The Chelsea — Restaurant in New Bern

My wife and I landed on The Chelsea when choosing a place to take my mother-in-law for her birthday. We’ve been to almost every other restaurant in New Bern, including The Chelsea, but this was more than a year ago, and we felt it was time to check out what all the relatively recent Chelsea buzz around New Bern has been about. For the uninitiated, The Chelsea is an upscale, fine-dining restaurant in historic downtown New Bern, NC. Hence, a reservation was the first thing that needed to be checked off the list for a successful birthday dinner.

The front staff greeted us upon entry and was polite and accommodating. Their personable attitudes and professional demeanor were welcomed in our party. Our server was courteous, knowledgeable about the menu, and promptly answered any questions we seemed to have. Our order consisted of fried bacon-wrapped scallops with lemon-garlic butter (15), two 8-oz filets with smashed potatoes and sautéed house vegetables (21), and the flank and oysters (36), off the specials. I ordered the flank and oysters because I love oysters, and I know what to expect when I order flank steak because I love steak. The two filets were going to be a surprise because I love cooking steak, so it’s always fun to see how different places do their business. Overall, the evening was set to be a great dining experience if The Chelsea held up its end of the bargain. So far, it has been; however, we are at a restaurant, and our dishes could very well prove to be the coup de grâce of this fine New Bern establishment.

The kitchen staff at The Chelsea is currently firing on all cylinders, and the recent buzz I’ve heard surrounding this restaurant is warranted. The scallops arrived in short order and were fried to perfection in a seasoned batter. Generous in size and quantity, the quality is what impressed me, both in flavor and preparation. Wrapped in smokey bacon, the batter’s seasoning complimented but was subtle enough to support the scallop flavor, not overpower it. No scallop was under or overcooked, and the plating was mint. The lemon-butter sauce set the whole appetizer alight with flavor. The kitchen was off to a great start. Shortly after, the main course was presented like works of art to our table. The flank steak, a cut of meat traditionally and well-known to be less tender than a filet, showed up on my plate as tender as a mignon. Every ingredient on my dish popped with flavors that complicated and complimented all the others in an experience that almost seemed fun to follow. Atop the flank were oysters dredged through a well-seasoned batter, fried, and topped with a rich and tasty béarnaise. Under the colorful béarnaise-dressed surf and turf protein layers were charred asparagus spears peeking from underneath and some of the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had from a restaurant. Our server ensured our drinks were full yet kept a comfortable distance that was neither overbearing nor disconnected. Both my wife's and mother-in-law’s steaks were cooked to a perfect medium rare and, according to both of them, were the best steaks they had in New Bern. Walking out of the front door, we all talked about how it was crazy that we hadn’t been here while we lived just down the way. That’s something that’s going to change, that’s for sure.

The food was great when I had it some time ago, and there’s nothing negative to say about my experience from then, so I hope I’m not denigrating any previous management. But what is going on there now is something entirely different. It certainly appears that the staff cares about your experience there, and the food's quality, flavor, preparation technique, consistency, and ingredient creativity here are totally out of this world. Every element of a great dining experience played its part to perfection, but the food… The food is the star. The restaurant should have a star. The kitchen of this place is going to be the driving engine that undoubtedly surges The Chelsea beyond local New Bern recognition and into national award conversations. We’ll be...

We were there for my daughter’s birthday. I was never more disappointed in a restaurant. We were sat in the conference/banquet room. I asked if we’d be sat upstairs. I was told we would but I didn’t realize it would be in that area. I expected to be sat in the dining area of the upstairs. I personally feel that room should be left to those functions. The acoustics are like being in a cafeteria. Extremely loud. I mentioned this to our server who literally asked me to speak with the owner about it as she and according to her others have expressed the same concerns. I ordered a drink that was truly horrible. I did not complain but waited patiently for our food. Which took a very long time. When the food came three of the burgers that were ordered as medium were not even medium rare. The fries however were very good. My salmon was just okay. Nothing special and the risotto was the same. Nothing special. The birthday girl loved her meal which was a special of the day. But this was the kicker of my dissatisfaction. One of our meals was completely missing. The server claimed the kitchen made a mistake. It wasn’t brought to the table until after everyone else had finished. I had been a server before. I understand how things like that happen. I personally felt that the restaurant was overbooked and as a result, the food and the atmosphere were less than ideal. I have been on the fence about leaving a review. This post came up in my fb feed. I had to put a credit card number down and would’ve been charged $25 per person if we had missed our reservation.  We had a party of six. If you’re going to have that stipulation, you need to produce a fabulous meal, especially one that has a $250 bill attached to it. Really wanted to love you taking over the Chelsea. I hope you take my review as a way to improve. I never leave reviews but, the disappointment left me with wanting the next mother who is simply trying to give her daughter a special birthday meal...

I attend a monthly dinner there. It is served buffet style. Sometimes it is ok...sometimes it is pretty poor. The ladies that serve through their catering are always excellent! I ate in the actual restaurant for the first time a couple of weeks ago. We ate at the bar. There was a bartender and there was a man sitting on a stool behind the bar talking to a customer. Maybe the owner or the manager... The bartender didn't see us so he finally asked if we wanted menus. He got my boyfriend his beer but didn't know how to make my drink so went and got the bartender. He finally left so then the bartender could actually wait on us. I ordered the lamb chops, my boyfriend ordered steak. I love rare lamb but ordered my chops medium rare. They came absolutely raw. I had to send them back....I never send anything back.....the bartender was apologetic and very nice. When I got them back they were at least cooked to rare but we're tasteless and tough. I couldn't cut them off the bone. I finally gave up and got a to go box to take them ho2me to my job. My boyfriend's steak was the correct temperature but was also tough. The restaurant itself is charming. Good atmosphere. The service is good. They have tables downstairs and upstairs and a couple of tables outside. Unfortunately, the food is average to poor. Besides my experience I have heard that from many people. I would recommend it for a drink or maybe if you need to eat outside because you have a dog. I hope they can improve the quality of their food because the restaurant has a...