Cadogan Arms, Chelsea, SW3

Steve of N21 left this review about Cadogan Arms

The Rose and Crown was originally built on this site in the 17th Century shortly after the King’s Road converted from a royal pathway between palaces to a public thoroughfare. The name was changed to the Cadogan in 1838 when the pub was rebuilt by the Victorians.
Since the previous reviews it was shut for a period before being bought by Dominic Jacobs, the man behind The Running Horse pub in Mayfair, and then underwent an extensive refurbishment to take it back to what it much would have looked like when it first opened. It should have reopened in 2019, but this was delayed and then along came the pandemic, so the pub finally reopened in July 2021.
The transformation is quite stunning and what we have now is a very ornate pub. It’s a total reproduction, and none of it is original, but when reading the previous reviews, I don’t think that matters as it’s clearly much better than its previous incarnation (although I am sure some will moan the loss of the upstairs pool table.)
This is now very much a foodie pub and you are greeted on entering by a member of staff who asks if you are dining, and if so you are then lead to a sizable dining section at the rear of the pub. Fortunately the front bar section, with it large windows, is just for drinking, as is a few large settees around the impressive fireplace at the back. And then down a set of stairs to the left is the basement Rose and Crown bar, which resembles a cocktail speakeasy bar with its Art Deco lighted glass behind the serving area, but ironically is equipped with flat screen teles and is where sport is shown (there are none in the upstairs section).
The bar has a bank of four ale hand-pumps but only two of these were in operation for my visit, with Sambrooks Wandle and St Austell Tribute available. Fortunately, both of these were in very good nick. We were not originally intending to try the food but were attracted by the substantial beef and horseradish rolls being advertised on the bar for £6, which isn’t too bad when considering where you are.
This is now a very comfortable pub with a historic (although completely fake) interior, and I believe there is some sort of tie up to the George in Fitzrovia.

On 23^rd February 2024 - rating: 7
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