A popular Chester restaurant has been voted one of the top places to eat at in the UK .
Staff at Upstairs at the Grill are celebrating after being voted the seventh best restaurant in the UK following thousands of reviews from diners.
The Watergate Street venue is named alongside restaurants run by celebrity chefs Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsey in the Toptable annual awards, announced last week.
Owned by entrepreneur Neil McDonnell, who also runs Hickory’s Smokehouse and Bar Lounge, the restaurant also topped the list as the best outside London, just under Clos Maggiore in Covent Garden.
The awards come after more than 340,000 diners reviewed about 4,000 restaurants nationwide for the website, which is the UK’s number one online booking company.
Stephen Wundke, of the Restaurant Association of Cheshire, praised staff of Upstairs at the Grill, saying the award confirmed something diners in the city had known for a long time.
He said: “This is an extraordinary performance over a number of years by Upstairs at the Grill."
“To be listed seventh is a fitting tribute. It is also the first restaurant listed outside the city of London and Toptable is simply confirming something we in Cheshire have known for some time.”
Toptable describes the restaurant, which has been open for almost a decade, as an ‘upmarket Manhattan steakhouse’ which uses the best in local produce to provide a dining ‘experience not to be forgotten’.
Deanna Thomas of Made in Cheshire, praised owners and staff at the restaurant for their passion and exemplary service, saying: “We know the passion that it takes to run a great restaurant and I am delighted that this has been recognised by Toptable with Upstairs at the Grill."
“Neil McDonnell and his team has created a very special experience and with Sticky Walnut having just received a Cateys Award for the best Restaurant menu, Joseph Benjamin receiving a Bib Gourmand and Simon Radley being awarded his Michelin Star for the 16th year it is no wonder Chester is becoming known as the dining capital of the north."
“It is a team effort to produce great food and my congratulations to everyone involved in consistently providing an outstanding product at Upstairs at the Grill.”
