London Chelsea 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.

“A delightful cheap ’n’ cheerful option in the middle of the gilded streets of Chelsea”: this Vietnamese street-food operation occupies part of a cute courtyard development just off the King’s Road and you can pig out relatively cheaply on the “formidable laksa and rice dishes”. ‘Colourful ‘Phat Phuc’ t-shirts and caps are available to purchase’ from the stall: the name, of course, means ‘Happy Buddha’.

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.

Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan was – as of mid 2025 – rumoured to be on the verge of buying a £1 billion stake in Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, of which this famous brasserie chain is the crown jewel. Presumably, he’s more interested in ‘rolling out’ the brand in The Gulf and beyond rather than dropping by for a Salmon Fishcake and ‘Ivy Chocolate Bombe’, but if he’d asked the opinion of our annual diners’ poll, we’re not sure that he’d sign on the dotted line. “How can a restaurant with this heritage produce such uninspired, tick-box food?” is a question merited by its poor ratings, ditto what explains the “very slow and disinterested service”? The answer may be that “you don’t come here for the food, obviously” but for the “gorgeous” interior design and “picturesque” locations that continue to underpin their appeal. Let’s hope for the Sheikh’s sake that the middle classes of the Arab World are as undiscerning as those from the UK!

“A really fun concept” – these “OTT” spin-offs from the core Ivy brand do have “real pizzazz” and are, ironically, “better than the original non-Asia versions”. In particular, they make a “super place for a celebration” thanks most especially to their “stunning” immersive interiors, complete with glowing, emerald-green floors, cherry blossom trees, Disney-esque pagodas, lavish lighting and gratuitous statuettes (and “the St Paul’s one has amazing view of the floodlit cathedral” to boot). And, on most accounts, the Pan-Asian menu is “delicious” too and provides “a great opportunity to mix and match dishes originating throughout the continent”. Even fans, though, can caution that it’s a case of “all good… until the bill arrives”. And then there is also a large minority of purists, who plain loath them: they find the decor “ridiculous” (“it doesn’t feel fun it feels fake!…”, “bling of the worst sort” and “very ‘Bridge & Tunnel’”); and they feel that the menu is “an overpriced mess – fine in itself but overall very definitely meh? (There are far better examples of Japanese, Chinese or fusion available without the look-at-me nonsense!!)”

“Good all-rounder” with a relaxed, faux-rustic atmosphere from the Gladwin Bros that is “great to nip into when shopping” on the King’s Road (“terrific value set-lunch menu”) but equally a “success for a happy, reasonably priced dinner among friends”, thanks to its “good range of interesting, well-cooked dishes”: the latter are in a ‘bistronomic’, modern British style and focus on produce from the family’s Nutbourne estate in Sussex (branded ‘Local & Wild’).

With “clever”, “good-quality Japanese food” – in particular the “excellent, if relatively expensive, sushi” – and “busy, competent service”, these “fun, stylish and friendly” Scandi-minimal venues are “always buzzing”. Founded in Copenhagen by a pair of Danish-Japanese brothers more than 30 years ago, the company came under new ownership in 2024 with big expansion plans, and unveiled two times F1 champion Fernando Alonso as a major shareholder in April 2025. Recent London openings include a “huge new site” in Islington and Battersea Power Station.

“A little cramped but full of people enjoying themselves” – this “traditional trattoria” is tucked down a sidestreet off the King’s Road, where – for more than 40 years – guests have enjoyed “a warm welcome (you feel you are being properly looked after)”, along with “excellent, old- fashioned, competent cooking”. “The wine list is limited but there are some unusual and enjoyable bottles”.

“Any food stall here will satisfy” in the dedicated street-food zone that has taken over the old car park at Borough Market, which is invariably “busy” at lunchtimes. The competition between stalls means the quality is high – it’s “streets ahead” of similar markets elsewhere [geddit?].

Just off the King’s Road, this Chelsea Malaysian endures on a site that’s prominent if you are local, and out-of-the-way if you are not. It owes its longevity to a menu of “really good Malay/Chinese combinations”.

“This King’s Road stalwart” is “still going strong after all these years” as “a good local standby for pizzas and pasta” (the latter only in SW3). “Always busy with a happy vibe – a great choice for a cheap and cheerful night out”. Its longstanding sibling in the ‘Nappy Valley’ closed in June 2025. Top Tip – covered rooftop terrace for walk-ins only.

“Highly serviceable, moderately priced pan-Asian” fare, including sushi and grills, win ongoing support for this six-strong group where “the food is very fresh-tasting and always hot”. Launched by Israeli-born Ohad Kastro in Primrose Hill 14 years ago, they have increasingly focused on a “good takeout service, enhanced by their recently added App”.

With its alpine-themed interior, this Italian-ish Chelsea haunt from the team behind Goodman and Burger & Lobster opened to rave reviews just before lockdown. This year, though, its offering – combining a raw bar, with prime cuts of steak or fish from the grill and a selection of pasta – received little but opprobrium in our diners’ poll for “ridiculously overpriced and average meals” (“you don’t have a value-for-money category. If you did, this would score 0/10!”).

This “lovely Chelsea pub” (built in 1853) near the Physic Garden has been beautifully restored, with a “yummy gastropub” menu priced to match its uber-chichi environs. Owner Jack Greenall of the famous Lancashire brewing dynasty now has a trio of historic west London taverns, with the Walmer Castle in Notting Hill and the Carpenter’s Arms in Hammersmith.

“The food is great” at this early-Victorian King’s Road pub – “the perfect spot for a family get-together on a Sunday” – although “staff can be a bit patronising; this is Chelsea after all…”, and “it can get very busy”. The relaunch four years ago by JKS Restaurants and Kitchen Table chef James Knappett raised expectations so high that it remains a curious case of much ado about nothing: not bad at all, but given the pedigree we might have expected a little more.

“Phil Howard is a legend and provides the perfect delivery of immaculate fine food” according to practically all reports on his “trustworthy” HQ in a quiet street near posh ‘Brompton Cross’: a “smooth operation” whose “professional and congenial staff” add greatly to the occasion. Over the years its ‘flexitarian’ approach has been downplayed, but – with his degree in microbiology – Phil is known as one of the capital’s more cerebral chefs, and his love of ‘pure, clean and light’ flavours informs the thoughtful menus here. A caveat? The design of the interior is either ‘elegant’ or “quite bland”, depending on your tastes.

“Changing very little over the years (which is one of its strongest points!)” – Didier Garnier’s “Grande Dame”, tucked away in a quiet Chelsea backstreet at the back of the Royal Marsden Hospital, “sails serenely on, in its unapologetically old-fashioned manner”. “It’s a classic French upmarket bistro of the sort you find serving traditional French dishes in prosperous towns and cities all over France”. The food is “perfectly good without being startling – just what the customers expect – and by Chelsea standards, is reasonably priced”; service, in the Gallic style, is “impeccable”; and “it has a good buzz and is busy” with a silver-haired clientele who “love it”. Top Tip – “the wine list has to be one of the best-priced in London… unlike many places fleecing their ‘cash cow’ clientele, Le Colombier is the polar opposite and clearly prices wines to attract those who appreciate their excellent list and strong cellar”.

“People who don’t rate this restaurant are crazy”, according to boosters of the Chelsea HQ of the world’s most famous chef – including American YouTuber ‘UA’ who – as reported in the Daily Mail – flew in from the US just for a meal here at Christmas 2024 and pronounced it ‘absolutely worthy’ of its global renown. Gordon’s disciples extol head chef Kim Ratcharoen’s “extraordinary” modern European cuisine, plus the “lovely” setting of this fairly compact (45 covers) dining room at a picturesque SW3 address, all with a “great team looking after you”. You can eat from an à la carte menu for £180 per head, or the ‘Menu Prestige’ at £210 per person, or you can book The ‘Inspiration Table’ experience for £300 per person. But there’s a problem: over half of diners in our annual poll disagree with UA, nominating the venue as either their “most disappointing” or – more commonly – “most overpriced” meal of the year, slamming “stupid prices”, and a final bill that’s “an embarrassment”. Other long-term bugbears are “OTT service (at times you are surrounded by waiters”); and the “stilted” atmosphere of the room. There’s also the perennial question of whether the “nice” cooking truly deserves its renown? The overall verdict – “Three Michelin stars… really?…”. (“This was nice but ordinary. I wanted my mind to be blown away by food that costs this much. My mind wasn’t blown away. Disappointing”… “The food was very good, but not as innovative as some other top-end UK eateries. The bill was stratospheric and did nothing to improve my opinion of an over-busy, over-priced, over-rated place. Sorry Gordon.”… “It shows the obvious corruption within the Michelin guide that he keeps getting three stars for a style of cuisine that seems barely changed in 25 years”.)

In Old Church Street, Chelsea, the first pub from the Gladwin brothers opened in mid 2024 – the latest addition to their ‘Local & Wild’ stable of restaurants supplied by the family farm in West Sussex (which includes Rabbit just up the King’s Road). The grand late-Victorian tavern on a corner site was lavishly renovated as recently as 2021, when it was known as ‘The Chelsea Pig’.