RestaurantsLondonChelseaSW10

survey result

Summary

£74
  £££
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

For its Sloane Ranger crowd, wine merchant John Brinkley’s long-established brasserie is a “still-buzzing Chelsea legend where you can drink well at almost-retail prices”. But, while most fans feel the food is “decent” too, others say “you pay too much for what you get and folks are starting to vote with their feet”. There are spin-offs in Wandsworth Bridge Road and beside Wandsworth Common (see Brinkley’s Kitchen).

Summary

£69
  £££
2
Average
2
Average
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

The flagship of John Brinkley’s wine-focused southwest London group attracts a well-heeled Chelsea set out for a good time. “You really shouldn’t expect great food, let alone good value at this address” – but there’s plenty of fun to be had here, and at spin-offs in Wandsworth Bridge Road and overlooking Wandsworth Common.

Summary

£68
  £££
2
Average
2
Average
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

A “fun atmosphere” and “wide wine list that’s almost at cost prices” ensure that John Brinkley’s Chelsea-set haunt remains “a perfect place for an afternoon to float away”, or a “summer’s evening in the conservatory”. The food “won’t set the world alight”, but that’s never been the point. There are now spinoffs in the Wandsworth Bridge Road and on the edge of Wandsworth Common.

Summary

£64
  £££
2
Average
2
Average
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

John Brinkley’s “stalwart of Chelsea nightlife” provides “a good service to the Eurotrash and ageing lotharios brigade”. “The food won’t set the world alight”, but it’s a “buzzy” venue, with a “great garden conservatory”.

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Brinkley’s?

Restaurant details

Highchair
Yes
18, 20, 35
No dress code
75
Yes

Prices

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Veggies Pudding
£19.00 £28.00 £0.00 £5.00
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £30.00
Filter Coffee £0.00
Extras  
Bread £0.00
Service 15.00%
Opening hours
Monday6 pm‑11 pm
Tuesday6 pm‑11 pm
Wednesday12 pm‑4 pm, 6 pm‑11 pm
Thursday12 pm‑4 pm, 6 pm‑11 pm
Friday12 pm‑11 pm
Saturday12 pm‑11 pm
Sunday12 pm‑11 pm

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