Notting Hill, British, Modern 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’)”.

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.

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”.

“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…”

“A pretty perfect gastropub” in Notting Hill not far from Portobello Road, which was converted by James Gummer in 2022 and remains one of the biggest ongoing hits in the area. Chef Owen Kenworthy’s “straightforward British food” is “interesting”, “made with top-class ingredients” and “expertly cooked”; service is “charming”; and the artfully distressed decor sets up a “wonderful, very buzzy and trendy” atmosphere. Top Menu Tip – “the lobster pie makes it worth crossing town for”.

2021 Review: On Ladbroke Grove, this big landmark pub was taken over by Harcourt Inns, with chef Ruairidh Summers at the stoves, and re-launched in mid-2019, too late for survey feedback.

“A gem of a local” – this “quite small” modern bistro in Holland Park is nowadays owned by Jesse Dunford Wood. “The menu changes regularly and there is always an interesting selection of dishes; while staff are welcoming, knowledgeable and helpful”. One quibble – “it’s lovely and with super food, but is it becoming a tad pricey?”

“Justifiably winning its first Michelin star this year, this gem of a ‘neighbourhood’ restaurant is another sublime addition to the booming Notting Hill foodie scene” – that’s still the most popular take on Chris D’Sylva’s in-crowd sidestreet haunt. “The ambience is hectic as the restaurant is always full and the tables quite tight”, but fans say “this only adds to the sensation that you are eating in a real destination”. Overseen by chef Max Coen, “excellent fish and delicious roasts” are perhaps to be expected given D’Sylva’s connection to the nearby Notting Hill Fish Shop and Supermarket of Dreams; and “sitting at the bar watching fire-grilled meats and sampling deliciously creative little bites” can be “one of the absolute gastronomic pleasures of the year”. Even its supporters, though, acknowledge that “it’s absolutely not a dinner that will be easy on the wallet” and – given the “crowded and loud” setting – sceptics increasingly conclude the place is “overhyped” and “far too much of a scene”: “Well, it is in Notting Hill, a territory of the super-rich, but surely even they consider VFM?”

“A super little spot in the ’hood” – Hillgate Village now boasts another reason to travel to this cute enclave, off Notting Hill Gate: an offshoot of the coffee shop across the road. With its sparse, pale-wood interior, it has “Nordic” looks, although the menu claims to be ‘broadly Mediterranean inspired’. Whatever you call it, there’s “great innovation” from Andrianos Poulis’s “interesting, exciting and tasty” “fusion” cuisine. A downside? – “it’s so noisy!”