Chester’s local businesses: what’s actually here

Chester’s local business scene is a nice mix. The old city draws the tourist trade, but out in Hoole, Christleton, Saltney and Handbridge you’ll find proper residential density – and the trades, cafes and salons that go with it.

Around 476 Chester businesses are currently listed on WotsItCalled, spread across Saltney, Vicars Cross, Christleton, Blacon, Great Boughton and Handbridge. You can browse everything listed in Chester on one page, or drop straight into a category below.

The local trades you’ll actually need

Chester’s trades are spread across the suburbs rather than bunched in the city centre. Saltney and Blacon have the highest number of listings, and Christleton picks up a lot of the higher-spec building and extension work. The village-feel suburbs out toward the Cheshire lanes all have their own established firms.

Chester trades are typically reliable, partly because the city’s small enough that word gets around fast if someone’s not pulling their weight. The top-reviewed firms get repeat work and recommendations – that’s visible in the review counts, which is your best filter when picking someone new.

• Plumbers – Chester plumbers. JM Plumbing covers domestic work across the city.
• Electricians – 18 Chester electricians listed. PS Electrical Service in Blacon is one of the top-rated.
• Car mechanics – Chester garages. Piercy Autos in Blacon and Autocare both pick up strong reviews.
• Builders – Chester builders. C & G Builders in Christleton is a well-reviewed local firm; NSP Builders covers bigger work.

Chester’s compact, so travel time is rarely an issue. Most firms based in Saltney or Blacon will happily cover the village suburbs and the city centre without adding charges.

Where to eat, drink, and grab a coffee

Chester’s food scene splits in two: the city centre tourist trade (good and busy, plenty of it), and the neighbourhood spots in Hoole, Handbridge, Christleton and Great Boughton where the locals actually eat. Both are well covered on the directory.

Outside the Rows, Hoole is the stand-out neighbourhood for independent cafes and restaurants, with Handbridge and Christleton close behind. The directory covers the everyday version of Chester eating – the cafe you go to on a Wednesday, not the one you book for an anniversary.

• Restaurants – Chester restaurants. Sage at Chester in Great Boughton is one of the top-rated.
• Cafes and coffee shops – 16 Chester cafes listed. Marchesi Cafe and Marmalade are both solid city-centre picks.
• Pubs and bars – 19 Chester pubs and bars. Halcyon Garden and The Violet Palm are both well-reviewed.
• Takeaways – Chester takeaways across every postcode.

Hair, beauty, health, and wellbeing

Chester’s hair and beauty scene is genuinely strong – Hoole in particular has a cluster of high-quality salons, and the barber scene extends out to Christleton and Blacon. Dentists include both private cosmetic and general NHS, and the gym coverage is solid across the city.

Chester dental clinics cover the full range from NHS through to high-end cosmetic, and several have been around long enough to have genuinely established reputations. Worth asking about free initial consultations – most clinics offer them before committing to bigger treatment plans.

• Hairdressers and barbers – 15 Chester salons and barbers. Hair by Martyna Grant in Hoole is one of the most-reviewed, and Drakes haircutters in Christleton covers the gents.
• Beauty salons – Chester beauty salons. Catherine Reed Beauty is a well-reviewed independent.
• Dentists – Chester dentists. DENTOLOGICUM covers modern implant and cosmetic work.
• Gyms – Chester gyms including FACTR and The Gym Group Chester City Centre.

Professional services

Chester has a proper professional services density – the city’s legal and financial sector is well developed, and the suburbs have a fair few independent accountants covering small business work. Estate agents cluster in the city centre and Hoole where the property churn is highest.

Chester’s professional services lean toward the higher end – conveyancing and estate work in particular, driven by the local property market. But the independent firms in Blacon and Saltney often offer fixed-fee rates that are worth comparing against the city-centre alternatives.

• Solicitors – Chester solicitors. PDA Law Solicitors in Blacon covers a broad remit.
• Accountants – 17 Chester accountants listed. Tax Bees covers small business and self-assessment.
• Estate agents – Chester estate agents. Currans Unique is a well-reviewed Chester independent.

What’s changed lately

Chester’s local scene has kept its character better than a lot of comparable cities. Hoole continues to grow as a genuine neighbourhood hub for independents, Handbridge has picked up new cafes and small restaurants, and the village suburbs out toward the Cheshire lanes keep adding their own small-scale clusters.

The directory gets Chester updates regularly – usually at the prompt of local customers who know a place we don’t. If you’ve got a Chester business in mind that should be listed, flag it and it’ll be added within a few days. No charge, no account needed.

The short version

• Around 476 Chester businesses listed on the directory.
• Saltney, Vicars Cross, Christleton and Blacon have the strongest coverage.
• Pubs and electricians lead the categories at 19 and 18 respectively.
• Hoole is the standout for independent salons and cafes.
• Every category page links direct to phone, address and reviews.

WotsItCalled is a free UK business directory. No signup, no catch. Browse everything listed in Chester, or find the place everyone’s on about.