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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Pig's Ear, Chelsea, SW3
SW3
SW3 5BS
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Pig's Ear
Smart street corner pub/restaurant in a very upmarket location,the interior splits into an L shaped saloon to the left,with a long brown leather bench,a colourful display of back lit insect prints on the far wall while the servery is surrounded by bar stolls ,some unmoveable on steel poles.To the right is a more formal dining area with a corridor which wraps around to the other side.
The food menu is classy with lots of tapas style dishes,some more pricey mains in a modern british style,I enjoyed two very good small dishes.This will be the main draw but there is nothing wrong with just drinking,two handpumps were offering Adnams Broadside and Harveys Sussex Best (served in a dimple glass,NBSS 3.5).Not the most exciting ale options,I failed to note the keg choices ,but this pub may appeal more to upmarket diners than real ale session drinkers.
On 14th September 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
David Walton left this review about The Pig's Ear
Visited previously as the Chelsea Pig on 14/12/2023. Think that was at the time one of my last unvisited Central London venues out of those listed on PG.
Apart from anything else they seem to have made this venue brighter since my last visit just before Xmas last year! It is a busy, vibrant venue in a well heeled part of town. The large bar dominates the venue as you walk in through the front door. Seating is stools around the bar and tables and chairs around the perimeter. Definitely an upmarket clientele.
Only Harvey’s Sussex Best on handpump, the other such contraption being un utilised. The keg choices were Bitburger, Guinness, Adnams Ghost Ship, Wild Wave Cider, Adnams Pale Ale and Adnams Dry Hopped Lager. I am ashamed to say I didn’t quality check the Harvey’s but instead opted for a glass of their best Merlot.
This place should be better than average. It isn’t bad, it’s probably I have a higher expectation on what is average the classier the venue and the better the location. So maybe this is a 5+ but it is not a 6 in my eyes.
On 3rd July 2024
- rating: 5
[User has posted 631 recommendations about 631 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Chelsea Pig
Dating from the late 17th century, this was originally the Black Lion. Rebuilt in 1892, I used to come here a bit in the early ‘90s when it was the Front Page, my last visit being in Easter 1995. Back then, it was a rather upmarket pub, but describing it as being a pub was not problematic; you could get a decent pint here. Now, you get greeted by Front of House.
The black interior is best viewed on the bar’s website, but items of note are the panelled wall with backlit ‘portholes’ with images of insects at centre. The most striking item is the ‘aquarium’ (see photo), which contains a mannequin wearing a late 19th century diving apparatus, complete with piped bubbles; it’s all very bizarre. The place is self-important enough to justify painting the name of the pub’s interior designer to the exterior’s corner; the first ‘designer’ pub? Staff wear white tie: black trousers, white dinner jackets, white waistcoats and plum coloured bow ties. Furniture is mixed, some being conventional, customers being beautiful people who are undoubtedly local.
The emphasis hear is very much on cocktails, with three anonymous chrome founts, me being furnished with a half of Menabrea Blonda at an unsurprising £3.25 a half, but with a 49p service charge applied, me standing at the bar by the founts.
This has to be the most manipulated and pretentious Victorian pub I’ve ever visited, with some of the most bizarre items of décor I could never have imagined, but with the lack of real ale and nuclear prices, I’ll not be back.
On 4th December 2021
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]