Peter Morrell was impressed with the inventive food, the beautiful presentation and the stylish décor of this restaurant. The Imperial Exterior. Cool Colours, Mellow Brickwork, Stylish Lights. The Dining Space. Pork Belly Starter. Al Fresco Dining. PausePlayPlayPrev|Next. The Imperial is housed in an attractive, symmetrical Victorian building on the Kings Road in the Chelsea Design Quarter. Inside it’s been sympathetically decorated to make best use of the large space. The tables are well spaced, the colours are cool, there’s exposed mellow bricks, interesting artwork on the walls and stylish light fittings.
Along the Fulham end of the Kings Road used to be something of a no-mans-land. When I first moved to West London, some fifteen years ago, you certainly wouldn’t go there for a night out, or even shop. But, it’s an area which has become increasingly up-market and The Imperial itself sits in a row of designer furniture and lighting shops and rather posh delicatessens and coffee shops.
On a recent Tuesday evening we made the trip down to the Fulham end of King's Road for dinner at a lovely gastropub and restaurant called The Imperial , which has just celebrated its first birthday. The decor is beautiful: a classic Victorian pub with high ceilings and large windows brought to life with modern interiors, chic statement lighting, exposed bricks and rustic, wooden tables. And, most importantly, some jolly good food.
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Residents of Chelsea and Fulham can consider themselves lucky, not just for the obvious reasons (it's one of the most affluent areas in London), but also because The Imperial has recently opened on the west end of King's Road!
What used to be a pub known as the Imperial Arms, is now a modern restaurant in a stunning Victorian building that has been completely refurbished by owners Alan Turtill and Kate MacWhirter. I was kindly invited to review the restaurant's special brunch menu so I was there with my husband on a Sunday a couple of weeks ago.
We took the Overground from Clapham Junction for just one stop to Imperial Wharf and walked less than ten minutes to the restaurant. We were welcomed by the lovely front of house staff, who took our coats away and accompanied us to a table at the back of the restaurant. The room was basking in the sun light coming through from the window wall, while in front of us was the open plan kitchen with the chefs at work.
The Imperial is beautifully furnished with great attention to detail: the table set-up with colourful little pots of salt and pepper; the copper lamps over the kitchen bar; the colour scheme with little yellow and blue details repeated here and there; and my favourite Aesop hand wash in the toilets!
We decided to order two glasses of Prosecco to celebrate the discovery of this beautiful place and whet our appetites! ;)
Chef Tom Hope's new brunch menu features the likes of Coriander & Chilli Corn Fritters with Poached Eggs and Bacon; Crushed Avocado & Lemon, Tomato & Grilled Halloumi on Sourdough and Egg White Omelette, Spring Onion & Herbs but we decided to try two classics: the Full English Breakfast and the Eggs Benedict.
I loved how the dishes were presented and the beautiful colours of the food against the blue plates. My Full English with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, black pudding, tomato and fried bread was delicious! Every element was tasty without over-powering the other flavours.
We treated ourselves to dessert, but just one to share as we were already full from the breakfast. The Bread Pudding was delicious! It was the second time I had one in my whole life, so don't count me as an expert, but it was really lovely.
One of the owners, Kate, was in the restaurant making sure everything was running smoothly and even serving the tables. I had the chance to thank her for the invitation and tell her I was having a great time. She was pleased to know I loved the food and invited us to stay for a Sunday Roast! I could see beautiful roasts coming out of the kitchen and it was really hard to resist the temptation…but there will be another time, for sure!
Lovely updated Victorian pub. Great staff and a really pleasant place to enjoy a drink. Bar and eating area on the ground floor but also a bar and more space upstairs. No casks on today but room for 3 usually, at least that's how it looks. We'll worth a visit.
Excellent atmosphere and great service. The food was a little underwhelming but not bad. I had the "spicy lamb flatbread" and my mom had the "salmon supreme". The flatbread was not spicy (🔥🌶️🥵) by any means but was well spiced (?); the lamb may as well have been ground beef. The salmon was delicious. It's sides were smashed turnip, smashed carrots, steamed broccoli and some type of potatoes; not bad but not very good either.
Excellent roasts. Well presented interiors. Great place to do some drinking
The team were patient with us as I had forgotten to order set food for some of the family. They were accommodating and the table teams were excellent. Food was perfect, portions fantastic too! The visiting American family wanted a pub roast and I believe they were satisfied & we all know how exacting the yanks are. Thank you!
Myself and my friend visited the imperial arms on Friday 3rd June and we were taken a back by the welcoming staff. The service was incredible to say the least. In particular the lovely last behind the bar provided service above and beyond. Will definitely be returning, thanks.
Great food and coffee, especially if you are sitting on their sunny terrace.
Great West End pub. Wonderful atmosphere, great staff, friendly and helpful and most of all tremendous lamb roast and superb beer. A lovely pub which my daughter goes to regular. Sadly we live in Birmingham, but when we visit again, we will be going there again.
Super tasty Sunday roast, good portions and very good atmosphere. Price was accettable too. Manager (forgot the name, quite young guy..) super accommodating, super mannered, sat us with no reservation on a Sunday afternoon without making us wait too long, AND under a heater, thanks! We'll be back. Superstar.
Fabulous! Gorgeous inside with a pretty conservatory type outside area at the back. Had the burger which was huge and delicious. Everything on the menu sounded delicious. The staff here are great, was good to chat with them.
Had aimed to go to Megan's next door but it was busy and loud - so glad that made us come here instead.
Reasonable prices, friendly staff and nice vibe with some great decor 👌
We did the bottomless brunch, the food was nice, the chef even made something custom for my friend who was vegan. The staff are friendly, service was a little slow, but overall I'd definitely come again.
The Imperial Arms is a great cosy little pub with good music alway's playing and it is situated in Fulham on the King's Road. It has new owners and since then has been a great place to visit.
(Ignore reviews older than April 2021.)
The staff are all very welcoming and the bar manager Michael does a great job along with Noa and Alexander as the best bar men in the area! 10/10 Drink's are alway's served with a smile and a little chit -chat/laugh. The security are good at their job and the food is very good too! Give it a try and bring a few mates along for a drink and a bite to eat, sure you won't be disappointed. Thank you to the Imperial Arms and all of the staff who work hard to make it a good place to visit well done to the Imperial Team. Woody Sullivan say's:
"Have a Happy New Year 2022!" 😉🤩😁🙂
This place was buzzing on sunny Friday evening and we managed to get a table in the lovely garden out back. The food was great - you have to try the polenta cubes and the muscles - really divine. I also had the spicy John Dory and my friends tried the pork belly and the lamb - all were faultless. Great gourmet pub with good wine and decent beers too.
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