London Notting Hill Restaurant Guide

“The third Michelin star must be on its way” say fans of Clare Smyth’s “world class” one-year-old, which – after its “brilliant start” – is much “better than Restaurant Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road” (her former gig); and was the most-nominated restaurant in the survey this year for providing London’s top gastronomic experience. Occupying the Notting Hill venue that some still recall as Leith’s (long RIP), she has created a “smart-but-unintimidating” space, where “superb, friendly, and unpompous staff” steer a course between “slight informality” (no tablecloths) and being “highly professional”. And “Clare and head chef Johnnie always make time to say hello”. “So much original thought has gone in” to the “masterfully-blended dishes, showing occasional idiosyncratic touches” to create “precise, exquisite morsels that look like art on a plate and taste fabulous (if at a high price tag)”. “Words aren’t enough to describe the journey your taste buds go on!”. “Unfortunately, however, it has become almost impossible to book”. Top Menu Tip – “I never thought a potato could taste that good!”

On the former site of Portobello Gold (RIP), this long-standing Portobello haunt has been utterly revamped by Mahiki-founder Nick House, who has taken its look from grunge to glam. In its new incarnation, there’s a garden room (with retractable roof) and a party room on the second floor. Chef Theo Hill used to work at The River Café, while the front of house has worked at various Soho House venues.

This September 2019 yearling on Notting Hill’s Kensington Park Road is an all-day restaurant riding the current wave of Tel Aviv-inspired diners, featuring healthy sharing-plates.

“Always enjoyable” local Italian that’s provided consistently well rated meals in Notting Hill for 22 years. Its two siblings, Osteria Basilico and Essenza, are near-neighbours on the same street.

“Simple, honest Italian fare done well” – with “fresh ingredients and great service” – is a combination that has served Notting HIll well for almost 30 years at this local trattoria: the senior in a group of three siblings in the same street (see also Mediterraneo and Essenza).

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.

As “a welcome arrival in the area”, Jackson Boxer’s “friendly and unpretentious” new venture (which oldies will think of as opposite the long-RIP 192) commands a lot of support from Notting Hill locals, and it’s drawing a “fun crowd”, including a few famous faces. The cuisine focuses on the Hebridean islands where Boxer spent childhood summers: to fans, results are “superb”, but one or two reporters feel “good ingredients are fussily assembled” to create dishes that are merely “good but not amazing”.

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.

“Still vibrant and alive after all these years” – Will Ricker’s Notting Hill haunt survived its heady A-list celebrity of the early noughties, and even though critics say “you go here to show off your body, or your new friends, to whoever’s around”, its ethos has actually remained surprisingly un-snooty over the years. Foodwise, it’s “no longer breaking new ground with its pan-Asian tastes and mixtures”, but remains a “very fun” option for a superior cocktail with some “eclectic”, SE Asian fusion bites. In mid-2019, its King’s Road sibling, Eight Over Eight – already something of a chip off the old block – was refurbed and relaunched as E&O Chelsea.

“Healthy ramen bowls” and “the best karaage fried chicken in town” are the secrets behind the rapid growth of the cramped Japanese pitstops, of which there are now 10 in London – the most recent openings, in Shoreditch and Peckham, having followed a £5million investment in 2019. They provide “a meal that could fill you up for a day”, with “excellent service from a really friendly team who go the extra mile”.

Lady Bamford’s four organic farm-shop cafés in London make “perfect brunch venues” before stocking up on non-packaged ‘zero-waste’ goodies from her Cotswolds farm. They’re also “nice for people-watching” – although, while the “previously terrible service has improved a lot”, “staff are often overwhelmed when things get busy”.

At last! Since 2015 this Holland Park icon of louche 1970s living – an intriguing subterranean labyrinth of differently-styled chambers – has promised that it will reopen, and it finally looks set to happen in September 2019, in time for its 50th year in business. Its updated looks are unknown as yet, but they have recruited a good chef in the form of Shay Cooper, who held a Michelin star at his previous gig, The Goring.

At the posher end of Ladbroke Grove, this smarter-than-usual local is a “comfortable” and “friendly” spot drawing a crowd of regulars – Jeremy Clarkson among them – as well as tourists. It’s “always a great place to go for Sunday lunch, or indeed any other time”, to sample the “small menu of modern British dishes” – even if some find it hard to accept the “high prices for what is gastropub food”.

“Exceptional kebabs; firm, fresh salads; and lovely service in a larger but still chaotic setting” earn consistent rave reports for this Ladbroke Grove Turk. “The new Fez Mangal is glitzier without losing its soul” – and it’s still “amazing value”, with “wonderful food at typically £15 per head” – helped by the BYO policy.

“A feast for the eyes and always fresh, delicious” and full of “interesting flavour” – the “unusual salads” and habit-forming cakes at Yotam Ottolenghi’s starkly decorated café chain: an ongoing success-story particularly beloved of brunching yummy-mums and Guardian-reading types (“is this a restaurant or a cult?… some of the clientele on my trip seemed beyond parody”). “It’s only the food that makes it worth it” though – branches are “super-busy and never enjoyable” – and, given the prices, a visit can “feel like daylight robbery”.

“Despite the eternal, off-putting queues, brunching is always such a treat” at Aussie celeb-chef, Bill Granger’s “very buzzy” (“crowded and noisy”) hang-outs. “Old favourite options given a creative spin” feature amidst the “excellent choice of delicious options” and there’s an appealing “freshness” to the dishes. The Notting Hill original still inspires most feedback, but all outlets – King’s Cross, Clerkenwell and Chelsea – have their followings. For any occasion other than brunch they provoke less interest. Top Tip – “OMG, those ricotta pancakes are amazing!”

“A great addition to the Notting Hill scene”, this three-year-old Vietnamese BBQ grill serves a “limited menu which one could eat pretty well every day: fresh, zingy and delicious – what more could you want?”. Owner Colin Tu (of the Salvation in Noodles pho joints) serves his mother’s recipe for fermented dipping sauce – MAM is pronounced ‘mum’ in Vietnamese.