No. 36 Old Harkers Arms

Visited on 21/4/11. From the ridiculous to the sublime. This is without doubt one of the best pubs in Chester and is an absolute haven for aficionados of real ale. At any one time there are in excess of a dozen hand-pumped ales available with plenty of local brews on offer as well as guest beers from further afield. The other key feature about this pub is that ALL of the ales are ALWAYS on top form. We've been here innumerable times and can't recall ever having had a bad pint. There are downsides though - for a start it's pricey. Don't be surprised if you get stung for £4 odd a pint for some of the stronger ales. Also, the staff are a bit, ahem, 'aloof'. Paul the boss seems a decent sort, but some of his minions will spend all night 'hob-nobbing' with the various Cheshire set  cliques that frequent this place rather than serving other customers. There's a fair bit of pouting and preening takes place behind that bar as well - and that's just the fellas. They're dead strict on drinking up time too, but on the plus side, this enabled us to squeeze another boozer into the evening's agenda. Read on...