Notting Hill, Italian Restaurant Guide

This “enjoyable and reasonably priced” Italian in Notting Hill is “always full and busy” – perhaps because it delivers exactly “the sort of food one thinks one would have on holiday in Italy”. The same team is also behind two other Italian venues in the same street, Osteria Basilico and Essenza – so clearly they know what locals like.

“A good package of food and buzz”, this “classic Italian trattoria” has served Notting Hill for three decades – “and delivers the goods reliably and with panache”. It has two younger stablemates in the same street – Essenza and Mediterraneo.

A “friendly Italian serving great fresh fish” (dramatically displayed in a chiller cabinet) – this Notting Hill local has a “real buzz” – and is “always reassuringly full of Italians”. It also serves “top pizza – among a lot of competition”, and a decent range of pasta dishes. There’s a “great year-round terrace with a roof which opens in the summer”.

“The food is the centrepiece” at Emily Roux (daughter of Michel) and her husband Diego Ferrari’s (former head chef of Le Gavroche) “gem tucked away in Notting Hill”, which has established a strong foodie following. “The French/Italian theme to the cooking works well”, delivering “strong flavours with a light touch” from “an interesting menu whose dishes are a little out of the ordinary”. Service is “fabulous and personal” too, which helps make for “a very special meal out” in this comfortable, “cosy” space. “Surely it’s getting a star some time soon?”

Limited but good all-round feedback on this smart neighbourhood Italian in Holland Park, whose menu features some interesting Sardinian dishes. ‘Temporarily closed’ as we go to press, we have rated it on its historical performance and hope of a reopening some time soon.