Chelsea's best restaurants

Despite being London's smallest borough, Chelsea holds just as many excellent places to eat as well-known dining hotspots like Notting Hill and Marylebone, both of which have undergone a culinary revolution in recent years. Just a few miles south in SW3, there’s something for everyone. From traditional spots like Daphne’s to trendy hangouts such as Bottarga, here’s our pick of the best restaurants in Chelsea. Next stop: Sloane Square. 

In this article: 

• Corenucopia by Clare Smyth

• The Cadogan Arms 

• Martino’s 

• The Fuji Grill at Beaverbrook Town House 

• Three Darlings 

• Azzurra 

• Bottarga 

• The Campaner 

• Dinings SW3 

• Ixchel 

• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay 

• Daphne’s

• Kutir 

• Josephine Bouchon 

Corenucopia by Clare Smyth 

Best for: raising the bar on British classics. 

It's hardly surprising that the Chelsea encore to Clare Smyth’s three-Michelin-starred Notting Hill restaurant CORE serves some of the capital’s most inventive takes on British comfort food. For example: Dover sole fish and chips stuffed with lobster mousse, caviar-crowned chicken nuggets, or a whole menu dedicated to potatoes. Yes, you read that correctly. And the stats speak for themselves: despite being one of London’s latest openings, Corenucopia has already secured a Michelin star. That’s showbiz, baby. 

corenucopia.com 

The Cadogan Arms 

Best for: polished pub grub. 

This posh pub is quite literally good any day of the week: it dishes out luxury Sunday roasts, Thanksgiving menus, Six Nations screenings, Burns Night dinners, and... you get the idea. Rain or shine, it churns out cracking bar snacks such as a split-in-half black pudding Scotch egg with Oxford sauce. Mains like the ham, egg, and chips are no yolk either: a bone-in, treacle mustard-glazed gammon sporting a Dr. Seuss-esque fried egg, served with a slightly spicy pineapple ketchup. 

thecadoganarms.london 

Martino’s  

Best for: Italian classics. 

Martino’s is the second iteration of the ever-so-sexy The Dover (one of London’s best Italians). But instead of Mayfair, this spin-off is bang opposite Sloane Square tube station. Once inside, you’ll see your name, scribbled in the old-school reservations book, and plenty of camera-ready corners. The low-lit lighting makes it easy to take pictures. The hard part, however, is choosing what to order from the XL one-page menu, featuring a colourful sea pass carpaccio, flecked with cucumber, tomato, and jalapeño. Delizioso. 

martinoslondon.com 

The Fuji Grill at Beaverbrook Town House 

Best for: tapas-style Japanese dishes. 

Roll up, roll up. Few places in SW1 serve sushi quite like The Fuji Grill – actually, scrap that – it’s one of London’s only spots serving tapasu (a Japanese take on tapas). And if that’s not enough to reel you in, how about its spanking new menu, which will have you hooked? Chopsticks at the ready, highlights include bamboo shoots swimming in a sancho honey soy sauce, as well as the return of spinach salad tossed in goma miso and crowned with crispy matchstick-sized leeks. 

beaverbrooktownhouse.co.uk 

Three Darlings  

Best for: an alfresco dinner during the warmer months. 

The most ‘Chelsea, darling’ restaurant on this list is by Jason Atherton, whose glam new bistro is inspired by his trio of daughters. Tucked in the elbow of Pavilion Road and coddled by cushion-clad gardens, the pale pink restaurant is slick and stylish, with plenty of pinks and a large open kitchen – the best seats look over it, amphitheatre-style. The menu is mostly easy eating, like Dingley Deli pork chops encrusted with a layer of char sui (best eaten with a few blobs of the creamy mash) and monkfish swimming in a classic meunière sauce.

threedarlingslondon.com 

Azzurra 

Best for: same-day, freshly caught seafood. 

A boat-to-table restaurant? In Chelsea? Before you sound the alarm, these fish aren’t being plucked from the Thames; the team at Azzurra source their seafood from right across the British Isles, resulting in a fish-focused menu that feels straight out of Sicily. Get the scallops to start and the swordfish Milanese to share, and make sure you try the afettati misti, which is a mind-bending take on charcuterie made from fish. True seafood sorcery.   

azzurrarestaurant.co.uk 

Bottarga 

Best for: a Mediterranean menu inspired by the Greek islands. 

On the hunt for a new neighbourhood hangout? Head to Bottarga – you’ll find what you’re looking for where Chicama used to be. It shares some similarities with Notting Hill’s zēphyr (they are sister restaurants, after all) but is more broadly Mediterranean than strictly Greek; zēphyr’s classic chilli-butter grilled fish is still on the menu, but there are plenty of new, head-turning dishes as well. Try the sesame-wrapped tapioca bites, the Greek-style meatballs with burnt butter potatoes, and one of the huge desserts.    

bottarga.london 

The Campaner 

Best for: Catalan cuisine in the centre of Chelsea. 

If you’re in Barcelona and want the city’s best seafood paella, you go to Terraza Martínez. But you’re not in Barcelona. You’re in Chelsea, so you head to The Campaner, which is owned and operated by Los Reyes del Mango – AKA the group behind Terraza Martínez. It’s in the former Chelsea Barracks, so that’s ‘interesting architecture’ checked off the list, and it serves simple, seasonal, Spanish-inspired dishes designed to share – think rice, Josper-grilled meats, and Terraza Martinez's signature lobster and monkfish casserole. 

thecampaner.com 

Dinings SW3 

Best for: a front-row seat at the sushi counter. 

When your restaurant is in a Grade-I listed former artist’s studio, you could simply let the building do the talking. But that’s not what chef-owner Masaki Sugisaki has in mind; his food is so impressive that it practically bellows its brilliance to the room. The menu is an evolution of typical izakaya-style cooking, mingling Japanese and European techniques with total mastery. The salmon is particularly buttery – no doubt because it’s sourced from Wester Ross Salmon, the oldest independently owned salmon farm in Scotland and an industry leader in best practices.   

diningssw3.co.uk 

Ixchel 

Best for: long weekend lunches with loved ones. 

Ixchel describes its concept as ‘infusing Chelsea with the authentic flavours of Mexico’. And whilst we doubt the team’s out there painting the Kings Road with mole, they have imported a load of Mexican flavours into the colourful, almost nightclub-like space. The yellowfin tuna tostadas are excellent (as are the crab, if they’re on the menu), and the oyster mushroom quesadilla is another highlight; rich with smoky flavour, it’s an ideal accompaniment for the avocado margarita.  

ixchellondon.com 

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay 

Best for: a foodie’s fever dream at the four-seat Inspiration Table.  

Gordon Ramsay’s flagship restaurant is one of few places that can genuinely be described as iconic. And it’s also one of few across the globe to hold three Michelin stars. Tables dressed in white and crowned with feather-light glassware are poised amongst the Art Deco-inspired interiors – an elegant backdrop for the restaurant’s exceptional French cuisine. The menu was originally devised by Clare Smyth (also behind one of our favourite restaurants in Notting Hill) but is now led by Matt Abé.  

gordonramsayrestaurants.com 

Daphne’s 

Best for: lunches beneath its retractable, glass-roof conservatory. 

Daphne’s has been delighting diners since 1964. And no wonder: its bright, inviting dining room makes you feel like you’ve been teleported to Italy – citrus trees, flowers, and all. The comforting menu, led by Head Chef Michael Brown, is filled with Italian staples and complemented by specials like fresh white truffles during autumn and winter. Easy pasta pairs with its Italy-heavy wine list; don’t miss the prime selection of super Tuscans.   

daphnes-restaurant.co.uk 

Kutir 

Best for: family-friendly celebrations. 

Simply put, Kutir is one of the best Indian restaurants in London. Set inside a stately town house (you need to ring a doorbell to enter), it’s cosy yet refined – two adjectives that could also describe its food. Each dish is simple yet zinging with flavours and spices, many of which are cultivated on-site. To build your feast, select a couple of dishes from each section (the truffle quail naan is calling to us) and dip into the wine list, which is lengthy and intentionally selected to pair with the rich and aromatic food. 

kutir.co.uk 

Josephine Bouchon 

Best for: date nights on the cosy tables at the back. 

Un autre Claude Bosi! This time, he’s importing flavours from his native Lyon to London with this wonderfully French bistro that comes complete with wood panels, art cinema posters, and half-linen curtains. But despite the restaurant’s petite stature, the flavours are bold; there are grenouilles à l’ail (frog’s legs) to start, the aile de raie Grenobloise is a great alternative to the ubiquitous meunière, and wine is served by the metre rather than the glass. But the best bit? The fluffy chocolate mousse for dessert.  

josephinebouchon.com