London Kensal Rise Restaurant Guide

Reopened after a five-week refurb last summer by a duo of locals with backgrounds in hotels and the music industry, this long-established ‘Pub & Dining Rooms’ is aiming to win back the prominence it once enjoyed when it opened in 2000 as one of the first places in then-gentrifying Queens Park with any foodie ambitions. It promises seasonally led, restaurant-level cooking from a chef who should be able to deliver it – Tarryn Bingle, previously of The Pem, La Trompette and Arbutus.

2024 Review: “Top Neapolitan pizza”, say fans of this Kensal Rise 11-year-old and its Crouch End offshoot, which offers a “limited and delicious menu (they stick to what they know) in cool surroundings”.

2024 Review: “Chicken with amazing sides” is the winning formula at Romain Bourrillon’s rotisserie chain, which imports its chooks from France. “Nice brunch”, too.

“There’s a bit of an LA vibe” at Josh Katz’s chic spot, cutely tucked away in a Queen’s Park mews. “It can get a bit crowded”, but all reports agree “it’s definitely worth it” and “a particularly lovely, relaxed choice for brunch”. “The team is seamless from arrival to departure” and the “superbly executed” eastern Med-inspired food is “spot on” with “plenty of meat and fish”, but also “lots of vegetarian options” delivering “an amazing taste sensation”. Top Menu Tips – “Absolutely must try the flatbreads”; “hispi cabbage is delicious”; “marvellous tzatziki (smoothest ever with subtle tastes) and creamy baba ganoush and grated tomato”.

This “tasty and lively” Malaysian ‘kopitiam’ makes a “fantastic local restaurant” and has been a “good addition to Queen’s Park” since opening two years ago. It’s a ‘second-gen’ operation from siblings Fatizah and Irqam Shawal, whose parents opened Satay House in Paddington more than 50 years ago.

Great name! An “excellent neighbourhood restaurant” and – by day – bakery (tucked away “in a former bathroom showroom”) in Queen’s Park that opened in early 2025 and which has been instantly hailed in our annual diners’ poll for its “very good value for money”. Its owner is Coco di Mama founder Daniel Land whose PR and TikTok savvy has already dragged in many of the newspaper critics, earning a dissing from The Standard’s David Ellis, but strong votes of approval from The Times’s Giles Coren and The Observer’s Jay Rayner. Top Menu Tip – “Fritto misto is quite unexpectedly delicious in a marvellously light batter; a perfect Crab tart and Home-smoked trout are all on the money. It would be rude not to try the desserts and they too are superb, particularly the Madeleines”.

The ‘evolution’ of Lula (RIP) in Queen’s Park – this very stylishly reformatted destination is now a ‘love letter to the Mediterranean’ featuring both Greek and Spanish dishes. Head chef Mattia Caddeo offers a diverse range of fire-grilled specialties and tapas-style sharing plates. Options include whole sea bass baked in salt crust and a 1kg Galician rib-eye on the bone. There’s also a striking upstairs vinyl bar called The Loft. (It’s not to be confused with Pyro, near London Bridge).