Shining their North Light on Chester
North Light Bar & Restaurant | Chester
We had the pleasure of visiting Beth and the team at the newly opened North Light in Chester. An inclusive space that delivers a unique experience to each of its visitors.
We start our visit with our tour guide and all-around wonder woman, Beth. She walks us through the venue explaining the thoughts, concepts and story of North Light. Which, for us is something we encounter only sometimes. This is a team that knows their business’s message, core values and can’t wait to share them with everyone.
North Light is a celebration of everything good about Chester; There are artworks on the walls by local artists, the terracotta tiling is inspired by the colours of the Roman architecture throughout Chester, the arches leading into the lounge mimic the arches of the front of their beautiful building.
Inside, the space is vast. This is no small unit. This is why it’s such an incredible achievement (in my mind) to have created areas that are still intimate, warm and comfortable.
The lounge area has little nooks and comfy sofas, perfect for curling up with a book and a coffee. You’ll find stylish tables and chairs for those days you don’t want to work from home but still have work to do.
Venturing further into the space, you’ll find an LA-inspired bar designed to be open, large & in charge. The Bar team are here to raise the Barr too. You’ll find creative cocktails, local ales and spirits, organic wines and the most exciting Mocktail list we’ve found in a while. As someone taking some time out from drinking alcohol, browsing the drinks menu for non-ale beer can sometimes be a little boring. Very happy to see the team at North Light took as much time with Mocktails as they had the cocktails. It doesn’t stop there, though. North Light will be hosting a Mocktail making masterclass with Lyres Spirit Company at the end of this year, and we couldn’t be happier to see it! Count us in.
On to the restaurant; We loved to see how good design helps to shape your dining experience. You’ll notice the ample space has been cleverly zoned for specific types of booking; They’ve even added glass-tiled walls to help customers who get overwhelmed or overstimulated in large restaurants (Hello ADHD 🙋♂️).
Taking a relaxed and informal approach to their food, you’ll find small plates and sharing dishes, Lighter Bites & Salads, a Grill menu & the classics. Unlike other restaurants that take this approach, the menu here is small enough not to overwhelm but large enough to provide variety. The kitchen team know their strengths and are sticking to them.
We had a smorgasbord of almost everything (naturally); From the light bites, Calamari with a sweet chilli and lemongrass dip, Burrata with tomato, basil, capers and basil oil and Arancini with mozzarella on a pea and watercress puree. Then from the build-your-own grill plates, Chicken Satay with satay sauce and Lemongrass Beef with a sweet chilli and lemongrass dip. The beef was tender and easy to pull from the skewer, and the satay was silky smooth and packed with flavour.
After packing away 100’s of delicious mocktails, I won’t lie, we were full… but, of course, found extra room for pud.
Pineapple, Kiwi & Melon Kebab, glazed with coconut sugar with a melted chocolate dip and Salted Chocolate Butterscotch Brownie with vanilla ice cream and crushed honeycomb… we rolled all the way home.
Thank you so much to Beth & the incredible team for having us. We genuinely had a great time, and I know we’ll be back — not just for the Mocktail Masterclass.
You can book your tables and browse the menu by clicking here.
Unit 1, Coachworks Arcade, Northgate St, Chester CH1 2EY
*This food was gifted to us, however this does not make anyone exempt from our critique. This is a true representation of our experience.