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The Cavern of the Curious Gnome, Chester
Chester
CH1 1NW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
Nice place but I couldn't find it for ages. Anyway I did eventually. Was very busy in here with no seats available, so sat at the bar. 5 pumps, Roosters Mosaic, Black Iris Snake Eyes, Titanic First Class, Wylam Plain Porter & Kirkstall Blonde. I had a very nice Kirkstall at £4.60 a pint. A good addition to central Chester.
On 23rd September 2026
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3780 recommendations about 3780 pubs]
Rob Hunter left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
Once you have been once, it definitely becomes easier to find, though traipsing through Paysan wine bar to head upstairs to Cavern does always feel a bit odd to me. However it is definitely worth seeking out and making the journey up those unassuming wooden stairs in Paysan. Five cask ales available at the time of my visit, offering a good selection with none of the big nationals represented. Craft keg and of course Belgian beers available too. My half of Milky Milky (Big Trip) set me back £2.35. The venue is Untappd Verified, for all your beer menu perusing needs.
Church pew and gnome themed with toadstool style stools in front of the bar.
On my first visit, I noticed the massive gnome. On this visit, I noticed the massive melted candles on the big wooden tables. Toilets are on the floor below and shared with Paysan.
Definitely one to seek out in Chester.
On 7th September 2026
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1026 recommendations about 768 pubs]
Strongers . left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
I spent a while looking for the Cavern of the Curious Gnome during a visit to Chester at the end of last year, but the hidden location and lack of mobile network in the city meant that I had to give up my search. So this year I went fully prepared with a paper map, address and screenshot of the building frontage, but I still had trouble finding it seeing as it’s located above the Paysan wine bar that you must walk through to access the stairs that lead up to the high ceilinged and wooden floored CCG. Up the right is bench seating with tables that are faced by a toadstool lined serving counter that runs up the left-hand wall. There’s some gnomey stuff dotted around, including a giant gnome that menacingly overlooks the bar from up high. At the rear is a retro gaming table and for some reason there are barbie dolls incarcerated in a couple of cages that hang from the ceiling. The five hand pumps were drawing a decent Ossett’s White Rat, Blackjack’s Manchester Stout, Vaux Brewery’s Best, Electric Bear Brewing’s Theroux the Looking Glass and Oakham’s Citra. The keg range was mostly Belgian with a few crafty options thrown in. I thought the service was polite and I enjoyed the surroundings, although the background music was a bit niche. Worth a look.
On 12th November 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6826 recommendations about 6787 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
This reminded me very much of House of the Trembling Madness in York, both in its atmosphere and vibe, and in being accessed through another business on the ground floor and a staircase to the upper floor. The Rows in Chester are not exactly like Stonegate in York, and this building is not as old, but the idea was clearly there and has been acted upon. There are plenty of Belgian beers and craft keg taps, but I had eyes only for the four hand pumps. I figured that the Big Trip offering would be hazy, confirmed by my drinking companion, and it was too early in the day for a stout from Salopian, so I narrowed the choice down to Ossett White Rat and Kirkstall Blonde, the latter being a new one for me. Unfortunately it was far too cold, but was remarkably tasty in the circumstances (NBSS 3.5, could have been a 4). This pub wouldn't wouldn't be one I'd be desperate to revisit, but on the other hand I wouldn't say no if someone suggested popping again.
On 20th May 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 4919 recommendations about 4501 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
A large ceiling Belgium beer and gnome theme, not the largest space and seems popular. Accessed at the back of the wine bar, itself accessed on the upper level of the shops. Nice place, if a little trendy
On 21st December 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1629 recommendations about 1606 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
Not easy to find,head up the steps to the gallery level Paysan wine bar,enter then go up their stairs to the pub section set in a baronial hall type room with a very high ceiling.Bar stools are of mushroom design and the large model of the Gnome has an illuminated critique of Putin !The vibe is Belgian beer house and there is a rank of church pew benches opposite the long bar.High on the wall is the beer and ale list ,which looks permanent but maybe can be cleverly altered as bews change.
Rock soundtrack but not too loud,juke box which is tempermental,candles give atmosphere and if you order a Belgium beer with a rare and expensive glass from the locked cabinet you will be asked to deposit a shoe in a wicker basket which is then hoist up to the celing to stop you doing a runner with the glass.All very Ghent !
On my trip the ale selection Was Twisted Wheel No Mikey No Chocolate Milk Stout (NBSS 4),Ossett White Rat,Chapter Taller than a House and Buxton SPA.There are 13 kegs beers,mainly Belgian and continental and a vast bottle menu of over 100,the trappist selection was not quite Bruges standard but interesting.Downstairs the Paysan wine list is also very strong.
Most likely a haunt of the craft keg brigade but the ale selection was strong enough to both justify the 2023 GBG listed and lead me to conclude this is a must visit when in Chester,dont miss out.
On 12th August 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3252 recommendations about 3252 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
Up on one of the rows is Paysan wine bar, if you go through there you'll find some stairs leading up to this place. A very eclectic place, with all sorts of seating options available including toadstools. A decent jukebox and also a decent range of cask ales on the four handpumps. There's also a big sign reading "F*ck Putin". We called in here both nights of our latest visit to Chester. Sadly on the second night we decided to eat here. We shared a cheeseboard and a ham hock terrine with "gnomemade bread". It tasted fine, but we both suffered overnight with upset stomachs. As the food came up from Paysan I can't really dock points for this place. We'll call in again next time we're in Chester, but we definitely won't be eating.
Paysan isn't on this site, but as it's the same place really and shares both kitchen and toilets with here, I can't see any point in adding it as a separate entry.
On 1st November 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3420 recommendations about 3326 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
Visited on a recent Saturday evening. 4 cask + 14 keg beers to choose from. The beer list is projected onto a wall behind the bar so nice and easy to see. There are games available on the windowsill. Very busy at the time of our visit but no issues getting served and we managed to find a corner to loiter in with our drinks.
Once you realise that access is through Paysan then no issues finding the place, though it did confuse me when I was first having a mooch round Chester a few years ago trying to find it!
There is a large gnome keeping a watchful eye over the bar, and I do wonder whether the gnome came first and that's how the place got its name, or whether the name came first and the gnome was a later purchase to continue the theme! Toadstool type stools at the bar, as others have observed in previous reviews.
I like this place and would be happy to return.
On 16th March 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1026 recommendations about 768 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
a CAMRA man’s dream above a rubbish wine bar - it is indeed a nightmare to find if you haven’t been before. Four real ales were Titanic Cappuccino Stout. Beatnikz Republic 2am Poet, Oakham Citra and Anarchy Brew Co Invaders Dream (very nice). Shitloads of foreign bottles catalogued in their beer menu from countries including Austria, Norway and three pages of Belgium. i propped up the bar on a toadstool and quite took to this place despite my initial reservations about the name sounding like a terrible prog rock album.
On 1st February 2020
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1183 recommendations about 1143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about The Cavern of the Curious Gnome
A bugger to find at the first attempt due to the 'Cavern' bit of its name. Its situated above a cafe place and even then it is above something else called Paysan, which is a cafe/wine bar thingy. Anyway you have to go into the Paysan place and up the stairs at the rear which makes this 'cavern' on the 3rd floor! Once here it is actually a decent little place. Very wooden and the bar has 4 handpulls for real ale. Beers from Titanic, Mobberley, Peerless and Salopian on on my visit. Reasonably priced and enjoyable. The bar seating consists of toadstools.
On 16th May 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]