Chelsea, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

The PR for this newly-relaunched King’s Road pub says it’s a ‘much-loved institution’, but we hadn’t heard of it before its mid-2021 relaunch. Still, it’s got a prime Chelsea location; it’s got the heritage and a fine restored interior (dating from 1838); and it’s got the backing with investors led by Dominic Jacobs of The Running Horse Mayfair, and investors including Jyotin, Karam & Sunaina Sethi, of JKS Restaurants. The culinary team has splendid form too – Kitchen Table’s James Knappett is collaborating with chef Alex Harper who has The Ledbury and The Harwood Arms on his CV.

“Useful pre-Wigmore Hall” – this Marylebone original is now the sole surviving branch of what for a few years become a chain, but which retrenched last year. The space – with large windows and dominated by the bar – “doesn’t encourage you to linger”, but the “simple dishes are well executed, at a good price”. Really, though, it’s “all about the wines by the glass” (15 reds and 15 whites), plus a ‘Collector’s List’ of rare vintages by the bottle.

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”.

“Well worth a visit in this remote corner of Chelsea”: this “outstanding oasis in Worlds End” has won a big culinary reputation, and chef Joe Mercer-Nairne “maintains high standards year-in-year-out”, with a “classic French approach that’s not so over-refined as to suck enjoyment out of it”. “Very good ingredients are cooked with great care, love and attention, but not overdone, nor over-fancy”. Service is of a very “high class” too, while the interior is “sophisticated” (“if a little cramped”). “It’s another surprising omission from the Michelin star list: is it because it’s at the wrong end of the King’s Road?”

“Eager staff”, a proper “local pub atmosphere” and a “great menu” of modern British dishes make this a “real discovery” just a stone’s throw from the Thames. The oldest boozer in Chelsea (est. 1708), it has served pints to luminaries including JMW Turner, Dylan Thomas and Bob Marley.

This smart D&D London conversion of a Modernist 1920s car showroom on a prominent King’s Road site leaves reporters impressed by the venue if rather underwhelmed by the cuisine – “beautiful restaurant and nice service, they just need to up their game food-wise”. Situation normal, then, at this large space, which has never really capitalised fully on its potential.

Providing “faithful” service to an expensively dressed clientele in one of Chelsea’s prettiest streets – this “lovely local” (too posh really to qualify as a ‘gastropub’) has an excellent buzz and consistently well-rated food. As always, though, there’s the odd grumble here about its price level.

“Truly delicious tapas” showcasing “great farm-sourced food”, with “some robust, well-judged flavours” win ongoing appreciation for the Gladwin brothers’ six-year-old King’s Road operation. There’s also a “cool vibe” to the “quirkily decorated room – loved it!”.