Earl's Court, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“A very special gastropub tucked away in a quiet street off Kensington High Street”, which has been run for 25 years by the Staples family, who have remodelled what was built as a classic Victorian corner tavern into an “all-round reliable local restaurant” and bar fit for its chichi environs.

“I’ve had dinner here at least 20 times over the last 10 years and have never had a bad meal. I’m a fan!” – this smart and “very comfortable” (“slightly dull?”) fixture sits in a side road off Kensington High Street and is very accomplished by the reckoning of neighbourhood venues (and is nowadays in the top-100 most mentioned London restaurants in our annual diners’ poll). Star chef Phil Howard is a partner in its management, and standards are “very good all round”, including the “really creative and delicious” modern European cuisine.

“Fairy lights, greenery and charming decor create a warm and cosy atmosphere” at this still-expanding group, which is most popular as a “reliable and friendly brunch option”. Its Med-inspired tapas is typically rated somewhere between “tasty” and “nothing special” and scores overall are dragged well down by those experiencing “chaotic service” and “food that doesn’t live up to the pretty dining room”.

“A fantastic new gastropub near Holland Park”, in the no-man’s-land location just south of Kensington High Street as you head down to Earl’s Court. It was converted in September 2022 (from The Princess Victoria, RIP) with an upstairs dining room serving a modern British menu from chef Max de Nahlik, whose pop-up Oxalis was highly regarded. Initial high ratings and reports – “lovely Sunday roast…”, “good and attentive service…”, “deserves to be fuller than the night we went there…” – suggest it’s worth discovering.