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Harden's says
Chucs Westbourne Grove - the sister-restaurant to the original and ever-popular Dover Street venue - opened its doors in February 2016. Authentic Italian classics are served up alongside a range of healthier options (light salads, wafer thin chicken paillard...). Enjoy amidst stunning surrounds (designed by renowned interior designer Peter Mikic), or alfresco on the garden terrace.
Owner's description
Delicious Italian and Mediterranean eats in the heart of Notting Hill.
Chucs Westbourne Grove is open from breakfast, through to brunch, lunch and dinner. Whether you're in the mood for an authentic Italian espresso on the go, an indulgent bowl of creamy pasta, a light and healthy salad, or after-hours cocktails with friends, we have it covered.
Enjoy dinner and drinks in exquisite surroundings, designed by West-London interior master Peter Mikic, or alfresco on the luscious terrace (which come the end of summer, transforms into a spectacular winter garden).
Chucs Westbourne Grove is both child and dog friendly - a family affair.
Restaurant details
Harden's survey result
Summary
Inspired by La Dolce Vita lifestyle (indeed, there used to be an accompanying apparel resort-wear brand), this small Italian group strives to evoke the retro glamour of the 1960s ‘jet set’. There’s some enthusiasm for them amongst reporters, but a recognition that the food is “nice but not exceptional”: “I had an excellent martini. But the dishes were either overly seasoned or (the salad) not dressed at all”.
Summary
“A throwback to old-school dining” – this wittingly old-fashioned chain (created in the last 10 years) channels an imagined La Dolce Vita lifestyle into its “enjoyable if slightly stuffy” mix of chic Italian cafés and restaurants (if you are of a certain age, think 1980s Tatler). They look “pretty” and are “attractive in their own way”: “not bad if a bit overpriced”. That’s the kind view anyway: harsher critics say they “could do better” and “don’t deserve a revisit”. But they must be doing something right, as in July 2021 they opened in St John’s Wood.
Summary
Aiming for a taste of La Dolce Vita lifestyle, these retro-glam Italian cafés and restaurants mostly occupy the same sites as the eponymous clothing brand, and deliver classic casual Italian menus mixing pizza and pasta (both typically over £20 a plate) with both more and less substantial dishes. A brief involvement with Zaha Hadid’s Serpentine restaurant has ended, but a new, sixth branch debuted in July 2021 in the heart of St John’s Wood (on the site of a former Côte). With 84 covers, it’s the largest outlet to-date and opens all day from breakfast.
Summary
These retro-glam cafés are mostly located in-store, but the portfolio now also boasts the “beautiful building by the Serpentine Sackler Gallery” designed by Zaha Hadid. Perhaps because their price-tag is not exactly ‘bargain basement’, feedback is somewhat limited, but there’s a fairly clear picture of chic Italian dishes that, while “good and tasty”, can seem “nothing special” given the Monte Carlo-esque bill. Any such caveats do not seem to be getting in the way of the chain’s ongoing expansion however, most recently into Kensington.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
