There are restaurants in London that genuinely need no introduction. The Ivy is one of them. From Tower Bridge to St John’s Wood, alongside sites further afield like Manchester and Dublin, these gems are famous for their drop dead gorgeous interiors and have come a long way since the humble original outpost opened at Covent Garden in 1917. Needless to say, they’ve made an impact on the London restaurant scene over the years, and to celebrate this heritage, a new Ivy Edition set menu has been launched, celebrating familiar favourites made with quality seasonal ingredients. Costing a pocket-friendly £34.95 for two courses, I couldn’t wait to try it for myself at The Ivy Chelsea Garden.
DesignMyNight’s Review Of The Ivy Chelsea Garden
My photos from The Ivy restaurant in Chelsea just give off style and sophistication - a real treat for the eyes.
Need To Know:
- Address: 195-197 King's Road, SW3 5EQ
- Area: Chelsea, not far from South Kensington or Sloane Square tube stations
- Cuisine: modern British cuisine alongside European and Asian-inspired dishes
Ambience & We Think Perfect For
- Atmosphere: The Ivy Chelsea Garden can be found on King’s Road, taking over a Tudor-style Grade II-listed building that originates from 1722. I loved the nod to its previous incarnation, The Six Bells pub, with the original signposting outside. Once you step through the doors, it becomes clear you’ve entered a botanical oasis. Think colourful prints of everything from birds of paradise to tigers and flamingos, paired with rustic, distressed mirrors and golden geometric hanging lights. Flowers, tropical plants and orchids were dotted throughout, which provided a nice contrast with the bright orange seats. You can’t miss the glowing, peach-hued bar too – the lighting gave off a relaxing ambience. The elegant greenhouse area towards the back, previously a bowling green, was notably lovely and ideal for hiring out on special occasions.
- Perfect For: date nights and celebratory dinners, without breaking the bank.
Service & Price
- Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Value For
Money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Cost: £111.50 (excluding service)
My pick of delicious dishes (shown right) from The Ivy menu at Chelsea's secret garden-inspired restaurant (pictured left).
Menu Highlights
Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Ivy Edition menu, available Sunday through Friday, was decent value, with two courses for £34.95 and three courses setting you back £42.95.
- Truffled cheese soufflé – this was my favourite dish of the night. Imagine a towering, bouncy and rich starter that had an excellent wobble. It was served piping hot, surrounded by a river of bubbling cheese. My dinner date actually fought me for a bite as well.
- Calamari – presented theatrically in a silver, octopus-themed dish, my partner enjoyed the moreish ringlets that had a nice sprinkling of chilli. The creamy wasabi mayo and sriracha dip provided heat too.
- Keralan vegetable curry – as the only vegetarian option (which also happened to be vegan), I’ll admit that this wouldn’t have been my first choice when picking a main here, but it ended up really surprising me. I loved the bright tangerine-coloured sauce that was fragrant and had a nice sweetness from the coconut and tomato. The cashew nuts, sweet potato and butter beans gave the dish texture, plus I loved the perfectly cooked broccoli and slices of red chilli.
- Truffled chicken Kyiv – I could smell the wonderfully indulgent truffle aroma even before the plate hit my table. While the crispy coating and moist meat were great, the main needed more mash and I would have liked to see a proper ooze from the wild garlic butter when cutting into it with a knife.
- The Ivy Signature Chocolate Bombe (extra £2.95 supplement) – now, this is what I call a showstopper. Prepare for a golden, shimmering hot caramel sauce poured all over domed chocolate, exposing vanilla ice cream, chunks of honeycomb and even popping candy in the middle - which was a playful revelation. I couldn’t get enough of this dessert and would definitely order again.
Drink: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- The Ivy Royale (£13.95) – I could not resist ordering this popular cocktail, blending gin (for a boozy kick), strawberry, elderflower, mint and The Ivy Champagne. The addition of wild honey was a fantastic shout, as it provided interesting and tasty floral notes.
- Blood Orange Spritz (£9.75) – this alcohol-free number was absolutely delicious, and an ideal alternative for an Aperol spritz in the summer. Think a bitter, bubbly mix of Lyre's 0% spirit, raspberry, rosehip and blood orange soda.
Our Overall Experience At The Ivy Chelsea Garden
DesignMyNight Review Out Of 5: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Ivy Chelsea Garden had been on my list for some time, particularly since seeing Margot Robbie buy everyone a cocktail here just last year, and I’ll sure be returning again after this visit. Especially as this restaurant was so unbelievably beautiful and service was excellent. While some minor tweaks to the dishes would make them even better, the multi-course Ivy Edition set menu convinced me I was being rather extravagant when actually the price point was easy on the wallet. Can’t ask for more than that.
