Inside The Trafalgar, The King’s Road’s First New Pub In 100 Years

Chelsea’s King’s Road is seeing a whole host of new openings at the moment, from the recently launched Cafe Linea to food emporium Arthur’s Market – and now, The Trafalgar Public House. Finally open, this is the first pub to land on the street in over a century. Worth the wait? We think so. 

First Look: Inside The Trafalgar Public House

The Trafalgar Public House was nearly a SoulCycle, and thank goodness it isn’t. Housed within a Grade II listed Cadogan Estate building designed by the architect behind Chequers, Sir Roger Blomfield, it had spent many years as a NatWest, before nearly living out an alternative fate as a luxury fitness spot (hard to picture now). But, subject to a £2.4m refurbishment at the hands of Three Cheers Pub Co. (behind The Avalon in Clapham and the Bedford in Balham), what has opened instead is bound to become a proper local’s haunt. 

The partition wall between the pub and dining areas

What has arrived is a dressed-up, old-school boozer with all the hallmarks of the perfect British pub – the kind Americans love us for – with a dark, ebony-topped wooden bar, moody leather banquettes, and all sorts of panelling throughout the walls. With a twist for the well-heeled Chelsea folks: the building has been restored with sympathy for Blomfield’s original Edwardian designs. Light streams in through huge windows, there’s Chinoiserie amid ornate plasterwork, and grand tapestries running up the 5m walls. Whereas other Three Cheers Pub Co. venues enjoy disco balls, here it’s more about twinkling chandeliers. 

Yet for all these flourishes, The Trafalgar suffers no pretension. You enter into the wet-led part of the pub, and the dining spaces peek in from behind a partition wall. The bar beckons, and the draught selection is non-intimidating, just a grownup selection of craft beers and lagers: Jubel, Guinness, Prime Time, Brixton Lager, Amstel, Birra Morretti. The entry point for a pint is £6, which is reasonable for an SW3 postcode. To boot, it’s dog friendly: a corgi with massive ears enthusiastically licks my hand as I nip to the toilet. 

Downstairs, there’s its party space, the HMS ‘Havannah’ Room, complete with a first-class sound system and a standout mirrored ceiling. Its events lineup is sure to woo younger locals in particular: Monday boasts a pub quiz; Tuesday is an open mic night; there’ll be live poetry on a Wednesday; Thursday a comedy night; and Friday offers live acoustic music. At the weekend, the Havana becomes a cabaret space, and, sometimes, a unique wedding reception venue; the Trafalgar sits opposite Chelsea Town Hall, so is bound to become a favourite for nuptials. The comedy night’s lineup brings established comedians to test risqué materials ahead of TV performances, and have already included the likes of Harry Hill, Brett Goldstein, and Sophie Duker. (Upcoming on 15 January is Phil Wang, Rachel Parris and an exciting mystery guest; on the 22 January Ivo Graham and Iain Stirling will be performing). 

Back upstairs, food is a major focus, and well-executed. Tabasco sits ready on the tables to accompany freshly shucked Wright Brothers Oysters (£4 a pop). There’s a strong showing of bar snacks if you’re only slightly peckish – scotch eggs with coronation mayo (£7) and ham and cheese toasties (£9) – but it’s well worth making room and staying for dinner. The menu features elevated takes on pub classics. There’s your fish and chips (but the fish is next level) and your burger (make that a wagyu patty), and then deviating from pub fare, your Chelsea staples (game meats, day boat fish, beautifully seared Orkney scallops). The Guinness cake is undoubtedly the highlight of the menu, with a huge dollop of Bailey’s mascarpone atop a rich, spongy cake. Grownup, hearty dinner stuff. 

The Trafalgar is the tenth pub in the Three Cheers Pub Co group – and, as aforementioned, the first pub in 100 years on the Kings Road. Well worth the milestone wait, for both.

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The Trafalgar Public House is now open at 224-226 King’s Road, London SW3 5UA. thetrafalgarchelsea.com