Daphne's in Kensington and Chelsea

As long term regulars we were dispaointed to see that like many London locations access to the restaurant is now by a recenlty pedestrianized road where taxis and other vehicles cannot drop off outside. For us with two elderley/semi mobile members of the group this was difficult so sadly Daphne's is now off our regular destination list. We appreciate it is not the restaurant's fault but simply warn others to check (thoroughly) when booking if they have guests who have mobility issues.

Had lunch at Daphne's today. It was my first visit to this Italian restaurant. The service was very attentive. Loved that the tables had tablecloths. The Xmas decor was still up and made it a very festive lunch. The pasta choices were plentiful. I chose the spaghetti alla vongole. I ordered the small portion for £18 as did my daughter. Alas when I later checked our bill it showed we had been overcharged and overpaid, as Daphne's charged us for 2 large spaghetti alla vongole for £29.50 each! A great place for a special family luncheon but you must check your bill before paying your £200 bill. Alas my husband did not catch this mistake before he handed over his credit card.

Overall it was a great experience at Daphne’s

Very accommodating, family dinner with young kids

Lovely place and great service, however food is tasteless and definitely much better Italians at half the price. Way to overpriced for what it is

AMAZING FOOD (especially the flourless chocolate cake) wonderful service and an excellent atmosphere.

Went in the beginning of January to mainly see the christmas decorations that were still up. Pastas were good, not that impressed with the cacio e pepe as that was too cheesy and thick. Ended the meal with a tiramisu which was nice

Delicious for those who want a change

We made it before the Christmas decorations came down for a lovely Sunday lunch. Pasta can be purchased in two sizes so perfect if you don't eat much. The aubergine starter was a highlight as was the apple tart dessert. The bathrooms were impeccably clean The service from Karol and his team was fantastic at no point did we have to ask for our glasses to be topped up, nothing was too much for them and Karol even offered to take a photo of us. Beautiful spritz cocktails and reasonably priced champagne bottles The table in the conservatory was a perfect backdrop to a wonderful afternoon. Thank you Karol and team

I don’t usually give 5 full stars, but this place deserves it. We had a table at the bar during Christmas. We arrived first, had the opportunity to take the photos with no one inside, the Christmas decor was beautifully done to perfection, there was a fireplace, so warm and cozy. Everything was clean, spotless and perfect. Staff were attentive, very detailed, extremely polite and fantastic customer service, sincere attitude , I enjoyed every moment of the dining experience it was really wonderful. I love a restaurant with great organisation, they knew exactly who booked, which table to seat customers, giving us enough time to read the menu, ask for 2nd drinks etc etc! Definitely will come back again!

Brilliant service from start to finish . This is excellent example of amazing service . Staff friendly and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble.

Excellent service from the moment we walked in to the time we left. Highly recommended. I have been to many restaurants where service is not always on point. This experience was amazing.

Lovely atmosphere excellent starters cauliflower soup and aubergine dish Main courses of pasta and prawns mediocre and cod the same The roast potatoes were not good tasted like frozen ones Puddings amazing

The food at this restaurant was possibly progressive/exciting during Princess Diana's tenure some years 30 years ago. Not now. Laughable portions, smug service, and ultra expensive to sit in a well decorated room (if you love the 90's). Served a 45 euro veal paillard with only a wedge of lemon. This place just sucks.

Food is mediocre. Service is not good. Slow and you have to call on a server all the time.

First time in Daphne's and got blown away by the service and quality of food. Normally don't like sitting at the bar but Tomasz and the bar team were superb and made our lunch with excellent service , meanwhile looking after customers and prepping drinks for the busy restaurant. All members of staff were polite and professional creating a great vibe and great energy. For me the other highlight was to see a GM being relaxed and creating a great atmosphere by engaging with customers rather than micro managing the team. Thank you again for the experience definitely will be back.

Unfortunately, our dinner was below average. The team needs proper training. especially the team leaders. It's so funny that they think they are invisible and that customers can't see the way they laugh and make side talks about the customers. Simple tasks like cleaning the table from bread crumbs before placing new plates was discarded. 2 bottles of sparkling water were opened although we only asked for one. When we asked for the bill, The team leaders said that it won't be sweet, implying that it will be expensive for us. He even said that it is good we took pictures of our veal plates to prove to our friends that we ate this dish and finished it all. It was very disrespectful. To add to our bad experience, the veal was cooked in a burnt butter that had a horrible taste. Whereas the roasted potatoes were over salted. There are so many Italian restaurants in London that have better food quality and for sure better service.

Absolutely lovely atmosphere - so quiet, so cosy, especially with the beautiful Christmas decor. The scallop starter was delicious, and the wagyu carpaccio with parmigiano was a nice light option. Both starters were reasonably priced for the quality. The pasta dishes - one with crab and one with king prawns - were also tasty, although the prawn dish was a little spicier than expected! The cocktails were probably the best we’ve had in a restaurant setting - very well-thought-out indeed. Overall, not a cheap meal but the price is more or less justified considering the atmosphere, quality of food and cocktails and attentive service throughout.

Nice restaurant in Chelsea. Enjoyed my pasta, the octopus salad and the scallops. I suggest they put more crab in the crab pasta though! Beautifully decorated too.

Absolutely loved it! Definitely going again!

Unfortunately our visit to Daphne’s was very average. Although the restaurant, christmassy decor and atmosphere was lovely the food and service was quite a let down. The truffle pasta was £45 for a small portion and the sauce was just melted butter which was a real shame. The meatballs were nice but look like they were straight from packet. However, the zucchini frites & olive oil mash were good. It was a shame we were not seated in the main dining room but they only had larger tables the rest of the restaurant isn’t as nice or well decorated as the main room. I think for the price you pay for the food the quality should be significantly better rather than just going to the restaurant for the decor only.

Terrible service - I called the moment they opened to cancel my reservation since my husband is severely sick and they refused to allow us to cancel. I asked if they’d prefer for him to come in sick and he said “yes that’s no problem!” We also offered up several alternative times to come in but they were fully booked and we don’t live here. I am shocked with this awful customer service and I know for a fact they’ll be able to fill a 7pm reservation the day before Xmas eve with all the holiday decor they offer. I’m understanding of a cancellation policy, but I called at 12pm when they opened for a 7pm reservation to cancel for a legit reason. Shame on you. I hope the man that helped me today has the holiday season he deserves.

We visited daphnes for lunch yesterday. We were welcomed and coasted taken into the cloakroom. Once sat at our table our waiter introduced himself to what we thought was going to be a 5* experience. We ordered tap water, a glass of wine each and our mains. They bought us bottled water and proceeded to add it to the bill which we asked to be removed. The food came out in literally 10 minutes with a different waitress who remained with us for the rest of our visit. We love our pasta al dente, but this wasn’t nice at all, the ragu was delicious but the pasta just let it down. Whilst we were eating, no one came over to ask how the meal was and when the plates were collected the waitress didn’t say anything to us. She came back later to brush off the crumbs from the table, again didn’t even look at us or say a word. She then bought over dessert menus, again without saying a word. My boyfriend said that we didn’t want any dessert and just asked for the bill so she bought it over. We were charged £6.50 for water we didn’t want and £12 service charge for service we never got. We asked for both to be removed, which we have never ever felt the need to do but this is as just appalling service. I definitely wouldn’t recommend daphnes, we’d been looking forward to this meal for months and it was just a massive disappointment.

Stunning venue made even better by the Christmas decor. Nice afternoon here and great serve

The service is terrible, nothing comes at the same time and on time, no one looks at you. Nobody knows how to apologize. Food comes at different times, drinks are missing, and only 3 reminders can get the job done. It's truly a disaster.

Perfect place with magical Christmas atmosphere 😌 food was delicious and staff are very friendly and nice.

The food is very good. Nice atmosphere. As for the service… this may sound crazy but the service is a little too good. Before you have even sat down the waiter asks you if you want still or sparkling water. Then when you have just finished your aperitif in our case a glass of champagne he rushes you to order wine. It is very difficult to have a conversation as the waiter is always interrupting for something. I know they mean well but a little less attention could be good

The ambiance was beautiful during Christmas time. However, the food didn’t level up to the experience.

Excellent pasta and wine list. Always a treat.

Stunning place but food and service mediocre. We waited 29 minutes to be asked if we wanted a drink and bread arrived but there were no plates on the table so we had to flag someone and were then left waiting. The rigatoni was so undercooked the inside was still white. Whilst my negroni and my squid starter were 10/10 there was a piece of plastic in my food which I put to one side and mentioned to the waitress but it clearly didn’t go back to the kitchen or management and nothing was addressed about it further. Cheese and pepper pasta was nice but it all congealed after around 5 minutes rather than remain creamy. Didn’t bother with dessert. Had I not had two kids in tow I would have made a bigger deal but…we came, we saw, we ate but won’t go back

Best grilled veal chop I ever tried!

My friend and I are regulars for an early evening Sunday supper at Daphne’s. Today didn’t disappoint. We had our usual order of sautéed prawns followed by roast baby chicken. But today since it’s the festive season we had the added bonus of a panettone icecream coupe to share. It was delicious, Xmas in a bowl.

Daphnes was nicely decorated for christmas and the food was good. Unfortunately it wasn't as pleasurable as it could have been as we felt completely rushed through the whole dinner. We were in and out within 30 minutes. My plate taken away before I had even finished chewing my last mouthful. Disappointed for the money spent.

Excellent food service and atmosphere - bar staff super good

Beautiful place with not good pasta. In my opinion good to see in Christmas time,but only once

Great atmosphere, large table and amazin food. definitely a London spot not to miss!

I booked this restaurant for our wedding anniversary and it was a great surprise. We were placed in the back of the room and it was so beautiful. I love the decoration and the warmth and colours. The prices are on the expensive side but all the food we ordered was delicious. From the basket of bread to the entree, main and dessert. All was great. Usually beautiful restaurant have so so quality of food but this one was tasty. We had prawns for entree, ragu pasta and meatballs. All delicious! Definitely recommend for special occasion or if you just fancy to treat yourself!

Charming ambience and delicious food. The service was very clunky because three different people all had a different service role, strange vibe. Really cute bar!

I specifically asked for a table in the conservatory.. I know they don’t guarentee but the people in front were shown straight through and we were told not available! Badly done ! It was a special occasion …

Overpriced. Very mixed service level. Very nice decorations.

We really enjoyed our food at daphnes. I was a little disappointed in where we ended up sitting as on the photos you only show an area where there are baubles on the ceiling and a fire however we was sat in a darker end of the restaurant with no festive decoration other than a small wreath on the wall. Food was really lovely. Quite a loud atmosphere so if I was to revisit we would perhaps go for lunch.

Such an amazing restaurant. Hostess Kate (Jekaterina) made my mother’s birthday truly special. This restaurant is lucky to have someone like her! Highly recommend visiting—especially if you’re celebrating something special.

Excellent food, fantastic service. Fun place and nice location

I had an incredible experience at Daphne’s . The atmosphere was elegant yet inviting, and the staff were warm and attentive from the start. I couldn’t get enough of the tiger prawns—it was absolutely delicious. The conservatory seating was such a lovely touch, adding a relaxed but refined vibe to the evening. I’ll definitely be going back—it’s a fantastic spot for a special night out.

The food made me trow up 2 days in a row and the food was absolutely disgusting 🤮🤮 the ragu pasta still gives me nightmares and I had to send the food back 3 times because the pasta was not cooked!!! Horrible experience and every time I think about this restaurant I puke!!! 🤮🤮❌ Horrible!!!

The food is overpriced and tastes basic. The best thing was the tiramisu! Would not recommend the truffle pasta!

Called the restaurant to request availability for this coming Saturday and the female call handler had a huge attitude. Responded saying ‘we’re fully booked’ to which i said ‘oh thats a shame, so you have no times at all for the afternoon’, which the response was ‘no times’. For a 5 star London restaurant i do not expect the unpleasant manner and this has definitely put me off trying this restaurant in future.

The food at Daphne’s was delicious, but the portions were quite small for the price. Unfortunately, the service was slow, even though it was a weekday and not too busy. A bit disappointing, as the atmosphere is lovely. Hoping for a better experience next time!

Dressed up for Christmas and menu has many choices. Waiter was helpful so we didn’t order multiple courses which would have been too much food for us. Restaurant is a little worn and food quality was good, not excellent. Apple tart with ice cream was beautifully prepared. Appreciate the holiday ambiance to make it feel like a special night. Be ready for a loud environment when the place is hopping.

Staff was awesome. Great service, very good ambiance, above average food and definetely worth what you pay for…

Lovely food with brilliant waiters! The stand out dishes were mushroom soup, cacio pepe pasta, the rubharb amoretti cheesecake, and the panna cotta A very quiet calm vibe for a chillout meal I would say as sometimes it did feel that other tables could hear every word your were saying - but we did visit on a Sunday so could be more vibey on a friday/Saturday

Llevo mucho tiempo queriendo ir con ella y por fin tuve la oportunidad de ir a comer cada día. Me alegro tanto de haber esperado, Qué placer. La comida era increíble y el servicio era increíble. Sin duda volveremos con amigos en el nuevo año

Sobreprecio y mal servicio. Una vez sentados nos sirvieron bastante rápido, sin embargo, después de eso todo bajó colina abajo. No revises cómo estaba nuestra comida. Observamos cómo todas las mesas a nuestro alrededor se servían con prontitud y se despejaban rápidamente, donde esperamos 45 minutos antes de que nos quitaran los platos de postre. Nuestra camarera tenía modales mínimos y parecía más interesada en servir las mesas que pensaba que le darían una propina más grande que despejar a los que han estado sentados esperando durante un tiempo. No recomendaría, aunque decorado encantador, el personal, la comida y las bebidas no valen la pena el costo asociado con el paisaje.

Nous sommes allés au Daphne's suite aux nombreuses publications sur Instagram qui étaient alléchantes. En effet cadre chic et cosy validé, mais dîner bruyant en réalité. Le personnel est très accueillant et disponible. Concernant la nourriture, c'est bien mais pas non plus extraordinaire ! Vous aurez affaire à des plats simples mais au prix élevé ! En somme l'endroit est sûr côté. A peine la bouche terminée, l'assiette est partie.

Noisy atmosphere and if having romantic dinner for two beware of large party tables

The food is very delicious, the service is a little slow... the risotto with truffles is dangerous 👍🏼

Very quickly and delicious 🤤 No prior reservation required The food was very delicious The cheesecake was also amazing

The best Italian restaurant in London. I am always extremely happy to come back. Outstanding service, delicious food and a warm and welcoming interior, fantastic drinks and a very pleasant clientele makes this restaurant a must visit in London.

Outstanding restaurant, the food tastes very very good and the service is unparalleled. Highly recommend

Food ok but nothing exceptional, the staff was snooty, not helpful or welcoming. Been going on visits to London since the 90s, but the era is over would not go back they’re too full of themselves and not worth the price.

I booked well in advance for a Friday night and having waited for our table to be vacated, we were given what must have been one off the worst tables in the restaurant, opposite a main thoroughfare and the noise was unbearable such that we couldn't speak. We took the late Michael Winner's attitude that a table is crucial to the enjoyment of a meal and asked for a quieter table at the far end of the restaurant. This was arranged and it was a considerable improvement. Service was generally good, the wine on the expensive side for an ordinary selection (the mark up must be 300% plus a 13.5% gratuity) but the food was reasonably priced for a Chelsea venue. We started with 'Melanzane Parmigiana' which was tasty followed by a variety of pastas, the 'Spaghetti alla Vongole' was declared a disappointment, the Prawn Linguine was declared good (but so it should be for £46 for a bowl of pasta) and my Calves' Liver was a tasty choice. We had gone to a local Italian restaurant in Southfields the night before which was half the price and we all declared the food was better than Daphne's! I am not sure whether it was ignorance on the part of several servers or the restaurant is at fault, but if you are disabled or with problems walking, we were told there was no disabled toilet on the ground floor so if you can't climb a steep set of stairs you had to suffer in silence or worse, so best avoided. Whereas we agreed that overall we had an enjoyable evening we all said that we wouldn't return to Daphne's. For the prices charged you expect a faultless experience but in our opinion, the restaurant has issues that put us off.

Excellent food and great atmosphere!

Great food and great atmosphere. The service was brilliant as always.

Very “Chelsea” - staple fare for an Italian restaurant. Nice Service. Check prices. Vitello Tonnato - the best. Nice service

wonderful restaurant - it never disappoints! food, service and atmosphere all on point

Lovely setting, excellent food and service. Highly recommended

Lovely setting. Great service. Exceptional roast baby chicken. Delicious cod. Delicious simple food.

We enjoyed a lovely 3 course meal on Friday night. All of the food was delicious, the atmosphere was great and the service friendly and quick, considering how busy it was. Would definitely come again.

I’ve been coming to Daphnes my whole life but the two previous visits have been bad. Yesterday, the pasta was too al dente, the beetroot salad boring and the service was passive aggressive. The previous time I went, the mushroom risotto had dirt in it because the kitchen didn’t clean the mushroom properly. When we told the waiter, we got a new portion of risotto but it still had dirt in it. Very disappointing as Daphne’s have always been my favorite restaurant in London. Unfortunately not anymore.

The vongole had no sauce whatsoever, was dry and everything came up as a lump on the fork

Really lovely experience at Daphnes. Beautiful interiors and very excellent service. Love the complimentary bread basket. Food was exquisite! Pricey if you choose 1 dish from each course approx £70-100pp depending on what is ordered. Would come back again thank you Daphne team

I've been coming here on off for years and had dinner there last night with my daughter, and ordered the roast beetroot salad, baby chicken and halibut. The salad and chicken were very good but the halibut was overcooked and in a sauce that tasted like it came out of a can. I did not have a bite of the halibut until my daughter had almost finished it (she's not quite as much as a food lover as I). I relayed this to one of the waiters (a gentleman in a black suit with short hair) who said he'd be sure to pass this on. As an aside, my daughter ordered desert (the chocolate cake, which was very good), and I declined, to which above mentioned waiter excitedly said something about me being sweet enough. One of the oldest lines in the book and not what you'd expect at Daphne's. We also had cocktails which, as always, were excellent. But the halibut really was poor.

Absolutely lovely experience everyone was so polite and the food was fantastic. Will definitely be going back

Confortable and enjoyable ambiance. Professional, attentive and efficient service. Well presented dishes. Good food, not extraordinary.

Excellent !Relaxing, good service,tasty food and accommodating staff.Will look forward to visiting again.

Fantastic as always! My favourite restaurant. Brilliant food, service & ambience.

I cannot name a better Italian restaurant in this part of the city, not to mention the exceptional service and elevated atmosphere. We cannot stop going back.

Atmosphere is good and the restaurant is not so noisy as italian restaurants in London. First dish - vittelo tonnato mediocare meat was not soaked and was tasteless tona sauce was not salty enough. For second dishes. Ravioli was mozzarella filled. Very simple filling. Second dish was meat ball which was good. Wine selectio. Is very good but wine prices is very expensive even comparing to other Italian restaurants in London (around 30-40% more). Service was OK.

Daphne's offers an overall enjoyable dining experience. The pastas stand out with great flavour and decent portion sizes, though the fish dishes fall short in comparison. The wine selection is impressive, and the elegant atmosphere adds to the dining experience, although the noise level can be a bit overwhelming due to the tightly packed tables and consistently full seating. Unfortunately, the service was not up to par—our waitress lacked attentiveness and warmth, with an attitude reminiscent of the distant, unengaged service often found in old Soviet-style establishments. On a brighter note, the desserts were outstanding—both the panna cotta and tiramisu come highly recommended.

Dined there both lunch and dinner. Waiters and waitresses were unbelievably rude. Food was so mediocre that was no where worth the price. Will never to back

We visited Daphne’s a few times but this time we were disappointed. Service was not up to the usual standard - it was slow and not attentive, despite visiting during off peak hours where only half of the tables were occupied. The steak was also not great. We ordered medium and we got an almost burnt steak. I hope it’s only this occasion as it would be really sad for this lovely place to deteriorate.

Daphne's is a London restaurant located in the heart of Chelsea, known for its refined Italian cuisine and an elegant and welcoming environment. A review on Daphne's could not fail to mention the impeccable service offered by all the staff, in particular by Mirko, one of the waiters, who stands out for his professionalism, attention and friendliness. Mirko is a true hospitality expert: he welcomes customers with a warm smile and makes them immediately feel at home. The Daphne's menu is a tribute to Italian cuisine, with dishes ranging from classics to the most innovative. In conclusion, Daphne's is an ideal place for those looking for an authentic Italian dining experience in London, enhanced by impeccable service. And if you are lucky enough to be served by Mirko, you will enjoy a special touch that will make your evening even more pleasant.

It was way too noisy with large tables in the conservatory area. It spoilt the usual romantic and cosy atmosphere of this lovely Italian restaurant.

Lovely restaurant, great atmosphere, and food was great! Will definitely go back!!

Lovely and sophisticated space with excellent service and wonderful menu. Very enjoyable evening and meal!

My go-to restaurant for a classic Italian dinner in Chelsea. The interior decor and service are exceptional. The food is amazing and there is a great wine selection. I really like the garden area.

The food was very good. Unfortunately the starters arrived before the drinks and the incorrect drinks arrived, and the sides arrived half way through eating the main course. It felt chaotic. There were also several guests nearby who liked the sound of their own voice. I wouldn’t rush back.

Beautiful service, fantastic food + stunning restaurant. Worth every penny!

Habitante refinado, atenciones Peronal impecable, comida muy bien ejecutada. Excelente caba de vinos.

lovely as always the food was very tasty and the service was of very high standard

Very nice restaurant. Good food and service. A friend recommended this restaurant and for sure I will do the same.

Gem of a place have never been before but will definitely be returning! Had a fabulous long lunch with friends ! Great food, ambience and service!

The service is very bad, as if they are being usurped to serve us, and they do not clean the table. The service is slow and the food takes a long time. I don’t frequent the restaurant.

It is one of the best in London Great food Very nice and cheerful people

We booked for late afternoon on the day of booking. The food was excellent and the service attentive but not overbearing. I cannot recommend Daphne’s highly enough.

The same excellent service Pretty restaurant .!!!!!

We came here on the evening after my fiancé proposed to me. It was a Friday and he called up the day before and they were able to accommodate him and sit us on one of the best tables. The staff were absolutely wonderful, they made the evening so special and it was (obviously) an evening I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Thank you Daphne’s for contributing to such a special day.

Just one of those feel good restaurants. Always one to look forward to and almost not doing it justice to refer to as our local. A clear favourite!

Excellent atmosphere, very attentive service and tasty food. Highly recommended

Loved our dinner at Daphne’s, food and service were both excellent. Cheers to the bar sitting space!!