Golborne Road is Notting Hill's best-kept secret — a Portuguese-Moroccan stretch north of Portobello with custard tarts, mint tea, vintage stalls and none of the crowds. It's the most characterful few hundred yards in W10. These are the places that make it special.
Golborne Road is Notting Hill's best-kept secret — a Portuguese-Moroccan stretch north of Portobello with custard tarts, mint tea, vintage stalls and none of the crowds. It's the most characterful few hundred yards in W10. These are the places that make it special.Read the noteHide the note
Golborne Road is Notting Hill's best-kept secret — a Portuguese-Moroccan stretch north of Portobello with custard tarts, mint tea, vintage stalls and none of the crowds. It's the most characterful few hundred yards in W10. These are the places that make it special.
The local tip: Middle Eastern bakery with outstanding flatbreads. Golborne Road gem
Opened in 2021 and quickly became the neighbourhood's most sought-after bakery. Specialises in sourdough, wild grains, and traditional methods. The pastries are some of the best in London -- and that is not hyperbole. Arriving after 11am and expecting a full counter is, to quote The Infatuation, "straight-up delusional." Occasional supper clubs in the evenings. The northern stretch of Portobello near Golborne, away from the tourist crowds.
The local tip: The pastel de nata is the best in London. Get there early, they sell out
Forget every pastel de nata you've ever had - the ones at Lisboa make them all irrelevant. This tiny Portuguese cafe on Golborne Road has been baking the best custard tarts in London for decades, and the queue out the door proves it. Get there early, grab a nata fresh from the oven with a strong coffee, and stand at the counter like a local. Perfection for under three quid.
The local tip: Come in off the canal towpath — with luck a steel band will be rehearsing, which beats any curated playlist going.
A community-created urban park and nature reserve on the banks of the Grand Union Canal. Created by community effort in 1976 to resist commercial development. Contains one of London's oldest skateparks, a Moroccan garden, community gardening plots, and the Play Hut eco-friendly community centre. Long association with steel band music -- bands rehearse and perform here. The canal-side setting is lovely.
The local tip: Sit at the counter and order across the menu — the pasta and the fish both.
Chef Thomas Straker's debut restaurant on Golborne Road, doing ingredient-led Italian small plates with a River Café sensibility — wood-fired, seasonal, generous with the good olive oil. Forty covers and a near-permanent buzz, with the critics (Infatuation, Time Out) on board. The kind of confident neighbourhood opening that defines a moment.
The local tip: Order the cacio e pepe cheung fun and let the staff steer you through the 50-bottle natural wine list. The vinyl DJs are not a gimmick.
A Golborne Road gem beneath the iconic Trellick Tower. Open-fire grill, an impressive natural wine list of around 50 bottles from small growers, and a vinyl DJ programme. Chef John Javier's menu brings Asian twists -- beef tartare with oysters, cacio e pepe cheung fun. The atmosphere is warm, intimate, and effortlessly cool. Featured in the Michelin Guide. This is where Notting Hill locals actually drink.
The local tip: The day's menu drops on Instagram each morning — check it, then arrive early; with no bookings, the queue is the reservation.
Walk-in-only Italian from the team behind The Pelican. The daily-changing menu is posted on Instagram each morning: simple, produce-driven Italian cooking -- perfect cacio e pepe, seasonal salads, slow-cooked ragus. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand. The no-booking policy and communal energy make it feel like a genuine neighbourhood canteen. Check Instagram before you go.
The local tip: Pie and mash, double liquor. Eels if you're brave.
A genuine working-class London survivor near the Golborne end of Portobello — pie, mash, stewed eels and parsley liquor served the way they have been for decades, on Formica tables with no concession to fashion. As the area gentrifies around it, this is the real, edible history of the neighbourhood.
The local tip: Find the Voysey walled garden — a Grade II Arts and Crafts set piece most people stride straight past on the way to the canal.
A park with genuine architectural significance. Opened in 1914, it contains a notable Arts and Crafts walled garden designed by C.F.A. Voysey and Madeline Agar -- Grade II listed. Tennis courts, five-a-side football pitches, children's playground. The traditional starting point for the Notting Hill Carnival. Canal-side location near Westbourne Park tube.
The local tip: Bring a reusable cup for the 50p discount, then browse the Portuguese bakeries and Moroccan grocers — Golborne is the better end of Portobello.
Small, friendly, bohemian cafe on Golborne Road -- the more multicultural, less gentrified end of the Portobello strip. Sofas inside around communal tables, a couple outside overlooking the market. Seasonal roasts, 50p discount for reusable cups, non-plastic takeaway only. This is where you go when you want to feel like a local, not a tourist. The surrounding Portuguese bakeries and Moroccan grocers give it a completely different vibe.
The local tip: The default choice if you're gluten- or dairy-free — seasonal plates and fresh juices make it more than a coffee stop.
A "house of modern food" with a strong commitment to organic, regenerative agriculture. They work directly with small-scale farmers and offer seasonal menus alongside fresh juices and excellent coffee. The space is modern and clean. Good for gluten-free and dairy-free diets. On Golborne Road alongside Flying Horse, making it easy to compare the two very different vibes.
The local tip: The avocado toast is the benchmark. Cozy Australian cafe energy
A Notting Hill fixture for over a decade at the top end of Portobello Road near Golborne Road. Won Love London Awards for Best Cafe in Notting Hill. Known primarily for breakfast and brunch, with one of the warmest, most reliable cafe experiences in the area. The kind of place where staff know regulars by name.
The local tip: There's no fixed menu — just eat what they're cooking that day.
A Palermitan couple cook a daily-changing Sicilian menu from inside the Goldfinger Factory beneath Trellick Tower — arancini, caponata, whatever the market gave them that morning. Cult queues, a community People's Kitchen on the side, and the genuine warmth of a place run on love rather than spreadsheets. A Golborne Road treasure.
The local tip: Vintage designer pieces from the 1920s-1980s. A fashion historian's dream
Set up in 1999 by three former Portobello Market traders, Rellik is where fashion insiders, stylists, and celebrities come to find 20th-century designer vintage. Kate Moss is a regular. Specialises in high-end vintage from the 1920s to 1990s -- Ossie Clark, Biba, Pucci, Chanel. The name is "killer" spelled backwards. On Golborne Road, the more authentic northern end.
The local tip: Same building as Canteen — pub on the first floor, a calmer dining room up top. Book the second floor for the Sunday roast.
A solid gastropub near the top end of Portobello Market that manages to feel like a proper local despite the tourist footfall nearby. Good Sunday roasts, a decent wine list, and a warm, wood-panelled interior that's perfect for settling in on a rainy afternoon. The upstairs dining room is worth knowing about if you want something quieter. Dog-friendly downstairs.
The local tip: The Brutalist icon of North Kensington. Best viewed from Meanwhile Gardens
31-storey, 98-metre Brutalist tower block designed by Erno Goldfinger, opened in 1972. Grade II* listed. 217 flats housing 650 people. Unique design with a separate lift tower connected to the main block by covered walkways every three floors. Initially notorious ("Tower of Terror" in the 1980s), then gentrified alongside the neighbourhood. Now one of London's most iconic Brutalist buildings. You cannot miss it on the Golborne Road skyline.
The local tip: Cross the tracks and you're minutes from Trellick Tower and Golborne Road's Portuguese cafés.
Circle and Hammersmith & City line station at the northern boundary of Notting Hill. About 10 minutes' walk from the core of the neighbourhood and useful if you're heading east to Paddington or beyond. Check TfL before travelling if step-free access matters, as current public accessibility guides do not list it as a step-free station.
I start with places I would actually recommend, then let agree/disagree votes move the order around. Paid placement is not part of the ranking. If reader signals or new details suggest somewhere has slipped, it is reviewed and can come off.
Frequently asked
What are the best places in Golborne Road?
Start with Layla Bakery, Lisboa Patisserie, Meanwhile Gardens. The order blends my own picks with anonymous agree/disagree votes from readers.
How many places are listed in Golborne Road?
16 places in Golborne Road are featured in this guide, across food, drink and local shops.
Where should I eat in Golborne Road?
For a meal in Golborne Road, start with Straker's and Caia. Full descriptions, prices and opening hours are on each place's page.
