Basement 85 launches on Friday, March 13, at 12pm, bringing a relaxed underground bar to one of the city’s most historic corners.
“This will be our third attempt with the basement,” Mr Brunning says.
“Third time lucky.”
The Grade II listed Georgian property on Lower Watergate Street is no stranger to transformation.
The basement has housed several incarnations in recent years; including Fat Cat, Big Hand and, most recently, The Henry Potts under Brunning’s Pubs Ltd.
The hospitality veteran, acknowledges that previous models in the basement, including his own earlier attempt, may not have fully aligned with the realities of operating a large-scale kitchen-led pub underground in the city centre.
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“It was essentially a country pub squeezed into a city basement,” he reflects.
“I realise I was trying to recreate something that had worked elsewhere, rather than listening to what this particular space required.”
Rather than a food-led, full-scale city pub, Basement 85 will operate as a relaxed, intimate drinking venue centred around cocktails, craft beers, elegant wines and deli-style sharing platters.
The change is more fundamental that just format, with the key difference being leadership.
Ethan Evans and Lillian (Lily) Gorman, both in their early twenties and rising talents within the group, will now lead the venture, bringing what Mr Brunning describes as ‘a generational understanding of how people want to meet and socialise now.’
Ethan said: “There’s a real energy in Chester again.
“Offices are busy, people are staying in the city after work, and there’s room for somewhere that feels intimate and grown-up without being formal.
“Basement 85 will be about atmosphere – great drinks, sharing plates and a space that naturally brings people together.”
Lily added: “It’s not about recreating what’s been here before.
“We want it to feel welcoming, relaxed and somewhere you can spend the whole evening – whether that’s after work on a Thursday or meeting friends at the weekend.”
Basement 85 will offer a range of beer and cider on tap, a broad wine list – including their very own tap wine, spritzes classic cocktails, deli style sharing plates and pop-up kitchen events.
Opening hours: Wednesday – Thursday, 4pm – 11pm; Friday – Saturday, 12pm – 1am; Sunday, 12pm – 8pm.