Spectacular food, friendly service a unique wine list in a fresh, bright setting; a stand out in the Chester dining scene. Bold, bright and fresh flavours; Black pudding and pork fritters delicious, whipped cod roe was a top dish with banging flavours, gnocchi was heavenly! A top meal and should be on your list if you visit or live in Chester.

Lovely reataurant staff very attentive and knowledgeable about the wine and food. Food was amazing not something you see or eat everyday. The only issue was they don't take cash which to me is awful they were very lucky we had our card otherwise they would of been forced to take cash. And to be honest this type of issue is part of the problem which will eventually have us being a cashless society which I totally don't agree with.

THE BEST FOOD I've ever had. Would happily go every single day with the forever changing menu and the most welcoming and friendly staff you could ask for. Literally can't give enough credit to this place, just phenomenal thank you guys so so much.

This was the best meal we had during our 4 day foodie weekend. The cauliflower with chard, kimchee butter and katsuobishi was incredible (I don't normally like chard). The staff are lovely and we were lucky enough to get a table where we could watch the chef & sous chef at work: we were very impressed at the multi-tasking!!

We've had our micro-wedding lunch in the form of private dining in Covino. BOOKING: That was the only restaurant in Chester which responded promptly and organised the private dining experience, the booking process was effortless and all communication was simply brilliant and it's a book example how the process should look like. 5/5 DIRECTIONS AND PARKING: The restaurant is extremely easy to find and it's at the heart of Chester and close to town hall. There is no customer car park for obvious reasons, the location simply doesn't allow for any car parks, there are many car parks in Chester to use but they are really expensive. ROOM/TABLE: The private dining room is located in the cellar which looks a little bit like wine cellar, there are no windows, the lighting is just right and it's spacious enough for at least 10 people. Two stars taken out for the music which was way too loud and also there were no proper doors, only some half-closed curtain so we could see the staff going in and out of the other rooms which looked like a storage with a door that slammed loud every time. It wasn't terrible but simply distracting and could be looked into. 3/5 SERVICE: The staff was very attentive, polite, caring, punctual and organised they were asking the right questions and cared about us but without this false, over the top smiling if you know what I mean, it was authentic and honest customer care, they were also giving us the information about the food itself which was actually interesting. Maybe they would be dressed better for this occasion but it's the common problem in the UK with the dressing code in restaurants nowadays. 5/5 FOOD: The food itself was very good and cooked by the book, the quality and the presentation were absolutely great. The portions sizes were a bit of an issue though. Most of the portions were divided into two bowls or plates only but there were four of us. While I obviously didn't mind sharing my plate with my newlywed wife, our guests were friends but maybe not ready to do the same with their portions. The main part was a beef steak which looked and tasted amazing but mainly for me - and I couldn't eat this enormous portion, so the staff packed it to take away which was very nice gesture. My wife and my guests were a little bit hungry and disappointed and it was a problem, I didn't feel good with the choice I've made in the day of my wedding. The portion sizes were distributed like this ratio: 1-1-1-2-6-1, which in my opinion should be more like 1-2-3-3-4-1, so everyone could have something to eat, instead of sharing (for example) two small carrots and then have nothing to eat. My opinion could be seen as unfair though - first of all, I agreed for private dining so I knew there was an element of surprise and the second, the food could be great and filling for anyone else who loved beef steaks. The dessert was ok but not what I would choose. All in all, I'd give it 3/5 in our personal circumstances. DRINKS: We ordered non-alcoholic mixers and also some wine for our guests and everything was amazing including the coffee. 5/5 FACILITIES: The restaurant is small but looks lovely and welcome, the toilets are clean and whole place looks just right for the dining experience. 5/5 VALUE FOR MONEY: The price was reasonable and I also gave a 10% tip, I will not share the price because it could have been personalised and not a standard so I don't want to create any confusion or expectations. In general, the value for money was 4/5, for us it was like 3/5. SUMMARY: Would I book it if I could have known what I know now? Yes, but I would ask for clarifications about food choices and portions. I would definitely want to have the private dining experience once again in this place. In my opinion there's a general problem in the UK where weddings are mainly seen as huge, over-expensive and larger than life events and people like us have not much of a choice for private, quiet, short wedding lunch. Luckily there are places like Covino and it was a great private dining as a part of our wedding. Thank you.

Lovely little restaurant with great food and service :) I recommend getting anything with the Aioli!!

Amazing place - found via Michelin Guide. Food quality was beyond expectations - particularly the foccaccia was super tasty. Variety was perfect and everything was very fresh. Location and the atmosphere of the restaurant are perfect too! Highly recommended to visit - worth to make a reservation.

Absolutely sensational. One of the tastiest small plates ensemble I've had. Everything was stunning and perfection from the wine, the glasses it was served in, right through to every single dish consumed.

Was nice to sit by the window watching passerbies. Liked the fact that wine is served by glass or carafe by default, since the two of us never manage to actually finish a bottle. All the dishes were classics with a twist, such as Caesar salad, but with ox tongue. Service was friendly and unimposing. Overall, great experience. The place is tiny, so book in advance.

Wow, what an absolutely lovely dining experience. Great atmosphere, good music, perfect service (the right balance of attentive but not too much) and out of this world food. Oh and spot on wine recommendations! The style and food reminded me of my favourite restaurants back in Sydney. Perfect date night location. We’ll be back!

Not what we'd expected. The food was nicely prepared for you each course was presented to share.

Delicious food, lamb dish was one of the nicest I have had. I have food envy 🙄, sp was looking at the other dishes coming out, they looked great. Wine selection brilliant and priced for all budgets… great atmosphere and staff. Coming back as soon as

Very tasty small dishes with a very varied menu. Nice little secluded seating area out the back as well. Wine was nice and it's great seeing the food being prepared. Everything was cooked to perfection!

Back again after 2 years and still some of the best food I've ever had, they even managed to make Kale taste good! :-D Also excellent, friendly staff.

By far my favourite restaurant in Chester. Emily and Becky do a sterling job of choosing great wines to go with George’s wonderful food under the tutelage of Luc and Chris, who make an occasional appearance when they’re not in Manchester driving the new place to great critical acclaim.

A little gem of a wine bar with small plates. Fantastic fresh food, prepared to order. Choose your drink from the small menu of select wines by the glass / carafe or choose from their huge array bottles all on show around the walls with many more available. It’s worth taking time to talk with the knowledgeable and super friendly staff to choose your preferred wine. We loved our visits and will be back again soon.

The food and wine are delicious, with fresh ingredients and well balanced flavours. The staff have an innate skill for interacting in a way that augments without overwhelming your meal and understand the pace of plate delivery which creates a brilliant atmosphere and experience. Go for a special occasion (as we did) or to celebrate a Friday night. One of my favourite restaurant experiences in the UK.

Overall I highly rated this place. Food flavours were amazing. Only a few quibbles. The musical selection was classic hip hop, which I love, but the volume was too loud at some stages to comfortably talk to someone seated right next to me (this was eventually corrected). Our server also forgot to order one of our dishes which then came later after we mentioned the omission. It probably would have been better served earlier with the bread as it was an oil/sauce heavy dish (I did see that a table near us received this dish at the same time as the focaccia in their case, and I was a tad jealous. The sauce was really tasty and I would have liked the excuse to eat more of it). Can't fault the server's friendliness and knowledge of the menu. It's a small restaurant so bookings are probably essential. We were sat on stools which was fine but not sure whether there were other seating options so worth checking if you have any mobility concerns. I would definitely go again.