London Kensington Restaurant Guide

Yasuhiro Minemo & Shinya Ikeda’s odd but “excellent” duo are over a decade old but little known, perhaps due to the “somewhat sterile” nature of the interiors: both in Kensington backstreets (“cramped seating on high stools on the bright ground floor, or in the downbeat ‘Siberia’ of the dark basement”); and in the ‘Yashin Ocean’ younger sibling in the potentially cute old Brompton Library on the fringes of South Kensington. If you like “top sushi” however, this is some of the best in town: not cheap, but without the second mortgage required at the Mayfair omakase restaurants. Top Tip – “the set lunches are top quality!”

Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan was – as of mid 2025 – rumoured to be on the verge of buying a £1 billion stake in Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, of which this famous brasserie chain is the crown jewel. Presumably, he’s more interested in ‘rolling out’ the brand in The Gulf and beyond rather than dropping by for a Salmon Fishcake and ‘Ivy Chocolate Bombe’, but if he’d asked the opinion of our annual diners’ poll, we’re not sure that he’d sign on the dotted line. “How can a restaurant with this heritage produce such uninspired, tick-box food?” is a question merited by its poor ratings, ditto what explains the “very slow and disinterested service”? The answer may be that “you don’t come here for the food, obviously” but for the “gorgeous” interior design and “picturesque” locations that continue to underpin their appeal. Let’s hope for the Sheikh’s sake that the middle classes of the Arab World are as undiscerning as those from the UK!

“Assured Japanese cooking” is showcased in an “ultra-calm environment” at the first-floor restaurant of Kensington’s Japan House cultural centre, where an “interesting and varied menu” is presented with “no fuss”. “The flavours are exceptional” although the venue can seem “a bit soulless” – and it’s “fully priced”. Top Tip – “go for the Bento box”.

2024 Review: “Terrific posh Levantine food with a twist” is the story of this Kensington High Street three-year-old, whose kitchen is run by former Palomar head chef Tomar Amedi. The menu can seem “confusing” to first-timers (“what’s a starter? a main? a side? did we order enough?”) but the small plates are “interesting and all very tasty”.

No-one would quibble that this “gem in a sidestreet off High Street Kensington” is a “great local high-end place” – in the vein of a “lovely neighbourhood-style venue” but with “always fabulous” cuisine from chef Mark Kemson (with input from afar from co-owner Phil Howard). Having possessed a Michelin star since 2011, it’s quite “serious” in style, with “an air of calm”, “knowledgeable” service and “well recommended wines to accompany the meal (never had a bad bottle!)”. Even so, ratings remain stuck in the middle-ground here, being capped by the ratings of some diners, who either feel the food is “solidly good rather than exceptional”; or who find the room too “unadorned and plain”. Top Tips – look out for game in season; early evening and lunch set menus are excellent value.

2024 Review: “Fragrant and tasty dishes” win approval at this cute Indian hidden away in a Kensington backstreet. Its siblings in Little Venice, Barnes and Kingston get very little notice from reporters.

“Yummy mummy hangouts” that have proliferated across the capital and its surrounding high streets over the past few years, with “relaxed and colourful décor” and “friendly waiting staff”. They are very accommodating to families, both “child-friendly” and “pooch central, with snacks and water” – although if you don’t bring your own, you might find there are “too many dogs”. The eastern Med-style cooking varies between “fresh and well prepared” at best to “adequate, sometimes slow” – while “bottomless Bloody Mary or Mimosa on a Sunday can be dangerous!”.

“You’ll almost always find a queue of people waiting for a table and a palpable energy of excitement in the room” when you visit these “vibrant” and “exotic”-feeling Indian favourites, which “whisk you to Bombay and back”. Cousins Shamil & Kavi Thakrar started in Covent Garden in 2010 and their growing group has become the most commented-on business in our annual diners’ poll, complete with seven London branches, three outside town; their ‘Permit Rooms’ spinoff brand, and turnover of over £100m. The interior design, a homage to Mumbai’s Irani cafés, absolutely slaps – “wherever you sit it’s quirky” and even though the busy scene can become “a bit of a zoo”, it’s all so upbeat that “you leave feeling good about your meal and yourself!”. Dishes are “bursting with flavour” and served by “efficient” waiting staff “who know their stuff”. The menu is “deliciously different”, although so many Londoners have now sampled it that once-arcane items like the “legendary black dahl (so rich and filling!)” are now part of London’s culinary canon. And what better way to start a new day than with an “unbeatable bacon and egg naan roll” – a high watermark of dining out invention of the last 50 years that’s core to their “game-changing breakfasts” (“you will never want an English bacon roll again”!).

“Not so much a gastropub as a restaurant attached to a stylish pub/wine bar” – this upscale local, tucked away off Kensington High Street, has been gradually transformed over 25 years by two generations of the Staples family. The food (which according to the website ‘maintains the sensibility of a British gastropub, combined with techniques and flavours from the 21st century’) is “consistently reliable”, backed up by “excellent service and a very warm welcome”.

Hidden away near Kensington Square, this “delightful” Italian stalwart from brothers Emidio & Francesco has provided sterling local service for 30 years, initially as a cafe and latterly as a full-blown restaurant: the food’s “very good and all within a reasonable budget”. (The golden age of Italian cinema is celebrated in photographs throughout the venue, which is named after Federico Fellini’s masterpiece.)

“A reassuringly old-fashioned experience”, the Chiavarini family’s Italian restaurant across the road from the Design Museum in Kensington is still flourishing after almost 60 years – neither fading to irrelevance nor trapped in nostalgia. The cooking is inspired by the traditions of Emilia Romagna with plenty of game from the family farm in Kent, while “the service is excellent”.

2024 Review: “A wonderful display of fresh fish on ice” (“including the biggest scallops with the coral attached”) greets diners arriving at this “unique Italian” in a quiet corner of Kensington, whose “cooking is precise with a light touch”.

“Fabulous Indian food is served in a lovely setting” at this “solid” fixture in an elegant converted banking hall opposite the entrance to Kensington Palace. (“My Indian brother-in-law rated it very highly and introduced us to new dishes” that are “not your average Indian cooking, but everything has the right flavour and spice”). Originally a rival to Tamarind in Mayfair, it is now part of the same group.

In one of London’s most ‘Mary Poppins’ settings – a tucked-away, Regency square close to the Design Museum in Kensington – this flower-bedecked mid-Victorian tavern has a “great atmosphere”. It excels as a convivial gathering place over a drink or two, with a terrace that gets busy in the summer, and a dependable menu of classic pub dishes. Famous patrons over the years include Princess Di in days of yore to Piers Morgan (who lives nearby) more currently.

“The other customers are as fun as the food is delicious” at this good-value Cantonese on Kensington High Street – a no-frills fixture since 1971, where “local croupiers and chauffeurs mix with regulars like Tom Parker Bowles”.

“The only challenger to A Wong as best Chinese in London” is, say many fans, this “lovely dining room” at the top of a deluxe hotel in Kensington with “fantastic views over the capital”. A “perfect venue for a slow lunch of dim sum – service is helpful and attentive but not hurried, with all the favourite dishes. The tea pot is always topped up and the view and peacefulness make it magical”. Alongside the dim sum, the “amazing roast duck is a must” – “as in any respectable Beijing restaurant, it comes in multiple servings: the first is the pancake with duck skin. The second, either lettuce wrap, duck and tofu soup, fried rice or fried noodles”. “Good craft cocktails” and “a really great-value wine list” also hit the spot. Top Menu Tip – “turnip with XO sauce is a surprising new delight”.