London Notting Hill Restaurant Guide

“The best restaurant in London” – Clare Symth’s “supreme” Notting Hill five-year-old once again topped our diners’ poll as the capital’s No. 1 gastronomic experience: “a real triumph”. And yet, while “it’s a special place, the experience is not over-wrought”: “it deftly straddles that line between fine dining but not being stuffy”. “Clare and head chef Jonny Bone run a great kitchen”, but they achieve “the finest cooking without it being up-your-arse mucked around, just with the beautiful presentation of seasonal ingredients” all “served with flair and precision in a fine dining room”. “The friendly and very efficient front of house team is led by Rob Rose. And when it comes to wine we always rely on sommelier Gareth’s recommendations. He has never let us down yet and works within a sensible budget”. “Clare and Jonny always greet you: in fact, everyone says hi and has time to chat. Save up your money and spend it here!”

“Youthful, hip and bursting at the seams”, this “great W11 hang out” is a famous old pub once visited by Bill Clinton, now converted into a nightclubby setting by Nick House of Mahiki and Whisky Mist fame. The “tapas-style” food from ex-River Café chef Theo Hill “is hit and miss, with some great and some disappointing dishes” – “but that doesn’t seem to bother the crowd, who are there mostly to drink, see and be seen” and soak up the “exciting”, “Tel Aviv-style rustic ambience”. It has a “beautiful courtyard” too, complete with palm trees and a glass ceiling.

This attractive modern Notting Hill café is inspired by visits to Tel Aviv, and the “energetic kitchen produces a small range of well thought-out dishes”. Staff are “really friendly” too.

“The real Italian deal, just off Portobello Road”, this “plain and simple” trattoria has “been going for ages and seems to be just as popular and noisy as ever” – and “always delivers solid good value”. Founded 25 years ago, it has two sister restaurants in the same street, Essenza and Osteria Basilico.

“Friendly, neighbourhood Italian”, now in its 31st year, that serves “good” if fairly standard food, and – following the lockdown puppy explosion – can appear to “welcome almost as many dogs as human customers”. The only real problem is its popularity, which means it “can be a bit crowded as tables are very close to each other”. If you can’t squeeze in, its two younger siblings in the same street, Essenza and Mediterraneo, are worth a try.

2021 Review: Egg-citing Notting Hill arrival of a California-based chain majoring in… you guessed it… which beamed down from La-La Land into Portobello in late-summer 2019, too late for survey feedback. Signature dish is ‘The Slut’: a coddled egg on potato puree in a jar, plus sliced baguette.

“Every dish screams eat me!” – “Jackson Boxer is delivering some seriously bold cooking” – in particular “incredibly delicious seafood” (but also “wonderful wood-fired meats”) – at his Notting Hill three-year-old, named for the Hebridean island where he spent many childhood summers. Top Menu Tip – “the Mull scallop in vin jaune is a highlight amongst many, many brilliantly executed dishes”.

2021 Review: For “a perfect end to a Saturday morning on Portobello Road”, some still recommend this US-diner-style haunt. But while it’s fine if you’re a trustafarian working off a hangover, or just posing around Portobello, you wouldn’t cross town.

“Really loved discovering Buvette in Paris so was excited to see them opening in London… but while the food was good, the interior lacks the heart of its Paris neighbour” – this cute ‘gastrothèque’ in Notting Hill is part of an NYC-based group and hasn’t made too many waves since it opened in 2020. The extensive drinks offering is a lot longer than its menu of brunch-friendly fare (Les Croques, Salades, Les Oeufs Vapeur) alongside one or two slightly more substantial options (e.g. Steak Tartare or Salmon Rillettes).

“Still fab 20 years on” – Will Ricker’s Notting Hill stalwart has proved amazingly enduring since its days as one of Madonna’s fave raves: “it can be a bit hit and miss with its long-lasting Asian-fusion offering, but overall remains some of the tastiest food in Notting Hill” (“although they might change the menu occasionally”). There’s a terrace with “excellent outdoor seating and heaters”.

This “slurpy Japanese noodles” outfit has grown from a 2011 pop-up to a fledgling national chain (14 branches in London, plus Brighton and Brum). These days it “feels formulaic, but the ramen does the business – the tonkotsu (pork broth, from which the place gets its name) is satisfyingly porky and the chilli chicken has a spicy hum”. Critics are not so sure, pointing to “very disappointing noodles” and “drab stock”.

2019 Review: Mixed and limited feedback on this smart Notting Hill Italian. To fans it’s a favourite with top class cooking (speciality black and white truffles) and a romantic interior – to the odd detractor it’s not bad, merely “forgettable”.

2019 Review: It still seems “very popular”, but Juan Santa Cruz’s “very bling-y” Argentinian hangout on the edge of Notting Hill saw ratings plummet this year. “Starters were great, but main courses slightly disappointing” is about as good as it gets. Others reckon it’s “the worst value for money” – “snotty, overpriced, Euroflash with dreadful service”.

The food at the quartet of London cafés supplied by Lady Bamford’s organic farm in the Cotswolds suffered a mauling from some reporters this year. The Daylesford brand does have some “huge fans”, who praise its venues as “very pleasant for a good-quality snack”. But critics – citing “long waits”, “clueless staff” and “poor-quality, ropey ingredients” – feel they “may be a place to be seen but are overpriced and uninteresting”.

With its flower-bedecked exterior and “relaxed neighbourhood vibe”, this Ladbroke Grove local is “certainly one of the better pubs” in the capital, serving “delicious food that’s definitely more restaurant than pub grub” alongside “good beer”. It’s close to Holland Park, and attracts a good Sunday lunch crowd.

A “delightful neighbourhood Greek restaurant, where real Greeks eat!” opened two years ago in Portobello by chef Harris Mavropoulos, with a straightforward menu of classic taverna dishes. It’s a cosy place, with a downstairs bar, ‘Mykonos’.

“Tasty Turkish food” including “classic kebabs” combine with a “BYO policy and a mixed crowd to make for a fun and affordable meal out” at this Ladbroke Grove standby. For several years now it has been “full both at lunchtime and dinner”.

Still “a gold standard”, with their “lovely, beautifully displayed food” – this small group of deli-cafés has expanded slowly since the first one opened in Notting Hill 21 years ago; the latest arrived in Pavilion Road, Chelsea, in January 2022. Hugely influential Israeli-born chef and writer Yotam Ottolenghi has transformed the way much of the world sees Middle Eastern cuisine – and vegetables. “I’m not a vegetarian, but I love eating the veg dishes here and I find I don’t need to order any meat”. (See also the chef’s two grander restaurants, Nopi and Rovi).