Chelsea Flower Show Week: Where to Eat Near Sloane Street
Next week the RHS Chelsea Flower Show returns to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, running from Tuesday 19 to Saturday 23 May. The first days are reserved for RHS members, with public days from Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 May. Time Out has the dates, prices and practicalities. For the restaurants between Knightsbridge and Sloane Square it is one of the busiest weeks of the year, so here is where to book now.
On and around Sloane Street
Willett's, inside The Cadogan at 75 Sloane Street, runs Willett's Hour daily from 6pm to 7pm. Signature cocktails are £8, pints £6, and oysters or sausage rolls just £1 each, which is a rare bargain on this street and a perfect stop after a day on your feet at the showground. Arrive a little before six to be sure of a seat.
Daphne's on Draycott Avenue transforms into a floral display every year for Chelsea in Bloom, the free festival that runs alongside the show, and its display is always one of the talking points of the week. Book a table and you get to enjoy it from the inside too, with the Italian menu as a reliable bonus.
Belgravia's quieter tables
- Wildflowers in Newson's Yard on Pimlico Road serves a Mediterranean menu, including Cornish sea bass and bluefin tuna crostini, and opens its courtyard daily from 9am during the show for coffee and pastries.
- Daylesford Pimlico has a spring set menu featuring steamed asparagus, pea and herb risotto and flat iron chicken, with organic rosé on the terrace and Eton Mess served from a hatch. Its facade is dressed for Belgravia in Bloom.
Further along the King's Road
Bluebird Chelsea has an English garden-inspired menu from 18 to 24 May at £40 per person, with dishes including a vegetable and flower bed salad, applewood roasted quail and a PBJ ice cream sandwich, plus a floral Agua Fresca cocktail. Country and Town House has a fuller list of flower show offers across Chelsea and beyond, including floral afternoon teas for those who would rather sit down with a pot of tea than queue for a cocktail.
Tips for show week
- Book lunch early. Thursday 21 May is the first public day, so expect the area to be especially busy from then until Saturday.
- Eat late on show days. A 2pm lunch or an early dinner avoids the rush as visitors leave the showground.
- Walk, do not drive. Roads around the Royal Hospital are congested all week, and the walk from Knightsbridge takes in the floral shopfronts.
- Remember the sell-off. The famous plant sell-off begins at 4pm on Saturday 23 May, and nearby restaurants fill quickly afterwards.
Getting there
Sloane Square station is the closest to most of these tables, and Knightsbridge is about fifteen minutes on foot from the top of Sloane Street. For more ideas, see our guide to Daphne's and our full list of Knightsbridge and Chelsea restaurants.
Lead image: Karen Roe via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
