Hello Henry!! The perfect pub in the city. #Blog

Victoria Hayes
24th June 2022

I love a proper pub. By proper, of course I don’t mean one with great etiquette, I mean a real deal local. A great selection of beers, good quality, freshly cooked pub food, good wine, spirits selection and of course that elusive atmosphere of home away from home. A proper pub, is a true happy place.

Cheshire has some wonderful proper pubs, supported of course, by our fantastic local food and drink producers across the county, but they do tend to be in our glorious countryside. Chester city centre has a wealth of brilliant restaurants, bars and cafe culture. This foodie city is a hospitality haven. But, is there are proper pub?

Well, there is now.

Say a big hello to Henry, Henry Potts that is.

Recently opened on lower Watergate Street in what most people refer to as the old fat cat premises , The Henry Potts promises to be a proper pub for locals within the city; offering good honest food, cracking beers and interesting wines with a warm welcome. 

The Henry Potts is the fourth pub belonging to Pubs Limited, and opened on the 1st June 2022 at 85 Watergate Street, Chester. When you step down into the basement of the historic Watergate house, the styling and décor may immediately remind you of other great pubs you’ve been to before. This will probably be because Pubs Limited was founded and is run by Jerry Brunning, formerly Brunning & Price, owner of other pubs The Swan at Marbury, Black Bear in Whitchurch and The Hare at Farndon.

So why call it the Henry Potts?, well it’s named after a real guy, by the name, believe it or not, of Henry Potts. Watergate House was actually built for him in 1820 and there are generations of famous Potts who followed him, some of them also called Henry!

The venue itself is an oasis in the city, delightfully cool on these hot June days that we’ve had but will also be cosy when winter returns next week. Some original features have been kept and some have been pulled up to date in the best possible way. The quirky pictures which cover the walls could easily fill hours of your time with each discovery. There are group tables, tables for two and even hidey snugs you could take your laptop into to enjoy a pint out of the office. Every inch of the lay out has been thought through and the results are wonderful. 

Speaking of wonderful, an aspect of the refit you wouldn’t usually get to see is the fully upgraded now completely induction kitchen. I promise you, it looks like a spaceship and the food that comes out of there does not disappoint.  Seasonal dishes, classic pub dishes, locally sourced ingredients, everything including the ice cream is made by them in this new, state of the art kitchen. So Pop by for Lunch or dinner daily (Daily menu served Monday to Sunday 12pm-9.30pm). Of course, like any proper pub they do a terrific Sunday roast with a set menu for two courses £23 or 3 courses £28.  You could even give their brunch a go, on a Saturday or a Sunday from 11am – 2pm.

Whenever you go the food is just one part of your experience with the wine pairing being equally important to me, I thoroughly recommend their impeccable selection of wines on tap, sourced and blended by their negocient in Bordeaux, imported by them, meaning great wines and fantastic value for money – a win win!

If wine isn’t your thing, the spirits will spoil you for choice  – the back bar is brimming over with 200 spirits including 70+ gins, 50+ whiskies and 30 rums – and an ever-changing classic cocktail list. But yeah, it’s a pub, so the top choice has to be beer and once again, here they score. Alongside a selection of brilliant local beers you can spot JPA, their very own beer , a truly quaffable pale session ale which is available permanently at all 4 of their pubs.

So let’s check our list…

A great selection of beers – CHECK,

Good quality, freshly cooked pub food – CHECK

Good wine and spirits selection – DOUBLE CHECK

and of course that elusive atmosphere of home away from home. – SPOT ON.

Yep it’s official, the Henry Potts is a proper pub in the city. But given it’s location, on Watergate Street, there is one question remaining, and it’s an important one….What are they doing about Chester Races, they are now officially the closest pub to Chester Racecourse?…So, we asked them for you, and here’s the answer.  

“We have been asked the same question a lot since we announced the opening of the pub. What about race days? As a pub we want to be consistent, and 15 days a year of race events shouldn’t deter us from offering good honest food and drink to our regular guests.  So we ask that you let us know if you want to come to The Henry Potts, before you arrive on race days You’ll need to be on our list to gain entry.  It won’t be a free for all, we won’t be greedy. We want to offer the same pub atmosphere to all our guests, whether you’re attending the races or just want to pop into your local. Simply drop us an email, give us a call and we’ll see you here.  Please don’t be deterred from wanting to visit The Henry Potts on race days, if you’re not going to the races. We’re your local pub.” 

There you have it, all that’s left is to crack on booking a table either by calling 01244 820 559 or going online www.thehenrypotts.co.uk 

You can also follow them on social media, Facebook and Insta @thehenrypotts but we’d much rather you went in person. There is nothing quite like a proper pub experience. Thanks Henry, see you soon.