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One of the world’s best gastropubs was once home to lions, bears and chimpanzees

One of the best gastropubs in the world will now be open to more customers.

Chester Zoo’s award-winning gastropub, The Oakfield, has extended its opening hours due to “phenomenal demand”. Traditionally, visitors to the zoo could only head to the pub during the charity’s normal opening hours.




However, the pub is now open to the public without a zoo ticket on Fridays and Sundays. Customers can dine and drink in the Grade II listed building, which once housed some of the zoo’s first animals, including lions, bears, chimpanzees, pelicans, parrots and even an aquarium.

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Oakfield was first built as a Victorian country house in about 1884. During the First World War it was used as a hospital for Belgian refugees before George Mottershead, who himself served in the Battle of the Somme during the First World War, to buy the house in 1930 with a view to opening the first “zoo without bars” with animal welfare at its heart.

The founder of the zoo, George lived in the house and it was a family home before being repurposed as a tea room and aquarium, before being transformed into the contemporary British pub it is now. Since opening in 2018, The Oakfield has won a number of prestigious awards, from the regional Taste Cheshire awards to the international Traveller’s Choice awards hosted by TripAdvisor – with the pub being ranked in the top 10% of restaurants in the world.

Chester Zoo’s gastropub, The Oakfield, extends opening hours due to demand(Image: Chester Zoo)

Chloe Gill, Food and Beverage Operations Manager at Chester Zoo’s The Oakfield, said: “Our Friday night trial has proved super popular. So in response to the phenomenal demand we’ve had and as we head into the summer months and kick off. to enjoy the lighter evenings, we are pleased to extend our opening hours to include not only Friday but also Sunday evenings.

“Our guests can enjoy our sunny garden while enjoying the sights and sounds of nature, filled with birdsong and the majestic roar of lions in the distance – all while knowing that every sip of drink or bite of food support our charity, helping to create a brighter future where wildlife thrives.”

About Friday and Sunday nights at The Oakfield

Sunday evening

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