Rainbow Tea Rooms by Chester Pride
Bridge Street, Chester
01244 257602
info@chesterpride.co.uk
THE Rainbow Tea Rooms is one of the newest eateries on Chester's bustling streets but it already stands out from the crowd.
My friends and their four children had travelled up north for the Chester Comic Con, so I had to come up with a destination and activities for the day before.
They always enjoy visiting Chester and previously we had enjoyed excellent food at The Olive Tree Brasserie.
But with an appointment booked at Pictura Studios for some painting fun, we were looking for somewhere to get a quick bite.
Not correcting the children's belief (it's not lying) that Chester didn't have a Nandos, they accepted my suggestion.
Run by Chester Pride, the cafe's Facebook page describes it thus: "The Rainbow Tea Rooms by Chester Pride is our first full time cafe and community safe space complete with a LGBTQ+ library.
"Offering a wide range of snacks, treats and drinks all sourced from local traders in the city and surrounding local areas."
The cafe itself on Bridge Street is colourful and full of light from the glass frontage.
There is a wall of photos of Pride heroes, several LGBTQ+ books to peruse, and Pride merch for sale.
The children loved the cafe's interior with its tables and chair painted in all the colours of the rainbow, and the cafe's protector, a scrap metal centurion, was just asking to pose for selfies with them.
It felt like a welcoming place where they could explore for themselves rather than just sitting at the table.
The menu itself is basic, but growing.
But with its produce sourced from local butcher's and farmers, and no extra charge for non-dairy milks or syrups for your coffee, customers are guaranteed quality at a fair price.
I went for the sausage barm, crumpets and oat milk latte (£2.95, £1.95, and £2.75).
The sausages were delicious and very reasonably priced for the city centre.
The three youngest Hobbits went for bacon barms (£2.95 each), toast and preserves (£1.95), crisps (£1), juice (£1.90), Diet Coke (£1.90) and hot chocolate (£2.95).
The ten-year-old rated his barm fifteen Leons out of ten, high praise indeed!
My friend Amy and her 13-year-old daughter opted to share the Rainbow Board (£3.95), a mix of fruit and marshmallows served with chocolate dipping sauces.
It went down well, and judging by the amount the five-year-old pilfered from it, it was also plentiful.
The other board on offer was the Ploughman's Lunch, with assorted cheese, meats, scotch eggs, and pickles. If I return with a meat-eating companion in the future, I will be suggesting we try it.
Her partner, possibly the most indecisive person on earth, eventually chose a scone with jam and cream (£2.95), a vegan sausage barm (£2.95), and a vanilla latte (£2.75).
The scone was a monster, and he enjoyed it.
The staff were very welcoming, and, factoring in the four children and one very indecisive adult, very patient.
Since our visit, I've noticed that the tearooms has added a children's menu with free colouring set, so a return trip is likely.
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