Chelsea, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2024 Review: This “pleasant spot off the King’s Road” in Chelsea is at its “romantic best if you’re sitting outside in the summer”, in one of the courtyard booths. The seasonal British menu is well executed, if lacking real excitement.

2022 Review: This lovely 200-year-old pub in a Chelsea backstreet serves a very decent menu (including “child-friendly” options) and is thriving follow a smart refurb under the ownership of Rupert Clevely’s Hippo Inns for the second time – in 2010 he sold it to brewer Youngs as part of Geronimo Inns.

What does it say about the culinary tastes of the British middle classes that this spin-off chain, with about 40 locations based on the original Theatreland icon, has been such a rip-roaring success? True, there’s some “great people-watching” at the “always buzzing” Chelsea Garden venue (which has one of SW3’s best gardens). And, without doubt, those branches in Kensington, Tower Bridge and Kingston also particularly stand out amongst the rest for their “super atmosphere”. In general though, the knock-off look of their locations “isn’t a patch on the original on West Street, yet pretends to be exactly the same”. And when it comes to their brasserie dishes: although its many followers tout them as “acceptable, albeit nothing special”, their rating-average identifies them as “underwhelming tick-box fare”; all offered by service that’s very “indifferent”. And yet they are “always busy”! In June 2024, it was announced that billionaire Richard Caring had successfully sold his entire Ivy restaurants stake. Now that he is laughing all the way to the bank, it will be interesting to see if ratings reverse, continue or deepen their southward trend.

This “fun place” on the King’s Road with “happy, smiling staff” and an “eclectic” faux-rustic interior is, for most diners, an enjoyable spot for a meal – even if the cooking doesn’t always do full justice to the Gladwin Bros’ ‘Local & Wild’ ethos (of food farmed and foraged by their family). We do have reports of “delicious light lunches” with “glorious comfort food”, but it’s patchy: for instance, one would-be fan opines – “having visited the family vineyard in Nutbourne on several occasions, we came with high hopes. The food was surprisingly mediocre, the game pie dry and unappetising. What should be a real gem was disappointing”.

In terms of delivering “really decent” food on the King’s Road (a rarity) and “an amazing Sunday roast”, the three-year-old revamp of this “beautiful” early Victorian Chelsea pub must be accounted a success, and it becomes “BUSY!”. If the backers were not JKS Restaurants in partnership with Kitchen Table’s James Knappett one would say ‘job done’, but by the standards of such megastar restaurateurs, the result is good – not outstanding.

Phil Howard’s stylish, but “relaxed and friendly” HQ sits in one of the side streets surrounding Brompton Cross and its straightforward excellence makes it “a go-to for a high-quality meal” (numerous diners reported their best meal of the year here). Phil “has a very sure instinct about sourcing and his approach to his modern European cuisine is informed by tradition (but not in any way old-fashioned) and delicious”; with a ‘flexitarian’ approach evident in many dishes (“love what they do to a cauliflower”). Top Tip – “consistently the best lunch in town”.

This wine bar/restaurant group has a steady fanbase on the strength of its vinous offerings, although its “bistro fare” is perhaps not much better than “acceptable”. The best of its four venues is probably the “cosy” Marylebone flagship with live jazz and late opening at ’28-50 By Night’, and there’s a “very convenient” branch a minute’s walk from Oxford Circus.

2021 Review: “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.

“The prettiest of restaurants” – this atmospheric haunt off Chelsea Embankment is perfect for a “romantic evening experience”, which can kick off in the cute ‘Ruby Bar’; and which has beautiful river views from the upstairs ‘Drawing Room’. Its owner, impresario Sally Greene, spent a reported £3 million upgrading the Georgian property from the former Cheyne Walk Brasserie five years ago, and hired Jason Atherton protégé Iain Smith to put together a grill menu of luxurious surf ’n’ turf using prime British ingredients.

2023 Review: This “lively and friendly local” in South Ken rates well for its “high-quality menu complemented by daily specials”. Opened three years ago by the Lunar Pub Company, it’s “not somewhere for a quiet and romantic dinner, but the young local crowd make it a vibrant venue”.

Claude Bosi’s “casual chic” alternative to his flagship upstairs occupies the foyer of the iconic Michelin Building on Brompton Cross and also aims to provide “superb food and the very best service”, but in a more dressed-down manner to the mothership upstairs. Under Claude, the offering has expanded considerably from the old days when it only provided cold oysters, crab and other ‘fruits de mer’ – there’s now an extensive menu incorporating hot fish mains and they’ll even grill you a steak. Top Tip – “it’s particularly enjoyable amongst the lush floral display in the front courtyard in warmer weather”.

Lady Bamford’s quartet of deli-cafés are the London satellites of her organic Cotswolds estate, and – on the plus side – their careful design can give the impression that one has fallen into the pages of ‘Country Living’. Not helped by inconsistent standards over many years, though, they continue to generate mixed feedback in our annual diners’ poll. “A perfect location for a late breakfast” is at the positive end. Negatives include: “I had the impression some staff were in their first job” and “the food can be poor here: it comes from Daylesford Farm and in some cases should never have left it…”

This “Chelsea stalwart” occupies an elegant, landmark King’s Road site that was converted in 1997 by the late Sir Terence Conran, having been built in the 1920s as a car showroom. Nowadays part of D&D London, it has never really fired on all cylinders, providing “decent-enough food in a trendy, relaxed space” that offers many different options – from café and courtyard, to a bar, to the large modern upstairs restaurant (where steak or fruits de mer are amongst the top options; and which also serves brunch and afternoon tea). One day, someone will really make something of this site.

“Still a great haunt in South Kensington” – in summer the big front terrace of this well-located watering hole is a particular favourite for the kind of West Londoners who look like they’re just back from Bali; and it also has a charming, traditional interior. As pub grub goes, it’s “consistently good with decent ales”.