Harden's survey result
Summary
Phil Howard “is going from strength to strength” at his “vibrant and lively” four-year-old, tucked away in a chichi Chelsea backstreet, where survey ratings scaled new heights this year. Deceptively, the slightly “austere” room “has the feel of a high-quality, neighbourhood local, but standards of food and service are, by contrast, top class”. “Phil has gone back to basics” with his culinary approach and his “beautiful, clever dishes are a delight”: “really inspired cooking using seasonal ingredients and recipes” with a “light touch” and “superb precision”. Famously, he’s more ‘flexitarian’ in approach than when he was at The Square and “while it’s not a vegetarian restaurant, it delivers some of the most interesting gastronomic vegetarian dishes ever!” Service is “outstanding” too – “interested, engaged and good communicators”.
Summary
Phil Howard “is going from strength to strength” at his “vibrant and lively” three-year-old, tucked away in a chichi Chelsea backstreet, where survey ratings scaled new heights this year. Deceptively, the slightly “austere” room “has the feel of a high-quality, neighbourhood local, but standards of food and service are, by contrast, top class”. “Phil has gone back to basics” with his culinary approach and his “beautiful, clever dishes are a delight”: “really inspired cooking using seasonal ingredients and recipes” with a “light touch” and “superb precision”. Famously, he’s more ‘flexitarian’ in approach than when he was at The Square and “while it’s not a vegetarian restaurant, it delivers some of the most interesting gastronomic vegetarian dishes ever!” Service is “outstanding” too – “interested, engaged and good communicators”.
Summary
Phil Howard’s “exciting”, yet “unfussy” food (“at last, a top chef that has the confidence to cook a beautifully balanced meal and not hide behind another two-bite tasting menu”) “pushes the boundaries, whilst feeling familiar; and always has fabulous vegetarian options that highlight the joys of the freshest in-season produce” (“roasted cabbage was my main dish of the year… and I’m no veggie!”). As a result, a massive fan club “LOVE, LOVE, LOVE” his Chelsea two-year-old, whose “restrained, light and spacious decor” and “professional” approach help set up a “thoroughly civilised and relaxed experience”. But even those who consider the cuisine here “top class” can feel prices are “astronomical”, and this “casual” space can also appear “canteen-like” and far too “noisy” for somewhere in this league.
Summary
“A vast improvement over the late and not-lamented Restaurant Tom Aikens that previously occupied this space” – Phil Howard’s Chelsea yearling (in partnership with restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas) has proved one of the better openings of the year, with a “mature reinvention” of his style at The Square: a seasonal, ‘Flexitarian’ approach that’s “bang-up-to-date, light, fresh, modern and exciting!” Feedback is not totally free of quibbles though – in particular even for the area it’s “pricey” (especially given the more fuss-free style) – and the interior is a tad “sexless”.
For 31 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Elystan Street?
Restaurant details
Elystan Street Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Slight disappointment "
"Met some old school friends here for lunch to celebrate our landmark birthdays. They were impressed both by the excellent value of the set lunch and the relaxed atmosphere. Tables are well spaced and there is no Muzak! I had liver as my main course- quite a risky choice as it is often overdone but this was tender and juicy and melted in the mouth"
"A visual treat which does not disappoint in the mouth. Well-defined flavours. Beautifully balanced dishes with lots of interest in the veg. A thoroughly civilised, relaxed experience."
"modern elegant cooking."
"Really wanted to like the food here but it was so salty it could have killed a child. Atmosphere was lovely. Wine was good (so it should be for £80) found the service a bit so so. I was a little disappointed having eaten here as the takeaway we had in lockdown we excused for being to salty as food had to travel. Veggie options felt pretty unimaginative & tasted similar to each other. "
"Splendid cooking, full of bright, light flavours. The perfect meal to break lockdown with. There's nothing radical here, but from the black truffle strozzapreti to the turbot with morels and the lamb with ewe's curds, everything was made to please. We were pleased. It's a lovely dining room and faultless service."
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £30.00 |  |
|
|
|
| SundayLunch | £50.00 | |
|
|
| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 105.00 | Always available | 6 |
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Pudding |
|---|---|---|
| £20.00 | £33.00 | £12.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £42.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
43 Elystan Street, London, SW3 3NT
Opening hours
| Monday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6:30 pm‑2145 pm |
| Tuesday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6:30 pm‑2145 pm |
| Wednesday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6:30 pm‑2145 pm |
| Thursday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6:30 pm‑2145 pm |
| Friday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12:30 pm‑2:45 pm, 6 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑4 pm |
Best British, Modern restaurants nearby
British, Modern restaurant in Chelsea
British, Modern restaurant in Chelsea
British, Modern restaurant in Chelsea
Best similarly priced restaurants nearby
Italian restaurant in Chelsea
Steaks & grills restaurant in Knightsbridge
Italian restaurant in South Kensington
