Where To Eat And Drink In… Notting Hill

Ben O' Norum
By Ben O' Norum Last edited 63 months ago

Last Updated 09 September 2019

Where To Eat And Drink In… Notting Hill

Notting Hill restaurants, breakfasts, lunches, pubs, bars, cafés and more.

Portobello Road. Photo by Peter Simmons from the Londonist Flickr pool.

From plush and pricey eateries to Caribbean influences and fried chicken, Notting Hill’s food scene — like its population — is pretty diverse. Our guide cuts out the overpriced tourist traps to reveal character-filled pubs, local lunch spots, international dining and enough rum to fuel a carnival.

NOTE: We’re loosely describing Notting Hill as the area west of Queensway, east of Ladbroke Grove, north of High Street Kensington and south of the Westway. All venues are within easy walking distance of Notting Hill Gate station.

Breakfast bites

Photo: Granger & Co

If the weekend queues are anything to go by then Granger & Co on Westbourne Grove could be the nation’s top breakfast and brunch spot, let alone Notting Hill’s. Daylesford Organic, on the same street, is also an excellent — if somewhat pricey — option for anything from Bircher muesli and cold-pressed juices to fresh pastries or a farmhouse fry-up. Mike’s Café on Blenheim Crescent is a traditional caff offering a more wallet friendly and hefty-sized Full English, while Lowry & Baker on Portobello Road serves top notch Monmouth coffee along with simple morning food including their own mix of granola and eggs on sourdough.

Lunchtime inspiration

For quick lunches there’s a small selection of street food — particularly Moroccan and Middle Eastern — on Portobello and Golborne Roads of a weekday and plenty of a weekend. You can grab a Jamaican-tinged burger from Boom Burger or a chippie lunch from George’s Fish Bar on Portobello Road.

Boom Burger

Restaurant recommendations

As one of London’s key going out areas, Notting Hill offers plenty of choice when it comes to restaurants. Global highlights include Al Waha, one of London’s best Lebanese restaurants; a colourful array of ceviches and Peruvian grilled meats — along with some fantastic corncakes — from Andina; dim sum at trendy E&O; rustic Spanish tapas at Galicia; Mazi, which is one of the city’s best modern Greek restaurants; Italian-slanted burgers and craft beers from The Italian Job, and resolutely British venues Hereford Road and The Shed.

Other highlights include Pizza East and Electric Diner, which are both run by Soho House, and the ever-popular Ottolenghi.

Something special — fine dining

Set on a Notting Hill backstreet, Michelin two-starred French restaurant The Ledbury is very and deservedly famous — it regularly features in the World's Best Restaurant awards. Newish arrival Caractère's also been earning its stripes, and a host of rave reviews into the bargain, with tasting menus fusing classic techniques with contemporary twists.

The Ledbury

Gastropubs

Sunday roast at the Prince Albert

The Mall Tavern on Palace Gardens Terrace is the area’s top spot for a traditional Sunday roast or nostalgic, gutsy dishes cooked with style any day of the week. The Prince Albert on Pembridge Road and The Sun In Splendour on Portobello Road are also safe bets, and both come with pleasant gardens for sunnier days.

Coffee shops

The destination coffee spot on Portobello Road is Coffee Plant, which roasts a variety of beans on site for impressively rich, complex and rounded coffees. You’ll also be well catered for at Lowry & Baker on the same street and Kitchen & Pantry on Elgin Crescent.

Pubs

Inside the Churchill Arms

Notting Hill’s best pubs include the charmingly cluttered and OTT The Churchill Arms, which also serves very good Thai food, and The Windsor Castle which has a rural charm, good ale, an open fire and a beer garden. Visit our good-pub database to see more recommendations in the area.

Bars

Photo: Trailer Happiness

Once a shabby boozer, we’d now consider the Portobello Star — where Portobello Gin used to be made — more of a bar. After all, it’s the cocktails and (extensive and decent-value) happy hours you’d come for. The proudly kitsch Trailer Happiness is one of the capital’s best spots for tiki cocktails or rum, whilst Negozio Classica at the intersection of Portobello Road and Westbourne Grove deals in excellent Italian wines and aperitivi.

Late night

Cafe Diana

Late night venues are a bit sparse in this area, but The Arts Club on Notting Hill Gate's open until 2am on weekends, and The Little Yellow Door, a bar styled around a house party, keeps the cocktails flowing till the small hours from Wednesday to Saturday.