - Luke and a new menu. The best restaurant meal I have had in Chester it was delicious. Great menu - I started with steak tartare followed by the monkfish in lobster sauce. All beautifully prepared and presented the flavours were perfection. The staff were wonderful. Attentive without being intrusive. We had a fantastic evening. Would highly recommend.

Located in a lovely suburb of Chester. Greeted by a friendly waitress where we were seated in a quiet corner. Short bistro menu with a good variety of options. Decent wine selection at reasonable prices. Open kitchen with engaging colleagues. We started with the Crab fishcake and goats cheese salad. The cheese was on a sweet crumbly base. The crab cake had a red fish sauce garnished with chilli oil. Perfect starters. For mains, we both had Seabream with poached mussels in a tarragon sauce. We added carrots and chips. The fish was exceptional, filleted, and delicious. For wine, we chose a French Shiraz, red is always our preference even with fish. Great atmosphere with nice background music and very comfortable seating. Overall, we would rate this restaurant one of the best in Chester fair price for the quality of food and service. Thank you for such a lovely evening.

Popped in for a leisurely solo lunch last Friday as so rarely get to stop off in Chester. Was my first time here and was absolutely fantastic. The team were excellent. And the food..sublime. I didn’t have the set menu (which looked to be very good value!) as wanted to try more dishes and have some wine - of it was worth it. The sticky bacon - 10/10. The schnitzel 10/10. The coconut ice cream 10/10

The lunchtime Bistro Menu which changes on a monthly basis is such value for money for high end dining. Choose between 2 or 3 courses - prior booking not always necessary. Allow yourself at least a good hour.

Amazing restaurant- will return one day! We had a lovely time and couldn't have asked for anything more from the kitchen or staff.

Always great food, changes seasonally and the service is fab! We'll keep coming back! Keep up the great work.

My parents took my sister and I on a trip to the UK...and we knew we wanted to thank them! As I was planning our itinerary for our UK trip I stumbled across this little gem in Chester! The Sticky Walnut had a casual, rustic atmosphere according to the pictures online...but it also has been awarded a Michelin Star! We thought it would be a perfect place to take Mom and Dad for a meal to thank them for their incredible generosity on this trip...they really spoiled us!! Just like the pictures depicted online it was a cozy and rustic space! We had made a reservation before we left Canada so we were seated right away! Our server was new"ish" to the front of house...as he worked as a sous chef previously..so was very knowledgeable about the dishes and ingredients! He gave us some great recommendations and we had a lot of fun with him as our server! The Chateaubriand was delectable! It takes 60 mins to prepare but we'll worth the wait! So tender and and delicious...and the truffle parmesan crisps...oh my! For dessert I think we almost tried everything on the menu, but it was the fresh Honeycomb that really stood out to me! The menu had creativity, the ingredients were high quality, the service was efficient...yet warm and the setting was enjoyable! Highly recommend this place and if we ever make it back to Chester we will be sure to make a reservation to dine again!

Lovely little bistro restaurant in Hoole just minutes from Chester train station. There is a big car park two minutes round the corner-parking on the street isn't always possible round there! The restaurant is on two floors, but booking is recommended as its very popular. We were served very quickly and the staff were friendly and helpful. The food is good quality, slightly away from the norm, but not fussy or pretentious. Two hours to eat three courses and only £20 odd pounds:)

This little bistro has been open since 2010 under head chef and owner Gary Usher and has been developing its reputation ever since with a mix of positive reviews (particularly this review from The Guardian's Marina O' Laughlin), a humorous and captivating Twitter feed, and a proclivity for comical replies to unreasonable customers on Tripadvisor. Additionally, the Sticky Walnut has in the last couple of years received numerous accolades such as Cheshire Best Small Restaurant 2012 and 2013, Catey Award - UK Best Restaurant 2013, Restaurant Magazine's 39th Best Restaurant in the UK 2014 and most recently AA's Restaurant of the Year (to name but a few!) I ordered the crispy lamb's tongue, chickpea, goat's curd, and green charmoula, which was exceptional. The lamb's tongue was bold but delicate, and sweet with a beautiful lamb flavour. The accompanying parts of the dish complimented the tongue perfectly. For my main dish, I ordered the butter roast grouse breast and pate, crispy black pudding, blackberries and pearl barley and it did not disappoint. The breast was cooked perfectly (pink and tender), and the pate was smooth and full of gamey flavour. With the mains we also ordered a side of the hand cut truffle and parmesan chips. There's nothing else I can say about these chips apart from the fact that they are the best chips I have ever tasted; crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and the truffle and parmesan added that 'something else' that makes me wonder if I'll ever be able to have chips not cooked in this way again. After deciding to go the whole hog and have dessert I plumped for the honeycomb ice cream and fresh honeycomb. The latter was slightly (I imagine intentionally) overdone in the middle, which gave a lovely burnt honeycomb flavour, which although doesn't sound appealing I can assure you it definitely was. The ice cream was also excellent; sweet and creamy, with a slight saltiness that balanced it out. To conclude, I can't recommend the Sticky Walnut enough. The location is lovely, the décor and wooden furniture compliment the relaxed bistro feel (and the chairs are not too hard despite what some idiots on Tripadvisor may tell you). The unpretentious service also reflects the restaurant's informal approach; someone will be there when you need them, but not there when you don't. Most importantly the food is very good. Fresh ingredients cooked by an undoubtedly expert chef, without any gimmicks or distractions. For food of this quality, the price is very reasonable, with the total bill (without gratuity) coming to £103. Overall, the atmosphere is one of confidence and satisfaction from staff and customers respectively, and in my opinion quite rightly so.

FINALLY!!! I WENT TO STICKY!! :) This cosy neighbourhood bistro is situated in Hoole - a small village just outside Chester. It's location, I find, is quaint and out of the way of the busy hustle and bustle of Chester but close enough that you can walk there from Chester train station in around 10 - 15 minutes. There must be no more than 10 tables in the entire restaurant which I loved. We were looked after by their amazing staff from beginning to end. The lunch menu is by far the best food I have eaten for the price we paid. The menu (see picture on this review) was seasonal and I could have eaten every single dish. The leek and potato soup was devine and the venison ragu with tagliatelle was also outstanding. Faultless. Just faultless.

Always something interesting to choose, lovely ambience and friendly staff. Somewhere to take a special person for a night to remember. Quite pricy but worth the money

Yes, I know, another 5 star review for Sticky Walnut! Totally deserved though, every mouthful of every course was simply delicious... Three of us travelled from Manchester on a Saturday lunchtime, and greedily ate our way through some delicious focaccia while we waited for our fourth joining us from Bolton. We sipped complimentary fizz, and despite being 20 mins early we were made very welcome by the staff. I started with beef tartare, beautifully flavoured and served with crispy, rich polenta chips and balancing pickled cucumber. An excellent start! For main I had plaice, served with oxtail, braised cabbage and pearl barley. Light, tasty and delicious, and accompanied by a buttery mix of asparagus, peas and radishes. We'd also ordered multiple portions of the truffle and Parmesan chips, which were huge - much more like wedges than chips - and beautifully cooked, although I couldn't really taste any truffle flavour. On to dessert, rhubarb trifle for me, served with an almond crumble. A dainty portion served in a small glass, and another delicious course. We had a coffee afterwards in the hope of staying awake on the journey home, it was served with some lovely dark, rich amaretto truffles. A lovely atmosphere, pleasant staff, and despite having a glass of wine with main and a Pedro Ximinez sherry with coffee, the bill was a mere £40 a head - including tip! An absolute bargain, and well worth the journey. Can't wait for Burnt Truffle to open, rumours are that it'll be closer to Manchester....

Food and service absolutely amazing as always, but the management seriously need to have some training. After ordering a second bottle of wine to enjoy the fabulous food and ambiance was told we had to leave immediately due to needing the table for the next guess. Totally showed ourselves and herself up on the top floor. And to be told by other guessed later that evening that the table wasn't actually filled for another 30 minutes What a shame as the service and food was outstanding

Laura, our waitress, recommended Beetroot risotto, crispy ox tongue, fresh goats curd, red veined sorrel as a starter, and I knew I was in England. Where else would anyone dare to describe such a tasty dish in the most revolting way imaginable? But no Toad-in-a-Hole for my main. Instead I chose Braised Rump of Lamb with, spring onion, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, and savoury (British spelling) granola-black pudding. I knew what black pudding was since watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman, but insisted Laura tell me what EXACTLY it was. Too shy to explain herself (typical of many of the locals) she blushed and found a more experienced waitress who was totally comfortable letting me know, "IT IS PIG's BLOOD. DISGUSTING, RIGHT!?" Great service!

What an amazing restaurant. An unpretentious, warm and friendly atmosphere with a very creative menu. The food was out of this world and I cant wait to get back to try something new from that menu. Very reasonably priced considering the quality too. This place is something very different.

I went to Sticky Walnut for dinner last night and I couldn't have been happier with the experience as a whole. The waiting staff were all polite, friendly and eager to please, without hovering over us all night. The ambiance was warm and relaxed, yet classy. The wine list was extensive, with good quality options for all budget sizes. Finally, the food was just perfect. I had the winter paella and my partner had the belly pork. Both were exquisite. I could easily have had seconds (or even thirds) of the heavenly chocolate pudding! We will definitely be going there again.

Best restaurant in Chester in my opinion. Great tasting food, excellent wine and friendly service. The chateau-b was stunning. Keep going back which is mark of great restaurant.

Intimate location, and they know their food. Had an excellent dinner here - booked ahead - staff was attentive and the food options made the decision hard. You won't regret a dinner here! Little more expensive, but will worth the price.