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Image posted by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
Submitted on Wednesday, 1st January 2020
With picture contributions to 9749 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (7 more images)
Detail Pages
The Chelsea Pig, Chelsea, SW3
SW3
SW3 5BS
Served areas
Reviews of The Chelsea Pig (Average Rating: 3 of 10) see review guidelines
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 1956 recommendations about 1923 pubs]
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- Official site of The Chelsea Pig - www.thechelseapig.co.uk
- Facebook page of The Chelsea Pig - www.facebook.com
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Chelsea Pig - whatpub.com
West Brompton, 1.41 miles, 27 min walk (show)
Battersea Park, 1.48 miles, 28 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 08 October 2019 by ROB Camra
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 08 October 2019 by ROB Camra
- Beer Garden : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 08 October 2019 by ROB Camra
- Car Park : No last updated 08 October 2019 by ROB Camra
- Child Friendly : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Darts : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Dog Friendly : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Function Room : Yes last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 08 October 2019 by ROB Camra
- Jukebox : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Karaoke : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Live Music : No last updated 08 October 2019 by ROB Camra
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 08 October 2019 by ROB Camra
- Pinball : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Pool Table : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Quiz Night : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Real Ale : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- Real Cider : No last updated 04 December 2021 by Tris C
- WiFi : Yes last updated 08 October 2019 by ROB Camra