The Chelsea Pensioner

The gentlefolk at Simmons, with bars dotted across King’s Cross and Camden, bring the good people of Chelsea yet another chapter in free house history, the eminently affordable and fun Chelsea Pensioner, along Fulham Road. This new London pub promises to revolutionise the tired concept of after work drinks in west London, offering prices that are actually half-decent that will enable some hobnobbing with colleagues and compatriots, scarlet-jacketed and tricorn-hatted or not. The drinks selection is enviable, with taps counting Meantime, Camden Brewery, Aspall’s Cider, Sharp’s Doom Bar, Guinness and our favourite usual suspect Europeans among their number.

The bottled range deepens The Chelsea Pensioner’s ruddy glow, as does the punchy international wine list, not to mention the craft cocktails whipped up according to recipes from the Simmons group’s central London mixology experts. A major draw to this Chelsea pub, besides the genuinely well-priced drink (a rarity in this rather plush area), is undoubtedly the food: famous flatbread pizzas, Sunday roasts, pies, fries, and bar fodder. This is all best enjoyed in the other little secret that The Chelsea Pensioner keeps down Fulham Road: the beer garden, which also hosts movie screenings from time to time. Don’t quit your day job, but do book some elbow space at The Chelsea Pensioner and enjoy a taste of the golden years.