Notting Hill, Italian Restaurant Guide

Withnail & I (filmed a street or two away) actor, Richard E Grant for many years ate weekly at this good-looking traditional Italian in Notting Hill: one of the area’s stalwart locations (with stablemates Essenza and Osteria Basilico on the same street). One first-time visitor this year also approved: “pasta with a chicken sauce plus other things and a decent bottle of wine in preparation for a visit to the Electric Cinema. Really good experience. Would definitely go again!”

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.

For a relatively “cheap ’n’ cheerful” meal, but in a ‘proper’ restaurant and “out of the Portobello Market crush”, this “great neighbourhood Italian” just off Notting Hill Gate continues to come recommended. “The pizza’s delicious, but there’s also good fish” as hinted at by the large tank in the dining room. In summer, there’s a brilliant front terrace for making the most of the weather. (“Was taken by an Italian friend and the food was well up to reputation”.)

Emily Roux and husband Diego Ferrari further burnished the credentials of the Roux dynasty in 2025 with the “final, well-deserved recognition of a Michelin star” for their “lovely” destination towards the edge of Notting Hill (“at last, after six years the excellence has been recognised but we regulars have long known about its merits!”). Everything about the place is unflashy but “spot on at every level” – “precise”, “subtle and complex” cuisine “with great flavours is delivered with elegance and savoir-faire” in a “modern” environment that’s low-key but “lovely and cosy”. “The menu changes every month and always offers a tasty mixture of French and Italian inspired dishes, beautifully presented and served by the knowledgeable staff. The Italian sommelier is wonderfully enthusiastic and always steers you to something interesting and not too outrageously priced on the wine list”.

For well-heeled locals, this smart Sardinian on busy Holland Park Avenue is the ideal quality neighbourhood Italian. “All elements combine, after more than 20 years, to make it a favourite” – there’s “great food and wine”, and, especially if they know you, “Alberto, Franco and Roberto ensure it’s always a fun affair”.

“Standard and reliable Italian” sums up the aim of this trio from the Fraquelli brothers Andrea & Alberto (third-generation restaurateurs whose grandfather founded the Spaghetti House group). Aided by “well judged and professional service”, they often succeed in this mission with their combination of Italian cuisine, New York-style service and Parisian grand brasserie interiors, but there’s also a concern that “the food is up and down in quality” and “not cheap”. No update as yet on the long-anticipated relaunch of ‘La Brasserie’ site in South Kensington, but there was news to report this year in Notting Hill: when Thomas Straker’s hip flagship suffered a fire, the nearby Brasseria hosted him at short notice for a pop-up residency.