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Chelsea has been one of London’s restaurant hotspots since the Italian trattorias opened their doors in the 1960s. The area’s boho and punk spirit may be long gone but the restaurant scene is still swinging, with some of London’s most famous chefs forsaking the West End in recent years to set up shop in SW3.
Meanwhile, you’re just as likely to spot reality TV stars as Michelin stars, with funky new eateries feeding the area’s gilded youth. So, whether you’re here for the Flower Show, the people watching or some of the finest food in London, here is our guide to the best restaurants in Chelsea.
Bluebird Café and Courtyard
All the action at Bluebird these days is downstairs in the Café and outside in the Courtyard. True, the Café can resemble a creche and the courtyard a casting session for Made in Chelsea, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a more upbeat atmosphere this far down the King’s Road. The first-floor restaurant, alas, feels trapped in an episode of Changing Rooms somewhere around the turn of the century.
Late breakfasts (until 11am) of pastries, juices and eggs every which way segue into an all-day brunch offering of smoked haddock kedgeree and roast baby chicken, Eton mess and chocolate tart, and roasts on Sundays. If you want to soak up the scene without actually eating, sip on a green juice, bloody Mary or passion fruit martini.
350 King’s Road, London, SW3 5UU; bluebird-restaurant.co.uk
Claude Bosi at Bibendum
Chef Claude Bosi has made Bibendum essential again, over 30 years since Sir Terence Conran transformed the former Michelin HQ from a landmark of the Fulham Road into a landmark of the London restaurant revolution. Bosi has regained the two Michelin stars he held at Hibiscus with a menu and mood that combines full-on fine dining with some very down-to earth-touches.
So while you might start with an exquisitely elegant composition of duck jelly with oscietra caviar, spring onion and smoked sturgeon, you could follow it with a sticky and stinky tripe and cuttlefish gratin that is more about texture and smell than taste.
The dining room, meanwhile, is as beautiful as ever, with light streaming through the huge windows and smartly suited waiters...