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The Pig's Ear, Chelsea, SW3
SW3
SW3 5BS
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Steve of N21 left this review about The Pig's Ear
After a stroll down the embankment to take a look at Cardinal Wolsey’s statue outside the Old Chelsea Church, we were on our way towards the Cadogan Arms on the Kings Road when we came across this one.
Wasn’t expecting much and initially thought it was just a posh restaurant, but was very surprised to walk through the main door onto the front facing section of a bar supporting three hand pumps, all in operation, and dispensing Harveys Sussex Best, Adnams Old Ale and Nightjar Brew Co. Lost in Ikea.
WhatPub tells us that the pub was closed last year and reopened in May 2024 under new ownership and its current name, and the ownerships goals are to offer fine dining but still keeping it as a "proper pub".
In one way it’s still very much an upmarket gastro pub aimed at a very well heeled local clientele and the complete seating section to the right of the bar was laid out with tablecloths and set for restaurant style dining. But the left hand side of the bar had much more of a pub feel with bar stools and round tables and chairs against the banquet seating on this side. And looking at previous interior photos the bar has been completely remodelled to look like a proper pub bar and alongside the three ale pumps are a bank of keg taps with some slightly interesting keg options compared to the usual run of the mill. We tried the Adnams Old Ale, which was decent, and the Nightjar Lost in Ikea, which was an exceptionally good NEIPA and what it was doing in a gastro pub in Chelsea was all bit of a mystery, but clearly our gain on the day.
The food menu is still as described by Mr Fastard below, with small plates in the £8 to £15 mark and mains around the £30 spot. We were looking for somewhere to eat, but the menu here was too rich for our blood so we moved on the The Cadogan ( unchanged from my previous review) and when discovering that Ham, egg and chips was £26.50 here, we were soon on a bus up to Victoria.
On 26th November 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2315 recommendations about 2166 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
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 3076 recommendations about 3076 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
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 897 recommendations about 891 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 2298 recommendations about 2245 pubs]