The Chequers Tavern is a historic pub and lunchtime restaurant at 16 Duke Street St James’s. The building’s story reaches back to an alehouse known as the Mason Arms, which later took the Chequers name from the board game played by waiting coachmen and grooms. Today it retains the atmosphere of a traditional central London pub, with a kitchen serving straightforward British comfort food.
Starters and lighter choices include soup of the day, Scotch egg, pork pie, chips and a small egg salad. Club sandwiches filled with chicken and bacon or ham and cheese arrive with chips, while toasted sandwiches cover combinations such as sausage and onion, chicken and ham, cheese and pickle or bacon and Brie. Hot baguettes add roast meat, tuna melt and chicken with stuffing to the lunch selection.
Main courses stay close to pub favourites. The roast of the day sits alongside steak pie, chicken and mushroom pie, sausage with mash, beef lasagne, chicken curry and chilli con carne. Hand battered fish and chips comes with mushy peas and tartare sauce, while home cooked gammon is served with fried eggs and chips. Vegetable lasagne, vegetable curry and salads give meat free diners several practical choices.
Beef and chicken burgers are served with onion rings, chips and salad, and filled jacket potatoes offer a simpler alternative. An all day pizza list ranges from Margherita and vegetable toppings to spicy salami, meat combinations and the house cheese pizza with Stilton, mozzarella, Brie and cheddar. Draught beer, spirits, wine and soft drinks support a menu designed for an unhurried St James’s pub lunch.
Address: 16 Duke Street St James's, St James's, London SW1Y 6DB, United Kingdom