The Cadogan Arms Sunday Roast Put To The Test

There are certain London pubs that look like they should absolutely nail a Sunday roast. The Cadogan Arms in Chelsea is one of them.

So when the sun makes a rare and suspicious appearance – 20 degrees in London, no less – we book a 1pm table at Cadogan Arms expecting a comforting yet polished Sunday roast. After all, the menu promises provenance and seasonality, and this grand Victorian pub certainly has the bones for greatness.

What we get is a roast that’s very good in parts, but surprisingly frustrating in others.

Quick info on The Cadogan Arms in Chelsea

• Location: King’s Road, Chelsea
• Cuisine: British pub classics
• What we ordered: Native rump of beef Sunday roast, beer battered fish & chips
• Would I travel for it? No
• Would I eat here if local? Yes, but probably not at a busy time

Find out the details in the Cadogan Arms review below.

The beef is where Cadogan Arms gets it right

Let’s start with the highlight of this Cadogan Arms Sunday roast review: the beef.

The native rump arrives in three generous slices, a proper portion for a roast plate. It’s beautifully cooked, being rosy red but not underdone, tender without being overly soft, and mercifully free of any gamey funk. It’s juicy, balanced, and confident.

Underneath the beef sits creamed cabbage, and this is where things get unexpectedly glorious. The richness of the cabbage, slightly sweet and buttery, mingles with the beef juices in a way that makes me involuntarily sigh. In the best way.

I cut a piece for my friend. She tries it. Her eyes widen in satisfaction. 

That’s when you know it’s good.

The bone marrow gravy is glossy and savoury, though I’d happily have taken a little more. There is never such a thing as too much gravy.

And then there’s the Yorkshire pudding, which is towering, golden, airy without being dry. It’s perfect for sweeping through the gravy like a sponge designed for exactly this purpose.

So far, so good.

Unremarkable vegetables

The seasonal veg (baby carrots, broccoli) are cooked competently, but also not particularly noteworthy.

They lack the sticky, almost candied depth you find at places like The Devonshire, where carrots flirt dangerously with dessert territory.

Read more:
A Stunning Sunday Roast at The Devonshire, Soho

Here, they simply exist on the plate. Perfectly fine, if entirely forgettable.

The roast potatoes are the real problem

Now we arrive at the roast potatoes, and this is where the Cadogan Arms Sunday roast falters.

They’re pale, not nearly roasted enough. There’s little of that glassy, shattering crust that makes a roast potato glorious. Inside, the texture is oddly grainy, slightly off, as though something in their process has gone wrong. I find myself wondering if they’ve been frozen. 

Whatever the explanation, they lack both crunch and fluff. Even the bone marrow gravy can’t rescue them.

And on a Sunday roast plate, weak roasties aren’t a small oversight. 

The fish & chips is the better order

While my plate delivers highs and lows, my friend opts for the beer battered fish and chips from the Cadogan Arms menu.

And it might be the smarter choice.

The fish flakes in soft, clean white sheets, shearing beautifully as her fork moves through it. The batter is gorgeously crisp but still light, golden without greasiness.

The chips are neatly stacked beneath, visually pleasing in their alignment, and the mushy peas and tartare sauce bring everything together in the way proper fish and chips should.

If I were returning to Cadogan Arms Chelsea, I’d get the fish and chips and skip the Sunday roast

Service is slightly less polished than the setting

Where the food is mostly good, the service feels less refined.

I book weeks in advance and request a window table, but when we arrive we’re guided toward the dark, windowless basement dining room instead. Despite having seen ample availability when booking.

We negotiate, politely, and end up at a bar table upstairs, which in the glorious sunshine turns out to be the better setting anyway.

Still, it would have been nice for the request to be honoured without a mini wrangle.

At the bar, we’re told we might receive table service, or we might need to order at the bar. It’s unclear. Moments later someone takes our order, though small details are forgotten, like ketchup for the fish and chips, for instance.

Nothing disastrous, just not very polished.

So is Cadogan Arms worth it?

So here’s my honest Cadogan Arms review.

The Sunday roast has enough flaws that I wouldn’y bother with it again. but then the fish and chips are superb.

Would I cross London specifically for the Cadogan Arms Sunday roast? No. But if I lived in Chelsea, I’d happily pop in for fish and chips on a sunny Sunday.

It’s a handsome pub with flashes of brilliance. It just hasn’t quite perfected its roast yet.

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The
Cadogan Arms Sunday roast review
Address – 298 King’s Rd, London SW3 5UG
Nearest Tube – Sloane Square