When it came to deciding where to go for this restaurant review, there was a choice which easily came to the forefront of my mind. It was reputable and conveniently located near where I live.
So it was that myself and my two housemates ventured the short walk to that bustling Chester venue, a relative newcomer to the city centre scene...The Architect.
Except, this being the night before the Easter weekend celebrations, the place was fully booked for the whole evening, and I hadn’t made a reservation.
Ah.
Plan B eaterie
Fortunately for the sake of myself and my increasingly famished housemates, not to mention this review, Chester has plenty of alternative dining hotspots.
We turned our attention to the hastily drawn-up Plan B, to another city centre eaterie, which, despite having only been open less than 18 months, has similarly cemented a fine reputation for good food.
Urbano32 is the elder sibling to new kid on the block Burger Shed 41, with both located on Bridge Street. But while it’s clear what the newest venue offers (that’s burgers, for those not paying attention), Urbano32 specialises in pizzas.
Stepping into the restaurant to hide away from the lousy March weather, it was difficult not to be immediately won over by the charming rustic look and the warm, inviting atmosphere, the latter complemented by the attentive, friendly service. Best of all, this time there was a table available.
After sitting ourselves down, our attention was drawn to the menus, where the various antipasti dishes and pizzas competed for our attention.
For the starters, I kept it simple and plumped for garlic bread with mozzarella (£4.50), while my housemates ordered the bread board (£4) – which came with a pot of olive oil and another of balsamic vinegar - and the beetroot and goats cheese (£6) – which was accompanied by walnut, rocket and honey dressing.
Impressive antipasti
All three of us were suitably impressed with the antipasti dishes. The garlic bread was neither crunchy or soggy, while the mozzarella was applied liberally. The plate of beetroot and goats cheese was cleared in short order, while the bread board, while simple, was warmly welcomed.
To help polish off these starter dishes, my two housemates had picked a can of cola (£1.50) each, whereas I pretended to show I had an ounce of sophistication in me by choosing a nice small glass of Painted Bird White Zinfandel Rose USA (£4.50), which is rich in strawberry, rounded, cream, sunshine. Er, it says here.
Our appetites suitably whetted, we now eagerly awaited our main courses, which are cooked in the impressive bespoke clay oven which is clearly visible for those curious to see how their food is coming along.
While the option was there to pick any one of a number of pasta and salad dishes if we wanted them, our preferences were for pizzas and I had selected one with pepperoni, chorizo, tomato and mozzarella (£11).
Full of flavour
As for my two housemates, they had selected one with chicken, wild broccoli, red peppers, black olives, tomato and mozzarella (£12), and one with goats cheese, fontina cheese, mushrooms, garlic butter and rosemary (£12). All three of us were pleased with the look of the pizzas, and couldn’t wait to tuck in as soon as I’d taken the necessary photos of the main courses.
The three pizzas were large and full of flavour, cooked to perfection and wonderfully filling. None of us were able to fully conquer our respective meal, with a few bits of crust still remaining on our plates by the time we finished.
For my meal, the combination of pepperoni and chorizo sometimes sends alarm bells to my taste buds (I have a pathetically low tolerance for hot, spicy food), but here I was able to enjoy the rich, full-bodied punch they deliver – not too greasy, not too salty.
Two courses were sufficient to satisfy our table, but on another day, had we gone for dessert, I’d say the tiffins (£2.50), coming in either rocky road, white chocolate and pistachio rocky road, or as salted caramel, peanut butter and chocolate, would have been high up on our preferences.
Superb atmosphere
Overall, Urbano32 is an impressive restaurant, sometimes unfairly overlooked on Chester’s dining scene.
The atmosphere was superb (the music playlist mainly consisted of songs from the 1980s and 1990s, which will always earn my seal of approval), the service by Claire-Marie was excellent (assuming I’ve got her name right – that was the name on the bill receipt), the portions were spot on and the quality of food was excellent.
In fact, I’m finding it difficult to find fault with any part of the dining experience. I guess it took a while for the bill to come through once we’d finished our meal, but by that time the place was at capacity, plus the staff were managing a few takeaway orders (the restaurant is on the Deliveroo service).
As far as our night was concerned, what began as Plan B turned into a Grade-A dining experience.
Quality of food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Atmosphere/surroundings: 9/10
Value for money: 8/10
Food brag rating (how good it looks): 5/5
Food hygiene rating: 4/5 (from www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk)
Total: 44/50
What does TripAdvisor say? Average rating 4.5/5: ‘Good environment with a personal welcome from the staff’
Where is it? 32 Bridge Street, Chester, CH1 1NQ, 01244 311487, www.urbano32chester.co.uk
