London Notting Hill Restaurant Guide

“Sumptous… we had to sell the kids, of course… but it was worth it!” – Clare Smyth’s “sublime” Notting Hill HQ is a “real class act” that’s “entirely worthy of its Michelin three-star rating” and lives up to its “stratospheric pricing” (the à la carte menu is £195 per person; and the seven-course ‘Core Classic’ menu is £255 per person). “What’s remarkable is the absence of pretension” – “impeccable” and “charming” staff set up a “laid back, comfortable dining experience” that’s “priced at the top end, but delivers the best of the best” with “culinary theatre of the highest level”, “meticulous presentation”" and “absolutely exquisite” tastes. Naturally oft-compared to the nearby Ledbury, it is this destination that edged it this year both in terms of a huge amount of feedback and dizzyingly high ratings. Top Menu Tip – “the famous potato dish is awesome”.

Nightclubby haunt for the Notting Hill cool crowd, from Nick House of Mahiki and Whisky Mist, spread across four floors of an old Portobello Road boozer. The “lovely craft cocktails and mocktails” are probably more important to the local Trustafarian clientele than the wood-roasted dishes on the food menu – among them “many great vegetarian and vegan options”.

2024 Review: 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.

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.

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.

Glam celeb hangout on the Notting Hill-Holland Park borders, from Chilean-born restaurateur Juan Casa Cruz’s international group. “A beautiful location, with delightful food”, the upmarket global cuisine has South American touches (but perhaps more important is the off-chance of sharing the same air as the Clooneys and Swifts of the world).

“Perhaps the food should not have left the farm…” – the feedback we receive (admittedly thin) remains sceptical regarding the fashionably located London satellites of Lady Bamford’s enviable Cotswold estate in Brompton Cross, Notting Hill and Pimlico. Some reports do say they are “great places for lunch when shopping, with fantastic home-made soups and cakes”, but even fans can find them “pricey” – to critics the level of value is “scandalous” or “just crazy”.

“Great to have Julie’s back, but there’s some good and some bad”, is a fair appraisal of this summer 2024 resurrection of a once famously louche late-’60s Holland Park hangout (named after its founder, interior designer Julie Hodgess). It’s “busy” again and hit all the right notes with the press critics, who lined up to heap praise on the luxury revamp supervised by new owner Tara McBain, a local resident and former regular. But in our annual diners’ poll, while all reports acknowledge that “the decor has been nicely redone” (“if you’re looking for a romantic spot, look no further”), the modern French brasserie fare is often found “overpriced”… so plus ça change for anyone who remembers it in its former guise.

This early Victorian pub, just off Ladbroke Grove near Holland Park Avenue, has a long track record as one of London’s more civilised and agreeable watering holes, with “an always buzzy atmosphere” in its elegant interior and pleasant outside terrace too – even if “service suffers a bit when very busy”: an “excellent choice for steak and chips, among other interesting pub-grub standards”.

This “good honest Greek” is “a boon for tourists going to the Portobello Road”, with a menu of familiar Hellenic classic dishes (and occasional live Greek music). Top Tips – “the chicken and lamb souvla are superb”.

“Always a pleasure to eat” at this “buzzing, brilliant local” in Ladbroke Grove that may be “cramped, crowded and noisy”, but “can’t be beaten for flavoursome, proper Turkish grills” – “BYO is an added bonus”.

“You will want to lick the plate” if you brunch (the highpoint) at one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s inspired deli-cafés, whose creation in 2002 helped created the TV fame of the owner, and started to popularise the Middle Eastern-influenced cuisine that’s swept London and even now is seen as fashionable. The formula is little changed: “tasty, healthy and yummy dishes” that are “beautifully flavoured” but “a bit on the pricey side”. “Ottolenghi is the master of flavoursome veg (with more veg choices than at most non-veg restaurants)” and, in particular “the cakes are wonderful!”. (Also, “they’re great on allergens.”). On the downside, “space is tight” and the “ambience could be more relaxed”. There’s also a feeling in some quarters that “Yotam has become a brand and it shows”, with food that is “good but after a while same-y”.

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”.

Despite the 2023 passing of celeb chef founder, Aussie TV-chef Bill Granger, the four branches of the chain he created seem “as lively as ever” to their fans, in particular as a mecca for brunch (although “queuing is a bit of a bind, because you can’t pre-book during the day”). Food-wise, they continue, as ever, to be something of a mixed bag, with “some items better than others”.

“Even better than its pre-pandemic days, with three Michelin stars fully deserved” – Brett Graham and Nigel Platts-Martin’s renowned Notting Hill venue has gone from strength to strength since they reopened it post-Covid 19, and is hailed in many reports for “head-to-toe near perfection… from the the owner, to the staff and especially to the tasting menu, it’s an absolute delight” (and also “THE place to impress your loved one”). Chef Brett took the level of aspiration up a gear after re-opening and nowadays in the evening the eight-course menu at this “pleasant but unpretentious” site will set you back £285 per person. It is “genius” cuisine (“really memorable… so memorable I recall every dish, which is so rare for me!”) backed up by a “simply amazing choice of wines that leaves you spoilt for choice”; and on most accounts the result is “wallet-scorching but exceptional”. If there is a concern, it is that there was growing pushback this year against the eye-watering bill, with a slight dip in ratings reflecting an experience that some find “beautiful… but at an unacceptable price”. The most commented verdict though? “A cut above and I can’t wait to go back again”.

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”.)

A “happening, hip crowd” packs in at Phil Winser and James Gummer’s majorly successful “hot spot” just off Portolbello Road, which is “Notting Hill’s version of a pub: really an old pub-building converted into a restaurant with the pub bar retained”. “Service is helpful and the food ranges from good to very good”: “honest”, “well-executed comfort food” with “high-end ingredients and lots of daily specials” (“you need to order well as the plates can be big!”). “The downside is that it’s so popular, the noise forces you to lip-read!” and being so “very ‘in’ means it’s difficult to get a reservation”. Top Menu Tip – “amazing lobster pie”.