London Notting Hill Restaurant Guide

“Not just the best meal this year, but the best meal I’ve ever had!…” – “quite divine and out of this world…” – “my favourite three star!…” – “simply stunning…” – “wonderful and unforgettable…” – the superlatives just pile up in reports on Clare Smyth’s “sublime” Notting Hill landmark, which is “exceptional on every level” (and a close-tie with nearby The Lebury in our annual diners’ poll as our survey’s No. 1 choice for culinary excellence in London). It could be called “a culinary theatre”, but “the serene ambience is the opposite of that in the movie ‘Boiling Point’”. “The kitchen clearly supervises every dish”, and “it’s worth every penny to experience a master of her craft letting sheer quality ingredients shine in the simplest and most stunning of ways”. The consistency of feedback here is also incredibly impressive, with little in the way of criticism made of the very many meals recorded in one of the Top-20 most mentioned restaurants in our annual diners’ poll. Staff – “drilled with military precision” – “find the perfect balance between being friendly and welcoming and unstuffy, while still making it feel like a special experience”. “They just get it absolutely spot on!”

This “atmospheric” Portobello Road haunt – a four-storey old boozer from nightclub entrepreneur Nick House (Mahiki and Whisky Mist) – is “full of people drinking cocktails and celebrity spotting”. “The food is fine – the usual dukka-and-cauliflower Middle East of nowhere works” – but that hardly matters since you “go there to see and be seen, not to chat (too loud) or to eat (‘rustic’)”.

This appealing café/restaurant in Notting Hill is “just a gentle place to be”, with a modern eastern Mediterranean menu inspired by founder Victoria Paltina’s visits to Tel Aviv.

Well into its third decade as a Notting Hill stalwart, this “buzzy neighbourhood Italian” provides “a friendly welcome” and “reliably consistent” if pretty “standard” cooking from a wide menu that incorporates a broad selection of pasta dishes as well as more substantial meaty and fishy options. It has two stablemates on the same street, Essenza and Osteria Basilico.

This “old-school” Notting Hill Italian has been “a great crowd-pleaser for the whole family” for more than 30 years. According to one local: “you will not have a great meal but on the other hand I’ve never had a bad one” – as a result it can be “extremely busy, but the service is great” and keeps on top of things. Essenza and Mediterraneo in the same street (see also) are its younger stablemates.

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.

At the foot of Portobello’s iconic Electric Cinema, this “fun” and “crowded” trustafarian favourite has always been “more about being seen than about the food”. The ambience is successfully “rather like an American diner (but with the buzz of the Soho House crowd that it’s part of)”, and for “reliably simple food” of the “proper stodge” variety, the “quality is OK”.

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

Lady Bamford’s quartet of deli-cafés are the London satellites of her organic Cotswolds estate, and – on the plus side – their careful design can give the impression that one has fallen into the pages of ‘Country Living’. Not helped by inconsistent standards over many years, though, they continue to generate mixed feedback in our annual diners’ poll. “A perfect location for a late breakfast” is at the positive end. Negatives include: “I had the impression some staff were in their first job” and “the food can be poor here: it comes from Daylesford Farm and in some cases should never have left it…”

“Such a charming pub in Notting Hill, with a lovely garden at the front” – “perfect for a long, lazy, lingering Sunday afternoon” – “and excellent gastropub food”; it’s “always buzzing and friendly”.

This family-run taverna in the heart of Portobello is “always a winner” for its classic Greek dishes served in a warm atmosphere – sometimes with live Greek music on the side.

“A go-to place for consistently good-quality kebabs” and “good Turkish food” in Ladbroke Grove. There’s a “lively atmosphere” – “more civilised upstairs” – and the BYO policy keeps the bill under control.

“Go mad for further adventures in veg” at Yotam Ottolenghi’s famous deli-cafés, whose Middle Eastern inspired menus are best known for their “creative” salads and meat-free dishes (bread and pastries are also “fabulous”) but there are also some meat and fish options. They are far from cheap, but “the spicing is interesting”, “the flavours are immense” and “the small-plates format allows you to try a number of options”. “A great spot for brunch” or “to drop in for cake and tea”. The Islington branch is most commented-on, and in December 2023 its newest sibling (also in north London) opened on Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, while a branch in Richmond, in the leafy southwest, is scheduled for late 2024.

Notting Hillbillies are “thrilled that the Walmer Castle is back and thriving” under new owners Jack & Poppy Greenall (of The Surprise in Chelsea), following in the footsteps of David Beckham, Guy Ritchie and Piers Adam, who failed in two attempts to make a success of the grand mid-Victorian tavern. It’s certainly a “great pub and dining room”, and “the faux William Morris decoration is well done”, but ratings are capped by the odd dissenter who feels “it’s OK, but – at the price – should do better”.

Celeb chef Bill Granger passed away in December 2023, and although the group he founded is still oft-nominated as a brunch favourite it’s perhaps no surprise that these “stylish” Aussie-inspired haunts inspired more mixed reports in this year’s annual diners’ poll. Rather than itemise this year’s ups-and-downs, at this time of change it seems more appropriate to postpone a rating till next year.

“One of the greats and absolutely deserving its three stars” – chef Brett Graham and his backer Nigel Platts-Martin closed this Notting Hill icon during the Covid-19 pandemic, only to triumphally reopen it in 2022, pitching it even more ambitiously (and expensively) than it was before. Support from the annual diners’ poll was unprecedented this year, with over 80% of diners acclaiming it as their best meal of the year – “I didn’t think it was possible to surpass its previous performance, but somehow it did!…”; “a favourite restaurant of anywhere in the world” where “attention to detail is apparent throughout”, not least in the superlative tasting menu for £225 per person. The latter encompasses eight courses and ‘goes for it’ more than it once did in terms of recherché ingredients. Mushrooms are also a feature from a post-refit cabinet; as is the venison for which Brett’s pub the Harwood (see also) is also known. “The refurb has helped the atmosphere” and service too is “flawless, but keeps things relaxed”. “It’s all too good for the health of my future bank balance, I fear…”

2021 Review: “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.

“Very good pizzas” are the pick of the broad Italian menu (also with seafood on display) at this Notting Hill Gate fixture, where the best seats in summer are on the large outside terrace. With a “great family atmosphere”, it’s “very much a local restaurant, and all the better for that!”.