Big Easy Chelsea

07 April 2015

My boyfriend has been coming here for years, so i thought it was time I ate here too. As we walked in, i could smell, fresh lobsters, bbq smothered burgers, and deep fried goodness; and then it hit me, this is going to be a MAJOR cheat day! We had to wait about 20 mins for a table, but decided to grab a Margarita at the bar. After a while we were taken to our table downstairs, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of upstairs, downstairs is very quiet and relaxed. I let the boyfriend order, and my mouth was watering even more. The starters arrived soon after, and were scrumptious, Out of the 3 starters we orders, the battered prawns were the most amazing and the tomato sauce that came with it was just divine. For mains we ordered a lobster and lobster roll. The lobster was so delicate, tasty and juicy; the lobster roll was delicious and the brioche was fried to perfection. After an afternoon of stuffing our faces and chugging down lots of beer we were stuck in our chairs waiting for everything to digest. The bill arrived and we were pleasantly surprised; Only £89 for the two of us, 3 starters, 2 mains and plenty of drinks. Very good meal!

15 October 2013

The food was great, with a lot of daily specials and recommendations on top of the standard menu. We shared a starter of chicken tenders, which was massive so I'm glad we didn't order one each. For our main, we had a whole lobster and a lobster roll. Both were delicious. We can't fault the food or prices, so it's a shame we have a few minor grumbles. Our waitress was friendly and happy to explain specials etc, but completely forgot a beer I'd ordered so I had to ask for it again, which wasn't easy as getting her attention proved difficult as she kept hanging around the kitchen. We also saw she got the neighboring table's order wrong and had to return their food to the kitchen. Then, on paying our bill, we were a little annoyed to be asked to add a tip on the credit card machine when a service charge of 12.5% had already been applied. The only other minor downers are how dark some areas of the restaurant are and the volume of the music making it hard to talk to each other without having to lean in or shout! Despite all of those complaints, we will be back as the food was that good!

14 October 2013

Having frequented the Big Easy regularly some 10+ years ago as a local, we had a recent excuse to relive the fun. The Pork Scratchings with Apple Compote were absolutely delicious: the main disappointment that even though we arrived at the start of the Sunday lunchtime service, there was only 1 portion available when we had ordered 2…perhaps the waitor was just being discrete about an unadvertised policy on a certain limit to such delicacies per table? The Bone-n-Rib-Eye was beautifully cooked as ordered (medium rare) and the Ribs plentiful. The pork pieces in the ‘BBQ beans’ that came with the Ribs was a great touch too. While everything tasted overly sweet where a ‘sauce’ of any kind was involved (and again perhaps that's just my aging palate rather than the food per se), the service and humour of the staff was exemplary. Our table waitor handled our every (random) request with aplomb and grace. I cannot rate him highly enough. Should we be in the area again, we shall be sure to look in and work our way through the menu's remaining treats.

12 October 2012

Great place with fantastic food. It does however get very busy and noisey so the service isn't the best but the staff are very friendly. The deserts are amazing!!

20 August 2012

The Big Easy on the King's Road reminded me and my girl friend of a “restaurant” we used to go to in the Middle East where we were always plied with tequilas aplenty thanks to the female-starved servicemen from the nearby American airbase: the same checkered, wipe-clean table clothes; same menu stuffed with BBQ ribs, slaw and skins, and battered seafood; same yeehaw-ing, humming, “we're on day leave, let's have beers!” atmosphere. Sadly (but not surprisingly) no airmen in this Chelsea version though. Despite the incongruous chi-chi location, this place is always filled and you'll wait 30 mins for a table for 2 even at 7pm on a Tuesday night so book ahead. I don't mind waiting in the cramped bar: it's buzzy, barmen are friendly and the waitresses make sure you get taken to a table as soon as it's available. The atmosphere is high-octane and there seems to be a live band on most evenings (stay upstairs to avoid your ears bleeding!). Service is “Have a Nice Day” friendly and you can grab one of many staff dashing around when you're ready to order food or more margheritas. The food is exactly what you'd expect: ribs were big, fat and juicy (but it's worth ordering the meatier ones); they don't mind substitutions if you want to swap slaw and salad for fries on the side if you're determined to eat a week's worth of calories in one sitting; jumbo prawns were indeed jumbo (although we would have liked a few more given we were sharing them as a starter). The daily deals (like all you can eat battered prawns with a drink) look good value and I'd probably go for one of those next time although the £25 a head bill we had was fair enough as it was (couple of beers, shared starter, enormous main). My neighbour's teenage kids tell me they insist on going here every birthday so it really is good, clean family fun for everyone. But I suspect you're welcome to get smashed on tequilas too if you bring your own servicemen.