The Surprise, Chelsea — Restaurant in London

🚇 Sloane Square 🍺 £6.95 Birra Moretti ❤️ A superb Chelsea Gastro. . The Surprise freehouse is located in a tranquil backstreet in the heart of swish Chelsea. The nearest tube is Sloane Square which is about a ten minute walk away. . This beautiful pub was built in 1853 and is named after the frigate that brought Napoleon's body from St Helena to France. The Surprise was refurbished and opened under new management in 2021. . The decor here is traditional and has a touch of class about it. On the ground floor is the main bar, upstairs is the Hamilton Room which is set aside for dining. Throughout the pub are some lovely features like comfy handmade leather chairs, an extensive collection of artwork by British artists and an elegant stained glass partition. The overall vibe is a relaxing homely feel, this place feels like an upscale village pub. . There beer selection was diverse and featured a number of London breweries. I had a pint of Birra Moretti. My pint was good and price point was to be expected at just under seven quid. I visited with my daughter specifically to try out the roast as I read a number of rave reviews. To start we shared a pint of prawns and some tasty cocktail sausages. Then on to the main event, our roasts. We both had the roast pork belly which was delicious, the meat was juicy and crackling crispy. To finish we had sticky toffee pudding which was just great. I must mention the chap who served our food, he was personable, charismatic and really looked after us. . We arrived around 3.30pm and the pub was packed and the vibe upbeat. The crowd was predominantly well healed locals who were in the know about the pub. Throughout the month there are live music evenings and interesting guest speakers to entertain you. . This is one of the best gastropubs I have visited this year, I couldn’t fault it. Yes, @thesurprisechelsea is a posh pub serving posh nosh but there was no snobbery or pontificating here. The beer, food and service were excellent, price point a little pricey but worth every penny. A must visit London pub. . ℹ️ Info correct on...

As you approach the Surprise the first thought is an appreciation of the stunning exterior. We attended on a Saturday eveining so there was a real buzz and energy from the patrons in the roped-off paved area outside. Once inside you can see there has been real thought put into the interior, it really is extremely welcoming and the staff added to this when we advised of our reservation. We were seated upstairs at a wonderful light window table with a great view over the classy Christchurch Terrace. The service from then on was very attentive without being intrusive. We were given a great seasonal menu that I was advised is changed quarterly and we were walked-through the specials. Wine list had a great choice for all tastes and there were some excellent beer and ale choices including the delicious "Surprise" lager. Then followed the food. I have to say, throughout the meal my partner and I were utterly impressed by the quality of each dish. This really is a level up from Gastro Pub fare, I would expect this level of food in a fine dining restaurant. The evening experience was just delightful from start to finish. This place really is a gem. I have also heard there is a legendary roast dinner available on a Sunday so I will definately be heading back very soon to try it. I really can't recommend The Surprise highly enough, there surely cannot be many pubs of it's ilk in...

Spontaneous visit one year ago for Sunday lunch and loved it so this time we booked a table and came back looking forward to it. The service was efficient, the drinks were good but sadly the food didn't meet our expectations. We had the leg of lamb and the vegetarian Wellington. The overall plate and the food in it wasn't really hot. The meat was tender, the veggies were good but the roasted potatoes were hard and dry. The Wellington had a good flaky crust but the filling was mostly pearl barley and the promised mushrooms were hard to find. The honeycomb ice cream was tasteless. We sat near the back door leading to the alley where there noise of returning garbage bins entertained is for a few minutes. When someone finally closed a door we had to live with it "clonking" every time someone went through it. Overall, we agree with other reviews mentioning the lack of taste in general. Is there a new chef in the house ? Not sure that we will...