London Bayswater Restaurant Guide

“You get looked after like an old friend even if you’ve never been before”, if you visit Thierry Tomasin’s prettified pub near Lancaster Gate – a “small and intimate venue” (“you eat in close quarters”) whose star turn is the “fab wine list you’d expect from Le Gavroche’s former head sommelier”. Most (if not quite all) reports are of “reliably good French cuisine” to match.

“Thank goodness it’s back!” – This resurrected, first-floor pub dining room in Bayswater (long renowned as London’s top Italian) reopened a couple of years ago under one of its original owners to the ecstatic delight of its long-term fanclub and has “now expanded downstairs” (see Assaggi Bar). As ever, “Nino and his team are superb” in terms of charm, and although the consensus is that the “rather expensive” rustic fare is perhaps “not the best in town” any more, it remains “eternally high achieving”. As ever the acoustics of this simple room can be “challenging”.

Chef/Patron Tom Pemberton’s “hearty, fresh, seasonal British cooking” is “very reasonably priced for London” and maintains his “elegant and low key” Bayswater venture as “a fabulous neighbourhood restaurant” (but one which draws fans from across town). Top Tip – “the good value lunch menu, which cuts no corners”.

“Fantastic chicken” is the only option at this year-old rotisserie concept, on the Notting Hill/Bayswater border, with poultry from the French team’s own farm in Normandy. Fans say it’s “the best roast chicken ever eaten”, accompanied by a “delicious” choice of potatoes, salads and sauces.

“Exceptional seafood” is the gastronomic draw at Tom Conran’s “really relaxed and friendly” Irish pub in the Notting Hill-Bayswater hinterland. “The fish stew is highly recommended”, alongside the oysters and Guinness.

Camilla Fayed’s health-conscious yearling, complete with pharmacist-inspired decor, wins strong (if not quite universal) support for its “very imaginative” vegan cuisine. Its “really buzzy” atmosphere also wins particular praise, even before its recent introduction of ‘High’ tea – afternoon tea that not only avoids refined sugars, but uses hemp leaf infusions!

“A sure thing after over 20 years” – this “unfailing and very traditional” (and “sensibly priced”) Earl’s Court curry house is “the perfect Indian” for its well-heeled regular crowd, and is perpetually “buzzing” and “crowded”. It has a lesser-known Bayswater spin-off, which is likewise a “cut above the norm”.

For a dependable meal, not of the cutting edge variety, fans continue to recommend this Malaysian stalwart (est 1973), just off Edgware Road.