Joseph Benjamin, Chester

Official site of the Joseph Benjamin, contains menu and wine list - www.josephbenjamin.co.uk

Having walked about three quarters of the way around the city walls, we decided to stop off in this self proclaimed 'Restaurant and Delicatessen' for a tea and a bite to eat. I wasn't expecting a great deal until glancing through the window I spotted a line of pump clips stuck on the wall behind the cash register. As it turns out, they keep one real ale on the go at all times, usually from the Woodlands brewery, so my tea quickly turned into a half of Woodlands Old Faithful. The place feels like a restaurant, which I suppose is its main function. The interior is divided into three vague sections with pastel coloured walls and bare brick pillars. Seating is mostly standard tables and chairs in formal arrangements as you might expect, but there are wooden banquettes at the far end of the room underneath large mirrors. Decoration comes in the form of some modern art prints and old photos of Chester, plus some small book shelves which act as partitioning. Quiet classical music played in the background and the service from the waitress was prompt and with a smile. There is a small produce shop near the till and a kitchenware display upstairs. Menus are detailed on blackboards in the window and looked pretty good, although we didn't sample anything beyond their chocolate brownies. My Old Faithful was underwhelming and hinted at a slow turn-over in ale sales. This is probably a nice spot for some good food and it certainly served its purpose for a quick pit-stop with the unexpected bonus of a local beer to boot. However, it's not the sort of place you would go just for a beer and so scores low for the purposes of this website.