What it's like
Parmar House is the small Watergate Street bar for wine, cocktails, beer and meat or cheese boards, with Prohibition upstairs for a darker cocktail-bar second act.
Parmar is a small, polished Watergate Street bar where wine comes first, cocktails follow closely and the food offer is boards and nibbles rather than dinner pretending to be dinner.
It works best as a controlled start to the evening: one good bottle, a board, a proper cocktail, then maybe upstairs to Prohibition. It is not built for a loud group trying to colonise half the room.
Worth knowing
Parmar is small, grown-up and useful when the night starts with wine rather than shouting. It is not dinner, sport or cheap pints. Let it be what it is and it makes far more sense.
Plan your visit
- Address
- 66 Watergate Street, Chester CH1 2LA.
- Hours
- Currently listed as closed Monday-Tuesday, 15:00-23:00 Wednesday-Thursday, 15:00-midnight Friday, 13:00-midnight Saturday and 13:00-22:00 Sunday.
- Drinks
- Wine is the headline, with cocktails, beer and seasonal choices behind it.
- Food
- Meat and cheese boards, focaccia, nuts and bar nibbles. Eat properly elsewhere if you are hungry.
- Prohibition
- The hidden cocktail bar above Parmar is part of the same evening ecosystem, useful if you want a darker second stop.
- Booking
- Mainly walk-in, with a small number of reservations. Book or message if timing matters.
- Kids
- Not a children’s venue. Treat it as an adult bar.
- Dogs
- Dog policy is not clear enough to rely on. Check direct.
- Outdoor seating
- Some outside / frontage seating may be possible, but do not rely on it without checking.
- Access
- Wheelchair-accessible parking is not listed. Check direct for entrance, seating and toilet detail.
- Price feel
- ££. The point is better drinks and a nicer room, not cheapest possible units of alcohol.
How to use it
- Start here before dinner at Barlounge, Upstairs at the Grill, Stile Napoletano or Paysan.
- Use the boards for grazing, not as a replacement for dinner unless you have modest ambitions.
- For a two-part drinks night, do Parmar first and Prohibition upstairs afterwards.
- For groups, contact ahead. Small bars and optimistic groups are not natural friends.
What's on and practical notes
Parmar changes wine, cocktail and event activity through the year. Check direct for current offers, reservations, Prohibition access and private-event details.
No checked TTDC event listings for this place right now. Check its own listings before building a visit around an event.
Nearby plan
Nearby pubs and bars
Nearby attractions
FAQ
What is Parmar House best for?
Wine, cocktails, grazing boards, date-night drinks, pre-dinner stops and a quieter Watergate Street evening.
Does Parmar House serve food?
Yes, but mainly boards and nibbles. Do not treat it as a full restaurant.
Can you book Parmar House?
It is mainly walk-in, but the venue says it takes a small number of reservations each day.
Is Prohibition connected to Parmar House?
Yes. Prohibition is the cocktail bar upstairs, useful as a second stop after Parmar.
Is Parmar House good for groups?
Small groups, yes. Larger groups should contact ahead rather than assuming space will appear.
Nearby alternatives and add-ons.
Chalk Coffee Chalk Coffee is a modern independent coffee shop on Watergate Street, built around speciality coffee, filter, brunch, cakes and light daytime food. It works for a proper flat white, a slower brunch, a dog-friendly coffee stop, or a central pause between the Rows, the shops and the Cathedral side of town. 
Assembly Bar & Tapas Assembly Bar & Tapas sits on Watergate Street - independent, all-day, and properly committed to the food side of bar food. Coffee and brunch by day, cocktails, natural wine and Spanish-leaning small plates by evening. Useful when one person wants cocktails, another wants wine, somebody wants to eat, and nobody wants to surrender to the loudest option immediately. Grown-up enough for a quieter start; lively enough by Friday night to hold the room. 
Barlounge Barlounge sits on Watergate Street and has been Chester's most-watched bar since March 2000 - arguably the city's original proper cocktail bar, now twenty-five years in. The terrace has a retractable roof and serious heaters, the small plates kitchen is better than it needs to be, and the room runs hot from Friday afternoon through to a busy Sunday lunch. Reliably busy, occasionally a bit of a scene, almost always worth it.