Harden's says
A roof-to-pavement mural on the outside of the building announced the latest Notting Hill newcomer, a four-storey restaurant and bar on the former site of Portobello Gold (RIP) - hence the name. There's a garden room (with retractable roof) and a party room on the second floor. Chef Theo Hill leads a experienced team (from River Cafe and Soho House among others).
Harden's survey result
Summary
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’)”.
Summary
This “cool vibes” Portobello Road hang-out with a “let-your-hair-down ambience” was carved out of an old Notting Hill boozer by nightclub entrepreneur Nick House (Mahiki and Whisky Mist). The tapas-y food, by former River Café chef Theo Hill, divides opinion: it’s either “exemplary” and “delicious”, or “sloppy”, “heavy-handed and over-priced”. Top Tip – “if you don’t like noise, ask for a table upstairs”.
Summary
“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.
Summary
The Notting Hill pub where Bill Clinton famously downed a half and scarpered without paying in the dying days of his presidency is now a vibey sleb-magnet frequented by the likes of Sienna Miller, Ed Sheeran and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, following a revamp and name-change (from Portobello Gold, RIP) under Nick House, the founder of nightclubs Mahiki and Whisky Mist. Now featuring an upstairs party room and a garden room with retractable roof, it serves ‘modern European’ food by former River Café chef Theo Hill. Reports diverge on the new venture’s qualities, ranging from enthusiastic – “great atmosphere” – to damning – “a place for posing, not eating”.
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).
Have you eaten at Gold?
95-97 Portobello Road, London, W11 2QB
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £29.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.50% |
95-97 Portobello Road, London, W11 2QB
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑12:30 am |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑12:30 am |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑12:30 am |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑12:30 am |
| Friday | 12 pm‑1 am |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑1 am |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑11:30 pm |
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