Notting Hill, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Sumptous… we had to sell the kids, of course… but it was worth it!” – Clare Smyth’s “sublime” Notting Hill HQ is a “real class act” that’s “entirely worthy of its Michelin three-star rating” and lives up to its “stratospheric pricing” (the à la carte menu is £195 per person; and the seven-course ‘Core Classic’ menu is £255 per person). “What’s remarkable is the absence of pretension” – “impeccable” and “charming” staff set up a “laid back, comfortable dining experience” that’s “priced at the top end, but delivers the best of the best” with “culinary theatre of the highest level”, “meticulous presentation”" and “absolutely exquisite” tastes. Naturally oft-compared to the nearby Ledbury, it is this destination that edged it this year both in terms of a huge amount of feedback and dizzyingly high ratings. Top Menu Tip – “the famous potato dish is awesome”.

Nightclubby haunt for the Notting Hill cool crowd, from Nick House of Mahiki and Whisky Mist, spread across four floors of an old Portobello Road boozer. The “lovely craft cocktails and mocktails” are probably more important to the local Trustafarian clientele than the wood-roasted dishes on the food menu – among them “many great vegetarian and vegan options”.

“Perhaps the food should not have left the farm…” – the feedback we receive (admittedly thin) remains sceptical regarding the fashionably located London satellites of Lady Bamford’s enviable Cotswold estate in Brompton Cross, Notting Hill and Pimlico. Some reports do say they are “great places for lunch when shopping, with fantastic home-made soups and cakes”, but even fans can find them “pricey” – to critics the level of value is “scandalous” or “just crazy”.

“Great to have Julie’s back, but there’s some good and some bad”, is a fair appraisal of this summer 2024 resurrection of a once famously louche late-’60s Holland Park hangout (named after its founder, interior designer Julie Hodgess). It’s “busy” again and hit all the right notes with the press critics, who lined up to heap praise on the luxury revamp supervised by new owner Tara McBain, a local resident and former regular. But in our annual diners’ poll, while all reports acknowledge that “the decor has been nicely redone” (“if you’re looking for a romantic spot, look no further”), the modern French brasserie fare is often found “overpriced”… so plus ça change for anyone who remembers it in its former guise.

This early Victorian pub, just off Ladbroke Grove near Holland Park Avenue, has a long track record as one of London’s more civilised and agreeable watering holes, with “an always buzzy atmosphere” in its elegant interior and pleasant outside terrace too – even if “service suffers a bit when very busy”: an “excellent choice for steak and chips, among other interesting pub-grub standards”.

“Even better than its pre-pandemic days, with three Michelin stars fully deserved” – Brett Graham and Nigel Platts-Martin’s renowned Notting Hill venue has gone from strength to strength since they reopened it post-Covid 19, and is hailed in many reports for “head-to-toe near perfection… from the the owner, to the staff and especially to the tasting menu, it’s an absolute delight” (and also “THE place to impress your loved one”). Chef Brett took the level of aspiration up a gear after re-opening and nowadays in the evening the eight-course menu at this “pleasant but unpretentious” site will set you back £285 per person. It is “genius” cuisine (“really memorable… so memorable I recall every dish, which is so rare for me!”) backed up by a “simply amazing choice of wines that leaves you spoilt for choice”; and on most accounts the result is “wallet-scorching but exceptional”. If there is a concern, it is that there was growing pushback this year against the eye-watering bill, with a slight dip in ratings reflecting an experience that some find “beautiful… but at an unacceptable price”. The most commented verdict though? “A cut above and I can’t wait to go back again”.

A “happening, hip crowd” packs in at Phil Winser and James Gummer’s majorly successful “hot spot” just off Portolbello Road, which is “Notting Hill’s version of a pub: really an old pub-building converted into a restaurant with the pub bar retained”. “Service is helpful and the food ranges from good to very good”: “honest”, “well-executed comfort food” with “high-end ingredients and lots of daily specials” (“you need to order well as the plates can be big!”). “The downside is that it’s so popular, the noise forces you to lip-read!” and being so “very ‘in’ means it’s difficult to get a reservation”. Top Menu Tip – “amazing lobster pie”.

Jesse Dunford Wood’s “tiny” Holland Park bistro is a “big local favourite, and deservedly so”. “While cramped, it’s full of atmosphere” and there’s “a regularly changing menu of interesting food” realised to a very “competent” standard and delivered by “friendly staff”.

“It feels like you’ve been welcomed with open arms into the best house party in Notting Hill” at Chris D’Sylva’s magnetic “hotspot”, whose style captures the complex, push-pull attractions of ‘Trustafaria’. Chef Max Coen’s “cooking is of the highest order” – “every mouthful is designed to grab your attention” and “preparation is very competent, often over a wood fire”. And the cuisine is almost outshone by the electric vibe of this “noisy, cramped, sometimes too crowded (you have to be ready for that) and very buzzy scene”, which helps give the whole enterprise its unique bounce. On the downside, though, even many fans feel that “the prices are absurd (perfect for those with too much money…)” – likewise there’s “great wine list… although it too is très expensive”.