Not already a member?
Join our community and - Rate & review pubs - Upload pictures - Add events JOIN for free NOW

Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat on the Pub Forum

Image posted by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
Submitted on Wednesday, 1^st January 2020
With picture contributions to 10780 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (8 more images)

Only members may add pictures, click to receive free membership

Detail Pages

Pub map
Pub reviews (6)
Pub pictures (9)
Page updates

The Sydney Arms, Chelsea, SW3

70 Sydney Street
SW3
SW3 6NJ

Correct details

Served areas

Chelsea

Tweets by The Sydney Arms

Sydney Arms Chelsea Please respect us and our staff / team at the Sydney as we continue to work within the government guidelines as to… https://t.co/namzBMmND8 7:10 PM Jun 18th 2021 from Twitter for iPhone

View the full twitter feed for Sydney Arms Chelsea

Reviews of The Sydney Arms (Average Rating: 5 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Bucking Fastard left this review about The Sydney Arms

Street corner pub with strong references to horse racing,it was full of the young and beautiful of Chelse so I fitted in well !
The bar is to the front of the building with two seperate wings on ewither side,the left side leads to a raised seating area with dark red leather bench seating ,a tv with Gloriuos Goodwood showing,jockey silks in display cabinets and a collection of steward passes from each of the 59 UK rececouses in a tribute to commentators Peter O'Sullivan.
Just London Pride and TT Landlord on offer (NBSS 3,£3.65 the half rip off).The pub was busy but the three young barmaids were gossiping until prodded by the manager to serve the old geezer.As the horse racing proceeded the crowd were braying.I can see no good reason to return.

On 4^th August 2024 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Tris C left this review about The Sydney Arms

My friends and I were regulars here in the mid- ‘80s, as ID checking wasn’t this pub’s strongpoint. At this time, it was still trading under its original name, the Wellesley Arms, named after Arthur Wellesley, AKA the Duke of Wellington. Then it was very much a locals’ boozer, catering primarily for people from the nearby Peabody estate. There was carpeting, plum-coloured banquettes and we drank Ben Truman on keg. Back then, pub grub was [cheap] sausages, budget baked beans and chips, accompanied by tubes of red sauce (not ketchup) and brown sauce; we spent New Year’s Eve 1986 in here. That was until around a year later, when meeting a friend, he arrived with an unknown, who insisted on buying orange juice, then surreptitiously mixing it with his own vodka; the barman spotted this and we were promptly banned.
Despite my embargo, I returned around 10 years ago to find a gastropub, patronised by typical Chelsea types. Still barred and another visit the other night and what a change - an upmarket gastropub this certainly is not. The place boasts that it’s the best venue in the area to watch horseracing, but other than that it really looks a bit flat. The floor is now bare and furniture is just ordinary but in a bland way: tall to the front, then normal height to the rear, with a royal blue vinyl banquette; the bar array looks unchanged. There’s dark wood wainscoting to the dado, then duck egg blue walls (some with mirror panels), then a white Anaglypta ceiling. There were a couple of TVs showing nothing of interest, with the sound down, whilst indeterminate muzak played. Customers certainly weren’t typical Chelsea types from any mould, seemingly being foul mouthed Italians, but maybe I couldn’t identify the language. Bar staff periodically joined them at tables in between service, otherwise two members of staff decided to arse about by running round the bar and bar front, near colliding with only three other customers, who weren’t part of this group.
A dreary selection of ales was on offer, with Doom (reversed), Landlord (reversed) and an unused pump, me plumping for a half of Neck Oil at £3.50.
This is a very poor pub, which seems to exist for the entertainment of the staff and their friends; referring to the loos as ‘Restrooms’ doesn’t help. Although hardly a traditional boozer, the Builder’s Arms down the road offers a far more serene, professional experience, with a basic half pint costing £1.10 less; I know where I’ll be drinking if around here in future.

On 2^nd December 2021 - rating: 3
[User has posted 2207 recommendations about 2164 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Sydney Arms

'Pub & Brasserie' & bar, with a 'U'-shaped bar counter and a dining area to the rear. Fairly plain furniture and decor. Café-style seating out front under awnings. Easy listening background music and silent sports TVs. Four handpumps, offering the regular Pride, Doom Bar, TT Landlord and something from Sharps re-badged as SW3 (£3.50).

On 7^th April 2012 - rating: 6
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]

View more reviews of The Sydney Arms (6)

External web links for The Sydney Arms

Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.