One of London’s most famous neighbourhoods, largely due to a certain 90s film starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, Notting Hill is undoubtedly worthy of the hype. Though it’s not quite the place to be it once was, it’s still the crown of west London with countless restaurants, pubs, shops and some beautiful houses to fantasise about living in (but never will).
Notting Hill is known for its colourful houses, the annual Carnival and the famous Portobello Road Market – but it’s also a real restaurant hotspot. W11 lost a bit of its spark in the 2010s, but more recently it’s been the setting of a number of exciting new openings and, of course, it’s got plenty of long-standing restaurants that are still very much worth a quest to the west. There are some seriously high-end restaurants in this part of town, including Caractère, a relatively new addition to the neighbourhood from Emily Roux. It’s not all fine dining, however, with Eggbreak being one of our favourite casual joints.
This is our comprehensive guide to the best restaurants in Notting Hill (in no particular order), where we’ll help you to discover hidden gems tucked away in quaint corners, trendy hotspots frequented by locals, and institutions that have stood the test of time. We’ll delve into the must-have dishes and the stories behind each restaurant, so you’ll be well and truly clued up. Whether you’re after an intimate candlelit dinner, a lively gathering with friends, or a family-friendly outing, you’ll find the perfect spot here.
Caia
Open-fire cooking has come to Notting Hill as Caia (appropriately named after the Roman goddess of fire) has just opened on Golborne Road. Founded by locals Rishabh Vir and Tim Lang (who are also part of the team behind Fiend in Portobello) the neighbourhood spot is serving up seasonal dishes – think tomatoes & melon with Berskwell cheese, monkfish & sweetcorn and chocolate eclair with cherries & tonka bean chantilly – using locally sourced ingredients cooked on the open grill. Talking of the grill, there are seats directly overlooking it where you can watch the chefs at work, with two-tops the other side of the wall, a floor-to-ceiling wine display in the rear room, and more intimate tables downstairs. There’s also a pretty impressive sound system and vinyl selection downstairs, so you can be sure of a decent soundtrack to your dinner.
46 Golborne Rd, London W10 5PR
caia.london
The Pelican
The Pelican pub in west London joins the list of new “pubs” which are raising their food game – though it’s fair to debate whether these are actual pubs in the true sense of the word or indeed restaurants within old pubs. There’s a lot of talent behind the pub: James Gummer, who has 7 Saints down the road; Phil Winser, who was one of the people behind NYC’s The Fat Radish (RIP); and Head Chef Owen Kenworthy, who was the original chef at Brawn when it opened. The menu is seasonal European, with lots of classic pub dishes elevated through the use of amazing ingredients and more modern spins, with sausage rolls, mince on toast, monkfish scampi, smoked potatoes, bavette steak and lobster pie all making an appearance. The wine list is very well put together with some great skin contacts, British labels and more safe options for the oldies at the table.
45 All Saints Rd, London W11 1HE
thepelicanw11.com
Eggbreak
Eggbreak, a collab between Ennismore, the peeps behind The Hoxton, and Soho House, is a laid-back little joint located just around the corner from Notting Hill tube station on a quiet residential street. Inside it’s pretty simple and light, but it’s the menu that makes it worthy of a trip. Themed around eggs (yep the clue really is in the name) there’s a good selection that ranges from pure filthy to healthy and light – hey this is Notting Hill people, they don’t all want deep fried and dirty! The McMuffin is the one though especially if you’ve got a hangover you need to shake. Get down for some eggs-tremely tasty dishes…and you thought we’d gone pun free.
30 Uxbridge St, Kensington, London W8 7TA
eggbreak.com
Orasay
Jackson Boxer’s Notting Hill restaurant, Orasay, is inspired by the Hebrides (it’s named after a tiny island within the Inner Hebrides) with a strong focus on seafood – lobster, crab, scallops, oysters, razor clams and langoustines and the like. Must orders from the starters include ‘fried bread with anchovies’ – warm pockets of dough topped with anchovies and a sort of zingy caper mayonnaise (you could eat these by the bucket load and leave feeling very happy indeed) and the round potato flatbread topped with smoked whipped cod’s roe and pomelo kosho. A lot of the other produce – leaves, vegetables, honey, and eggs – comes Jackson’s organic farm in West Sussex. Orasay is a great experience overall, with the quality of ingredients and cooking being very apparent throughout.
31 Kensington Park Rd, London W11 2EU
orasay.london
Caractère
Husband and wife team, Emily Roux and Diego Ferrari, are behind Caractère which opened in Notting Hill in the autumn of 2018. Emily of course is the daughter of Michel Roux Jr, and Diego has been head chef at Le Gavroche for the past three years, but this is their first independent venture together. In reference to the restaurant’s name, the menu is divvied up into six character traits – curious (small plates/starters), subtle (veg-focused small plates), delicate (fish mains), robust (meat mains), strong (cheese) and greedy (dessert). Style-wise it’s a mix of classical French with elements drawn from Diego’s Italian heritage. You can go a la carte and choose dishes at random but they also have a tasting option that will hit all six sections for £78. As part of what’s probably the UK’s most revered restaurant family, the pressure was certainly on for Caractère – and we’re happy to say that Emily and Diego have smashed it.
209 Westbourne Park Road, London, W11 1EA
caractererestaurant.com
Mazi
Mazi, run by husband and wife team Adrien Carre and Christina Mouratoglou, takes inspiration from traditional Greek food – tarama, tiropita, prawn saganaki, grilled octopus, stifado and loukoumades are all on the menu – but gives the dishes a modern spin, both in terms of flavour combinations and presentation. The wine list is all Greek too so you’ll find bottles here that you likely won’t have seen before. On a sunny day, you’ll want a table in the garden…that way it’s much easier to pretend you’re on holiday in Greece.
12-14 Hillgate St, London W8 7SR
mazi.co.uk
ULI
Asian fusion joint ULI is a real neighbourhood gem. It’s been around the block, first coming onto the scene in 1997 and their twists on Chinese, Thai, Malay and Singaporean favourites has kept ULI as a staple for locals and visitors for years. We love the Thai sea bass fillet steamed with chilli and lemongrass and the stir-fried beef fillet with spicy black pepper sauce, again with lots of red chilli, is also a beaut – sticky parcels of juicy meat drenched in a sweet and fiery sauce. For great, simple Asian food in Notting Hill, ULI is a great shout.
5 Ladbroke Rd, London W11 3PA
ulilondon.com
The Mall Tavern
For over 150 years, The Mall Tavern has been a mainstay of The Notting Hill community. It has changed hands numerous times and been through many incarnations, and the current Mall Tavern is a gastropub that takes great pride in its menu with old favourites sitting comfortably alongside more innovative dishes. The pub is divided in half with a very busy bar area in one part with the other being reserved for diners. The atmosphere is fun – the after-work crowd enjoying a drink gives the place a buzz that carries into the relaxed dining area. You can choose from pub classics, like fish & chips, beef & ale pie and ribs, and more restaurant dishes like pan-fried sea bream with orzo, and they serve up a bangin’ Sunday Roast too.
71-73 Palace Gardens Terrace, W8 4DY
themalltavern.com
The Counter
Fans of counter dining, you’re in luck because The Counter in Notting Hill is exactly what it says on the tin. At The Counter, the dining room is set up with an open kitchen and ocakbasi grill as the central feature with, of course, a counter around it where guests can sit and have a peek at all the grilling action. The food takes inspiration mainly from the southeastern Anatolia region, with a menu of seasonal dishes, including the likes of chocolate babaganoush, humus & Medjool dates, kebabs, koftas, stews and desserts such as kireçte kabak (pumpkin, clotted cream, tahini and dukkah) and supangle (dark chocolate pudding with a pistachio crumb). There are plenty of Turkish wines on the drinks list alongside cocktails and traditional Turkish soft drinks, so there really is something for everyone.
108 Golborne Rd, London W10 5PS
thecounterlondon.com
Sumi
If you like your sushi and don’t mind paying for the good stuff (like dropping £50 on a lunch) then Sumi is well worth checking out. Sumi is in fact, the ‘casual’ sibling to Michelin-starred Endo at The Rotunda, where the 20-course omakase menu will set you back £195 per head. At Sumi, which has taken on the old Andina site on Westbourne Grove, Endo Kazutoshi has created a slightly more ‘everyday’ menu – a tight selection of nigiri, sashimi, and temaki sushi, as well as a few snacks and larger dishes such as wagyu steak. If you want to keep it slightly respectable, however, take our tip and ignore the larger plates altogether and concentrate on the excellent snacks and sushi. It ain’t cheap, but you won’t regret coming here if you want to eat some of the best sushi in London.
157 Westbourne Grove, London, W11 2RS
sushisumi.com