Good reviews
The Chester
18 9th Ave
(between 13th St & Little W 12th St)
New York, NY 10014
Neighborhoods: West Village, Meatpacking District
(646) 253-2284
(between 13th St & Little W 12th St)
New York, NY 10014
Neighborhoods: West Village, Meatpacking District
(646) 253-2284
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
8 Ave. (L)14 St. (A, C, E)14 St. (1, 2, 3)
- Hours:
- Mon-Wed, Sun 7 am - 2 amThu-Sat 7 am - 4 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
- $$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri, Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
9 reviews for The Chester
9 reviews in English
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Review from Food J.
ASTORIA, NYMy friends and I found ourselves there twice this past week..On Friday night, coz we were nearby and we saw people inside and it's a new place so we thought to give it a chance! The music was really good, the drinks came fast and they were also good. The staff is always smiling even if they are super busy and they are quite helpful with the food and the cocktails.
We had some great "bites" at the lobby bar.
After the bartender suggested it we came back on saturday for brunch. Really rich tastes and reasonable prices considering the location and the quantity...but that goes only to the brunch menu!!
I find all the drinks and cocktails a bit overpriced, although excellent made and although it's MPD.
Also salads could be bigger and I'd like some more creative desserts..
Overall I'd totally suggest this place and I'll go back.. -
Review from Dan C.
I came here for dinner over the weekend. Wedged into the first floor space of the Gansevoort that seems to be a revolving door for restaurants, this seems to be a new-American bar / restaurant. Hardly a new concept, but one that works. They have three spaces: an outdoor patio, a small bar next to the hotel lobby and a larger bar/dining space in the back. The back bar was packed, noisy and full of bro's high-fiving while watching a game on the big TVs and dolled-up B&T girls having a "girls night out in the city". I chose the bar in the front next to the lobby, to avoid the mayhem.
I ordered the roast chicken. Served on the bone, with crispy skin and creamy mashed potatoes, it really hit the spot. The food all around me looked good and the bar staff was very friendly and attentive, even though they were slammed with business. The prices are very reasonable as well.
When you are in the MPD and not on a guest list or friend of a friend of the guy at the door, the Chester is a good spot for food and meeting your friends for drinks. -
Review from Jj L.
Stamford, CTNothing really special about the menu, the scene is 5 stars but we are here to rate the food and service.
If you want "New American comfort" take yourself to a restaurant on Sullivan Street. They are the definition of "New American" and has been doing it for 2 decades. Flatbreads were fresh but nothing to rave about, the spinach dip w/ fried oysters was a hit. For entrees, the fish was cooked really well, but the fried chicken was a little dry and the pot roast was enormous! The desserts were a true downer, pecan brownie was cold and the apple pie was just A-Okay.
Service was attentive but spotty. Our waiter was a bit over the top with his "hard sells" as we went over the menu.
Still a great addition to the area and hotel. Noise factor could be an issue with the tiled walls but overall it's still the MP and after 9pm it's the place to be! -
Review from Mike C.
I'm never sure what to expect with hotel restaurants - they can either be incredible, and up there with the best dining experiences you could imagine, or they could be flashy, overpriced, and forgettable. I'm glad to say that The Chester, located in the Gansevoort Hotel, is much closer to the former.
After this place was only open for about a week, I had already read multiple times how good the fried chicken here was, so I knew I had to come try it. It wasn't quite worth all of that hype, but the rest of the food here ended up being really good actually, especially for these types of places in Meatpacking (i.e. borderline feeling like you are in a club, dark, sceney, and $11 for a meatball).
Yes, we started with The Meatpacking Meatball ($11, but luckily showed up on my bill as $9 for some reason), which is a (largish) meatball with a piece of toast. It happened to be a really excellent meatball, and was indeed big enough to share, but it will always be embarrassing to admit that I spent so much on one meatball.
Since we apparently were only eating beige tonight, we also started with the Spicy Lamb Chili ($11), which comes with a "Drop Cheddar Biscuit". This was pretty tasty, and the biscuit was good, if a bit too small, but again a little outrageously priced.
Things got much better with the entrees. We of course got the Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($20), which came with Black Pepper Biscuits and Ham Hock Gravy. Not quite what I expected, it consisted of 6 small pieces of chicken, 3 of which were boneless, white meat tenders. I'm not really complaining since bones just slow me down, and these 3 pieces were super juicy, nice and crispy, and very delicious. The other 3 pieces with bones were decent enough too, but I wouldn't have minded having just the white meat pieces. The biscuits were pretty good, but were amazing once dipped in that gravy. It tasted really meaty and salty, and was a perfect vehicle for the typical crumbly, somewhat dry texture of biscuits.
The real winner though was The Chester Burger ($19). This consisted of two thin patties with American Cheese and Bread & Butter Pickles, along with some semi-thick Fries. It was pretty much a fancy, overpriced Big Mac, even down to the tasty version of the sesame seed bun. The meat was excellent, and served at a great temperature - still a bit pink, but not sloppy and falling apart.
For a side, instead of the smarter choice of actually going for a vegetable, we went with the excellent "Chester Mac & Cheese" ($10) (it's a good thing they name their dishes like this, I almost forgot where I was eating). This is always a great combo with fried chicken, and this version did not disappoint. Nice and cheesy without being overly oily and gooey, it turned out to be a great choice.
Unfortunately, they didn't have a dessert menu, and the waitress just didn't do a good enough job selling the few options. It just feels like an afterthought when they verbally tell you the choices like this, so I passed (if you are interested, they sounded pretty generic anyway: a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice ream, carrot cake with ginger ice cream, apple pie a la mode, and a trio of cupcakes infused with some alcohol).
The atmosphere in here is very nice, and pretty typical of a Meatpacking Hotel Restaurant. They were playing good music, and the lights were getting low ready for what I'm sure will be a large late night crowd. The place is pretty huge, with several rooms and a ton of seating, both indoors and outdoors. The service was excellent - very friendly waitstaff and diligently attentive busboys refilling the water regularly.
Hopefully they expand the menu in the coming months and eventually develop a dessert menu with some more inventive choices. I would definitely come back to sample some new dishes.-
Chester Mac & Cheese ($10) -
The Chester Burger ($19). Good Fries. -
Burger close-up
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Review from Franny A.
Sexy spot- owned by the Ainsworth folks. Watch the bar action from the bathroom. Shout out to the service here.....super friendly and accommodating. Food is American comfort. We shared buttermilk fried chicken, mac and cheese, local greens. Chicken was good served with biscuits and sausage gravy- preferred the mustard/honeyish sauce. Mac and cheese was very good. Love the Miami style in the MPD. -
Review from hannah s.
Manhattan, NYI wanted to like The Chester, I truly did. But there is nothing special about this place. It's so mediocre and so incredibly overpriced for what it is. Truthfully, I don't mind spending good money on a meal, but I want it to be a GREAT meal!
Got a reservation on a Friday by calling after seeing none available on Open Table. They were accommodating and even moved us away from the open door on the patio once we asked. Our table wobbled (didn't they literally just open?), a rubber plant fell on me from the ceiling... Things that aren't really a big deal, but the staff didn't seem phased by at all.
We ordered drinks and an appetizer to start--burrata pizza. I love burrata and to be honest this was one of the driving factors of making a reservation. It was good, but it was heavily salted and oily. Once we finished the pie, the paper on the tray holding it was soaked in grease.
We kept our menus with the intention of ordering mains, but to be honest nothing was jumping out at us and the food coming out just looked OK. Listen, I can't 100% judge the food as I only had an appetizer, but I know I didn't need to stay for what I was going to get (and pay for).
Not to mention, $17 for a vodka, st. germain and soda. That's crazy talk even for NYC! We left before getting stuck with entrees and went to Buddakan where drinks felt like a steal at $12. -
Review from erika s.
New York, NYGansevoort hotel is swanky 'n spanky. To all haters: you might think twice before judging if you give The Chester a chance. Meatballs, fried chicken, biscuits whaaaaa? Amazing! This restaurant is a 'meat-ingful' addition to an otherwise predictable meat-packing-style hotel. -
Review from Molly S.
Chelsea, Manhattan, NYLast night I went to the grand opening of The Chester. Everything about the restaurant was a total success: from the decor to the service to the food. The server knew the entire menu and was able to give suggestions based on what I was looking for. He knew everything about the preparation and ingredients and was overall very helpful. The ambiance is great and they did a great job enclosing the outdoor area with still giving the feeling of an outdoor space. Everything I tried was delicious and I will definitely be a returning customer. -
Review from Robert B.
Bayside, NYI went to the grand opening last night and it was awesome! The space is much better looking than when it was called "toy". They enclosed the outdoor space in a brilliant way. The food was fantastic and the overall menu was a great change. Meat packing didn't need another Asian fusion place. Paige group nailed this one right on the head. The crowd was beautiful and upbeat thanks to the on point DJ. I will definitely be back often. Oh and try the Sea Bass Skewers....to die for.
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