In a striking, late-Victorian red-brick building a short walk from Sloane Square, major changes have been taking place. Earlier this year, The Sloane Club unveiled Cafe 1922, a viennoiserie bakery by day and dimly lit wine bar by night. But while its cheese- and ham-laden pain au suisse may have won fans, it wasn’t the pastry that made headlines: it was the fact that, for the first time since it opened more than a century ago, members of the public could enter the storied institution.
After an “incredibly encouraging” response managing director Neena Jivraj-Stevenson says the club felt it was time to open even further. “There was a real curiosity about discovering a space that has been part of Chelsea for more than a century … Cafe 1922 showed us there was real appetite to bring the spirit of The Sloane Club beyond our membership and into the Chelsea community,” Jivraj-Stevenson tells Broadsheet. “Bistro 1922 is the natural next step, offering a more expansive dining experience with the character of a classic London bistro.”
The Sloane Club was founded by Princess Helena, third daughter of Queen Victoria in 1922 as an ex-service women’s club, providing accommodation and community for women who served in the armed forces. Its revamp began in 2017, when family-owned hospitality company Queensway took over, and commenced a £20 million transformation. At the time of acquiring the club, the average age of members was 75.
It’s a tricky balance: shaking off a dusty reputation and offering something contemporary, while embracing the club’s heritage. The key, says Jivraj-Stevenson, was keeping the menu approachable. “The emphasis is on excellent ingredients and thoughtful cooking without anything feeling overly formal,” she says. Bistro classics like Aberdeen angus skirt steak with fries and cod and chips with mushy peas sit alongside more zeitgeisty sharing plates like potato flatbread topped with chorizo and feta and drizzled with hot honey. Jivraj-Stevenson is particularly proud of the “hearty and delicious” Suffolk chicken cock-a-leekie soup – “and you can’t go wrong with one of our house pies”.
A similarly adventurous approach comes into play with the cocktail menu. Jivraj-Stevenson mentions a special, the salami Martini. “The gin or vodka is fat-washed and has a green pickled tomato and a chilli-infused olive, with salami”. Some of the wines come from just over Chelsea Bridge, at Battersea’s Blackbook Winery.
Equally local is the decor: the walls of Bistro 1922 will showcase a rotating selection of artworks curated in partnership with Hommage Art on the nearby King’s Cross, which specialises in original posters and lithographs. Exhibition posters by the likes of Picasso and Hirst provide friendly pops against the bistro’s white tablecloths and chestnut-coloured banquettes and mid-century chairs. They’re an addition that adds “another distinctive layer”, Jivraj-Stevenson says. “The rotating artwork also connects the space to Chelsea’s rich cultural character.”
Bistro 1922
62 Lower Sloane Street, SW1W 8BP
Hours:
Mon 7am–4pm
Tue to Fri 7am–10pm
Sat 8am–10.30pm
Sun 8am–5pm
