What it's like
Ye Olde Boot Inn is a historic Samuel Smith pub on Eastgate Row, known for old rooms, quiet pints, a rear courtyard and strict no-phone/no-swearing rules.
Ye Olde Boot Inn is not for everyone, which is exactly why it is worth knowing. It is upstairs on Eastgate Row, properly old, proudly quiet and run in the Samuel Smith mould: own beers, old-fashioned rules, no electronic devices and no swearing.
For the right visitor, it is one of Chester’s best pauses: low beams, history, a pint, a conversation and a room that refuses to behave like every other bar. For the wrong visitor, the rules will feel absurd within five minutes.
Worth knowing
Ye Olde Boot Inn is a Marmite pub in the useful sense. If you want quiet, history and a phone-free pint, it is excellent. If you want normal modern bar behaviour, it will feel like being told off by a building.
Plan your visit
- Address
- 9 Eastgate Row, Eastgate Street, Chester CH1 1LG.
- Hours
- Current listings show Monday-Saturday 11:00-23:00 and Sunday 12:00-22:30.
- Food
- Do not make food the reason to go. This is primarily a drinking pub.
- What to order
- Samuel Smith beer, especially Old Brewery Bitter if you want the obvious cask choice.
- Rules
- No electronic devices, including mobile phones, and no swearing rules are part of the pub identity.
- Outdoor seating
- Rear courtyard is listed.
- Dogs
- Dog policy is not clear enough to rely on. Check direct.
- Kids
- Not a family recommendation. It is a quiet pub with adult rules.
- Access
- It is on Eastgate Row and reached by steps. Do not assume step-free access.
- Price feel
- £. Often one of the more budget-friendly central pints.
How to use it
- Go during a Rows wander and treat it as a quiet pint, not a rowdy stop.
- Put the phone away before staff have to say it.
- Use it for one or two drinks, then move elsewhere if the night needs music, sport or cocktails.
- Check access before taking anyone who struggles with steps.
What's on and practical notes
There is no useful events angle. The pub itself is the event: quiet, old, low-tech and stubborn.
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 food
Nearby attractions
FAQ
Where is Ye Olde Boot Inn?
It is on Eastgate Row, above street level near Eastgate Clock.
Is Ye Olde Boot Inn a Samuel Smith pub?
Yes. It is operated as a Samuel Smith pub.
Are phones banned in Ye Olde Boot Inn?
Yes. No electronic devices, including mobile phones, are part of the rules.
Is Ye Olde Boot Inn accessible?
Do not assume step-free access. It is on the Rows and reached by steps.
Does Ye Olde Boot Inn have outdoor space?
A rear courtyard is listed.
Nearby alternatives and add-ons.
Bella Italia Bella Italia is the Eastgate Street chain Italian by the Clock and Rows, useful for family lunch and predictable city-centre dinner. 
Brewski Brewski is a Pepper Street stop for big North American comfort food, useful for groups, brunch, loaded fries and loudly un-delicate meals. 
Eastgate Clock Eastgate Clock is the city-centre landmark everyone photographs, usually while standing exactly where someone else wants to walk. It sits above the Eastgate on Chester's city walls and was added to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It is not a long visit, but it is a useful anchor point for the Rows, the walls and the middle of town.