A Guide to London Part 3: A walk around Chelsea



Walking along the King´s Road, shopping, browsing and stopping for coffees & a glass of wine with friends is a great way to spend a day in London. 
Not only are you away from the immense crowds of the main shopping areas of central London, but you´re surrounded by small leafy gardens & beautiful buildings, cosy English pubs and gorgeous boutiques.


Coffee Stop

 The Botanist is set in the middle of Sloane Square (near to the tube station). A great spot for people watching outside, if the weather is good, and enjoying a coffee and cake.



Food Market

Just around the corner in the Duke of York Square, you can find the Farmer´s Market with stalls offering seriously good quality produce as well as an oyster and champagne bar & amazing fish and chips. It takes place every Saturday and is a great lunch stop for delicious street food.  






A bit of Culture

Through these gates to the left of the market you´ll find The Saatchi Gallery which is well known for its contemporary art exhibitions of relatively unknown or international artists.
Entrance is free - bonus! (and there´s a cute cafĂ© on the side)

Lunch on a terrace

If you´d prefer a more relaxed lunch, head to the restaurants by the Duke of York Square and sit in the courtyard terrace and try Italian or Lebanese food, or even stop by Partridges, the official grocer to the Queen! (they do great scones and cream!)


Pub Grub

One of my favourite pubs is found in the backstreets of Chelsea hidden in a more residential area.  
The Builder´s Arms is a typical English pub, but brightly decorated and cosy, and great for a lunch stop. Good burgers and hearty puddings for those colder days. 



Another good pub option & this time, directly on the King´s Road is the The Cadogan Arms. Again, quite a typical English pub but is perfectly located for a beer stop between shops.


For evening drinks and food we like the Phene Pub with its garden terrace and outdoor heaters for the English summer evenings! Again it´s set in the backstreets away from King´s Road but has a great atmosphere & is always full of young people enjoying afterwork or weekend beers. 

 

Brunch

The place to go is Tom´s Kitchen. Set in the backsteets between King´s Road and Fulham Road, this informal & cool brasserie serves amazing British comfort food, a great brunch (best to reserve!) and incredible cocktails. 



Shopping

Chelsea has nearly always been home to wealthy aristocracy, musicians and actors & this is pretty much reflected in the stores & restaurants in the area. The girls from Chelsea, known as Sloanies (from Sloane Square), usually walk down King´s Road clutching envy-enducing shopping bags from the high end stores, of which there are plenty.

Starting at Sloane Square you´ll find the high end shops like Tiffany´s & Cartier, as well as the gorgeous J Crew and my favourite Jo Malone. In the Duke of York Square it´s a little more high street with COS, Jigsaw & Whistles. As you walk along King´s Road I recommend a stop at the US fashion and home wear store Anthropologie and the very British casual & Heritage style clothes shop, Jack Wills. Further along towards the end of King´s Road, you´ll come across more independent and even vintage stores. 

Whistles

Anthropologie


If you have any recommendations or places I´ve missed in Chelsea, I´d love to hear from you.





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