The Surprise, Chelsea

Featured reviews

• P

  Peter T

  ·2 months ago

  “Really lovely pub with a vibrant weekday vibe. Food was superb and couldn’t fault the service. The wine really exceeded expectations. Roseblood 2025 was perfect in the searing heat and Ch Lauret 2018 concluded the evening perfectly. I will be back for these two wines alone!”

• C

  Catriona Myles

  ·3 months ago

  “Had a lovely meal at The Surprise with my Dad last Saturday. Food was delicious but also wanted to mention our waiter, Daniel, who was friendly & attentive - we both thought that he is a real asset to the venue. Would definitely recommend dining here.”

• M

  Maria Blendea

  ·4 months ago

  “I had the loveliest experience at The Surprise in Chelsea and wanted to give a special mention to Evie, who has been absolutely wonderful from start to finish. Evie went above and beyond to make me feel welcome, looked after and genuinely cared for. She has that rare kind of warmth that makes a place feel instantly familiar, even when you have only just walked in. She is an amazing host — friendly, attentive, happy, professional, and full of positive energy. The customer service from Evie and the whole team at The Surprise was genuinely 100%. Everyone was kind, helpful and welcoming, and the atmosphere had that perfect Chelsea charm: elegant but relaxed, polished but still warm and sociable. It is such a beautiful spot, with lovely people behind it, and it really makes all the difference when the staff create that feeling of being somewhere special. A huge thank you to Evie and everyone at The Surprise — I would absolutely recommend it and will definitely be back.”

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• B

  Brenda L

  ·5 months ago

  “Beautiful pub. Busy on Friday night. We ate upstairs. Food was beautiful. Had a few issues with the service, though this may just be new staff and training issue. We were also overcharged for drinks we didn't have. However this was rectified easily. Would go back.”

• K

  Kayleigh Bowles

  ·5 months ago

  “Huge thank you to the whole team for hosting our wedding reception. Everything was absolutely perfect. Our guests all commented on how intimate and homely the room felt, which is exactly what we had hoped for. The service was fantastic throughout. The team really matched our energy and went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. We felt so well looked after from start to finish. The food was also incredible. So many of our guests told us how much they loved their meals, and the sticky toffee pudding was a huge hit!”

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• G

  Gerry Ball

  ·5 months ago

  “A lovely little pub in a charming quiet corner of Chelsea. Most dishes work well, the cauliflower with three cheeses, was more like cauliflower with cheese glue, but aside from this kitchen error everything else was good.”

• E

  Ed Bear Sellek

  ·7 months ago

  “Just had a lovely lunch here. Steak, with a gorgeous shallot on top of it. Our server was attentive and friendly, my dog well accommodated, the space was pretty. What a jolly good little pub. I’ll be finding excuses to come out this way again, I’m sure.”

• R

  Roger Adcock

  ·8 months ago

  “We were looking for the nearest pub for beer & light meal and happened upon this treat Was quite busy (Rachel Reeves will be pleased!!) but a number of tables were not reserved so we sat down having order a fresh clean pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord (£7.20) and a pint of Gravity Theory Cider (£6.90) Nice to see a real log fire roaring away and the decor all rustic and comfy. Certainly no worries about fancy bits very homely. The menu was a treat and looking at the dishes being delivered everything was looking great. The Beer Battered Fish & Chips (£21.50) looked very popular but we selected a "Sharer" the Charcuterie & English Cheeses (£25) quite a few pieces of meat, grapes & gherkins but only two smallish pieces of cheese - touch disappointing. Thinking the platter might need a boost we topped up with a "Bar Snacks" dish of Wiltshire Cocktail Sausages (£9.00) which were super I counted 10. Time to go after another pint and we left content happy to have paid what we did even after the discretionary 12.5% for service (which was very good / fair play to the busy staff) Return? = Yes it's a great pub / fresh beer / good food / comfy”

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• J

  Judith C

  ·1 year ago

  “We had a lovely Sunday lunch in the upstairs restaurant, which was well decorated and full of character. My meal was delicious (sirloin) and my friend really enjoyed her pork belly. There is an extensive drinks list and a wide choice of desserts. Prices are reasonable.”

• Z

  Zuzi

  ·1 year ago

  “We were looking to have a Christmas Eve lunch and my husband remembered this place he used to go to almost 45 years ago! We were all pleasantly surprised at the quality of food as well as it being very tasty. It was a set 3 course menu that we pre ordered and we loved each and every one of them. For our main we opted for the traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings, delicious! The service was excellent, they even gave me a complimentary soft drink and mince pies at the end of our meal. All in all an excellent experience. We shall come again for a Sunday Roast. Highly recommend it!”

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