Commonhall St. Social returns….Home, sweet, Home. #Blog
Victoria Hayes
12th October 2020
Although, Commonhall at the Racecourse was a fabulous idea and we have been back time and again over the last few months, Our team were more than ready to head back in when it reopened “at home” last Friday.
The tables are of course socially distanced for up to six and the best part… you don’t need to book, So we didn’t we just rocked up for lunch!
To be clear, we weren’t there to “review” the place, just for lunch, but we always like to share our food experiences with you, so here we are!
The first thing to note is that we were welcomed charmingly and safely, by a host with a clearly branded Commonhall mask. I mention this because I have found recently that if staff wear their own or unbranded masks, it can be a little difficult to work out if they are staff! I have a good friend who has trouble with face blindness, and the masks have made it infinitely worse.
So Thanks Commonhall for being helpful as well as “on brand”! 
She explained beautifully how things operated and got us settled in to a table undercover but outside in the courtyard.
If you’ve never been to Commonhall, let me tell you about it’s appeal.
Commonhall has a relaxed vibe, so relaxed in fact, its almost a home from home kind of place. You could take your dog and they’ll give him dinner too. You could go on a casual date for coffee or a romantic date with wine. You could go with a bunch of mates (no more than 5!) or you could go on your own.
However you go, you feel welcome, comfortable and happy every time.
Their food is generally the same as the atmosphere. Relaxed, home comfort dishes, they are particularly famous for their roasts (and dog dinners) and My lad loves their spaghetti.
Briony and I love a small plates style and we were thrilled to see they have this option on their menu. they’ve got a whole new nibbles menu, choose 3 for £15. Perfect for sharing, Perfect for us.
I had the Chicken Caesar Croquettes, the sticky chorizo sausages and the Calamari.
Briony also had the croquettes, goat’s cheese bon-bons with red onion marmalade and the Lamb Koftas.
They were all lovely, although we absolutely have to mention the Chicken Caesar Croquettes as being LUSH.
I loved pairing them with a lovely glass of Shiraz and we also love the Koftas, the dressing was gorgeously addictive. We recommend you try both of these, even if you only have the Croquettes so you can pretend you had a salad for lunch!
I’ve said it many times before and will no doubt say it again, a venue is only as good as it’s staff.
Commonhall may have had a little facelift and the have spruced up the menu but the one constant is their fabulous team.
Every single one of them was delightful, chatty, helpful and kind.
When the heavens opened they took great care of us and as an old hospitality gal myself I know things can and will go wrong. I never judge people on the errors, only how they handle them.
On Friday, with the new menu the kitchen had slowed down, just teething problems and everything that came out was spot on. Nevertheless, we were treated to it on the house, for which we were very grateful, and we’ll be back time and again as a result.
If you’ve never been, now is the time. If you’re a regular, you’ll love it because non of the really important things have changed!
As for what has changed, here are a few pictures so you can get an idea, but really we say GO AND SEE FOR YOURSELF!
Commonhall Street Social
10 Commonhall Street, Chester, CH1 2BJ
Tucked away in a city centre side street, Commonhall Street Social is one of Chester’s hidden gems.
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