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Best Restaurants in Notting Hill, by Occasion

Searching for the best restaurant in Notting Hill usually means something more specific: dinner tonight, a low-pressure date, a proper lunch, brunch at the weekend, somewhere cheap that still feels considered, or a table outside when London briefly behaves. This ranked list is the broad starting point, with the occasion-specific cuts nearby when you already know the brief.Read the note

Searching for the best restaurant in Notting Hill usually means something more specific: dinner tonight, a low-pressure date, a proper lunch, brunch at the weekend, somewhere cheap that still feels considered, or a table outside when London briefly behaves. This ranked list is the broad starting point, with the occasion-specific cuts nearby when you already know the brief.

27 placesCurated by KnowNottingHillVerified

I want
No. 1Core by Clare Smyth
Restaurant££££Open today

Core by Clare Smyth

The local tip: The potato and roe dish is iconic. Three Michelin stars, book months ahead

Three Michelin stars. Clare Smyth was the first British woman to run a three-Michelin-starred restaurant. The cooking shows immense technical brio with a playful streak -- signature dishes include "Potato & Roe" and "Lamb Carrot." High-ceilinged, elegant period building that manages to feel alive rather than stuffy. One of the best restaurants in the country, full stop.

92 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2PN

Special OccasionDate Night
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No. 2Dorian
Restaurant£££Open today

Dorian

The local tip: The least starchy Michelin star in west London — book well ahead, and note chef Max Coen left in June 2026, so the kitchen is evolving.

Founded by Chris D'Sylva and opened with chef Max Coen, who stepped down in June 2026. Still a one-Michelin-star Notting Hill brasserie built around skilled wood-fire cooking, exceptional British produce, and a deliberately less-polished energy than the neighbourhood stereotype.

105-107 Talbot Road, London W11 2AT

Date Night
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No. 3Straker's
Restaurant£££Open today

Straker's

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.

91 Golborne Rd, London W10 5NL, UK

Date Night
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No. 4The Ledbury
Restaurant££££Open today

The Ledbury

The local tip: The flame-grilled mackerel is unforgettable. Book well in advance

Brett Graham's 20-year Notting Hill institution, serving tasting-menu-only dinners of extraordinary refinement. Three Michelin stars. Known for game dishes, particularly flame-grilled muntjac deer, and innovative use of British ingredients. Closed during Covid, triumphantly reopened in 2022 to even higher acclaim. The service is warm and precise without being overly formal. Formerly a regular on World's 50 Best lists and still listed by 50 Best Discovery.

127 Ledbury Road, London W11 2AQ

Special OccasionDate Night
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No. 5Akub
Restaurant££££Open today

Akub

The local tip: Order from the Palestinian a la carte or brunch menus; book ahead for dinner.

Franco-Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan's London debut, celebrating Palestinian culinary traditions with locally sourced British ingredients. The shish barak (lamb dumplings in yoghurt) and dagga ghazzawieh (Gaza-style tomato and chilli dip) are extraordinary. The brunch featuring labaneh with za'atar is a standout weekend experience. Named after the wild thistle foraged in Palestinian hills.

27 Uxbridge Street, London W8 7TQ

Date NightHidden GemBrunch
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No. 6Caia
Restaurant£££Open today

Caia

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.

46 Golborne Road, London W10 5PR

Date NightHidden GemLive Music
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No. 7Canteen
Restaurant££Open today

Canteen

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.

310 Portobello Road, London W10 5TA

Budget FriendlyHidden Gem
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No. 8Caractere
Restaurant£££Open today

Caractere

The local tip: The house lamb ragu is worth the trip. Cosy but book ahead

Run by husband-and-wife duo Emily Roux and Diego Ferrari. Emily is third-generation Roux family -- daughter of Michel Roux Jr, granddaughter of Albert Roux. The cooking blends French technique with Italian heart. One Michelin star. Standout dishes include the agnolotti and the Roux family's legendary souffle. Restaurant royalty without the stiffness.

209 Westbourne Park Road, London W11 1EA

Date NightSpecial Occasion
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No. 9Cockney's Pie & Mash
Restaurant£Open today

Cockney's Pie & Mash

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.

314 Portobello Rd, London W10 5RU, UK

Budget FriendlyHistoricQuick Bite
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No. 10Dishoom Permit Room Portobello
Restaurant££Open now

Dishoom Permit Room Portobello

The local tip: The bacon naan roll is essential. Queue early on weekends

Dishoom's all-day Bombay-inspired bar-cafe in a grand Victorian building on Portobello Road. The breakfast naan rolls, black daal, and signature lamb chops are just as excellent as the main Dishoom restaurants, but the Permit Room format is more intimate and cocktail-forward. Live DJs, art-filled interiors. A tribute to the Irani cafes of old Bombay. Also has boutique lodging rooms upstairs.

186 Portobello Road, London W11 1LA

BrunchLate Night
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No. 11Dove
Restaurant£££Open today

Dove

The local tip: The roast chicken is the move — comfort cooking from a chef who could show off but has decided not to.

Jackson Boxer closed his seafood-focused Orasay on NYE 2024 and reopened as Dove a week later -- same team, completely new identity. The menu is deliberately playful and unpretentious: perfect roast chicken, prawn cocktail done right, comforting pies. Specifically designed to be affordable by Notting Hill standards. Quickly became a local favourite.

31 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU

Cosy
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No. 12Fez Mangal
Restaurant£Open today

Fez Mangal

The local tip: BYOB, and order the lamb beyti. Cash-friendly and worth any wait.

A Ladbroke Grove Turkish-BBQ institution that Time Out has called a strong contender for the best kebab place in London. Charcoal-grilled lamb and quail, mountains of flatbread and salad, BYOB and cheap — which is why the queue out the door barely thins. Unfussy, smoky perfection.

104 Ladbroke Grove, London W11 1PY, UK

Budget FriendlyQuick BiteHidden Gem
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No. 13Hafez
Restaurant££Open today

Hafez

The local tip: Order the chelo kebab and the fresh bread straight from the oven.

One of London's longest-standing Iranian restaurants, on Hereford Road since 1983 and still packed with Persian regulars — the surest sign you're in the right place. Charcoal-grilled kebabs, saffron rice with a crisp tahdig, fresh bread from the clay oven by the door. Unchanging, in the best way.

5 Hereford Rd, London W2 4AB, UK

CosyBudget Friendly
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No. 14Holy Carrot
Restaurant£££Open today

Holy Carrot

The local tip: Trust the tasting menu — the fire does things to vegetables you won't expect.

A plant-based restaurant that earns its acclaim -- live-fire and fermentation-led cooking from Daniel Watkins (of ACME Fire Cult) that is smoky, surprising and a long way from worthy vegan cliche. Holy Carrot now has two sites, Portobello Road and Spitalfields. Proof that vegetables can be the main event.

156 Portobello Rd, London W11 2EB, UK

HealthyDate Night
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No. 15Julie's Restaurant
Restaurant£££Open today

Julie's Restaurant

The local tip: Same bohemian bones as 1969, now with Owen Kenworthy in the kitchen — book the candlelit garden room.

A Notting Hill institution since 1969, originally opened by interior designer Julie Hodges. The bohemian, candlelit dining rooms are dripping with eclectic decor and old-world romance. After a period of decline, the current kitchen has restored the food to match the legendary setting. Famous for its celebrity clientele -- everyone from Mick Jagger to Princess Diana to Kate Moss has dined here. A place for lingering over wine in secret alcoves.

135 Portland Road, London W11 4LW

Date NightHistoricCosy
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No. 16Kāio
Restaurant££££Open today

Kāio

The local tip: Book the terrace for a warm evening, or sit close to the open kitchen if the tabun oven is the draw.

An evening-only live-fire restaurant inside The Whiteley, built around an open tabun clay oven and charcoal grill. Head chef Sachin Mistry draws on Mediterranean and Levantine flavours, while a circular cocktail bar and secluded terrace give the room a suitably glamorous edge. This is dinner with a sense of occasion, not a casual drop-in.

The Whiteley, 163 Queensway, London W2 4BD

Date NightOutdoor SeatingSpecial Occasion
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No. 17Los Mochis
Restaurant£££Open today

Los Mochis

The local tip: Mexican-Japanese fusion done right. The mole negro taco is a standout

A high-energy Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant near Notting Hill Gate. The crab-stuffed tostaditos and spicy salmon on crispy rice are standout dishes. The concept draws from the shared Pacific coast heritage of Japanese and Mexican cuisines. Late-night hours and a strong cocktail programme make it a destination that extends well beyond dinner. The vibe is lively and social.

2-4 Farmer Street, London W8 7SN

Late NightDate Night
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No. 18Mazi
Restaurant£££Open today

Mazi

The local tip: Book the garden in summer, and don't skip the yoghurt with spoon sweets.

A modern Greek restaurant on pretty Hillgate Street, operating since 2012 and still one of Notting Hill's best-known neighbourhood dining rooms. It turns taverna classics into something brighter and more refined, with a garden that is a strong summer booking. So loved it has spawned siblings across town, but this is the original.

12-14 Hillgate St, London W8 7SR, UK

Date NightOutdoor Seating
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No. 19Normah's
Restaurant£Open today

Normah's

The local tip: The beef rendang is extraordinary. Cash preferred

A tiny, family-run Malaysian restaurant on Queensway that has been quietly serving some of the best Southeast Asian food in London for years. The beef rendang is extraordinary - rich, deeply spiced, and clearly made with genuine love. The laksa is equally good. The space is small and the decor is no-nonsense, but that's part of the charm. Come hungry, bring cash.

23-25 Queensway, London W2 4QJ

Budget FriendlyHidden Gem
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No. 20Panella
Restaurant££Open now

Panella

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.

13-15 Golborne Rd, London W10 5NY, UK

Hidden GemBudget Friendly
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No. 21SINO
Restaurant£££Open today

SINO

The local tip: Start with the borscht and recalibrate what you think it is — no other kitchen in London is cooking modern Ukrainian like this.

A genuinely unique addition to London's dining scene -- modern Ukrainian cuisine is practically unrepresented elsewhere. Chef Eugene Korolev reframes traditional Ukrainian cooking for a modern audience. Crayfish folded in cabbage leaves with silky tomato veloute, and borscht reimagined as a refined dish. Founded by Ukrainian duo Polina Sychova and chef Korolev, who trained at Michelin-starred Vendome and Atelier Amaro.

7 All Saints Road, London W11 1HA

Hidden GemDate Night
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No. 22Six Portland Road
Restaurant£££Open today

Six Portland Road

The local tip: Put yourself in their hands on the wine — the list is the whole point.

A small, serious neighbourhood restaurant on the Notting Hill/Holland Park border, with a daily-changing modern-European menu and a grower-focused, natural-leaning wine list that's the real draw. Quietly excellent and resolutely local — the sort of place regulars would rather you didn't write about.

6 Portland Rd, London W11 4LA, UK

Date NightCosy
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No. 23Speedboat Bar at The Electric
Restaurant£££Open today

Speedboat Bar at The Electric

The local tip: Thai street food done properly. The pad kra pao is fiery and brilliant

The second outpost of one of London's most acclaimed Thai restaurants. Speedboat brings the flavours of Bangkok's Chinatown to Portobello Road: wok-fired stir fries, zingy salads, fragrant curries, and punchy noodles. The spicy chicken salad and drunken noodles are must-orders. From JKS Restaurants (behind Gymkhana, BAO). Set in the iconic former Electric cinema building. Open late on weekends.

191 Portobello Road, London W11 2ED

Quick BiteLate Night
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No. 24Suzi Tros
Restaurant££Open today

Suzi Tros

The local tip: Come for a spontaneous, plate-after-plate kind of dinner.

The Mazi team's more casual follow-up a few doors along Hillgate Street, channelling the street food of Thessaloniki — small, sharing-led plates, a livelier room and the same kitchen pedigree at a friendlier price. The relaxed counterpart to its big sister next door.

18 Hillgate St, London W8 7SR, UK

Date NightCosy
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No. 25The Barbary Notting Hill
Restaurant£££Open today

The Barbary Notting Hill

The local tip: Counter dining from the Barbary team. Walk-ins only, go at 5:30pm sharp

Open-fire cooking with bold Barbary Coast flavours from the team behind The Palomar. Grab a counter seat to watch chefs cook over flame, producing heat-packed dishes full of spice and char. The atmosphere is electric -- loud, buzzy, and convivial. Second location after the legendary original in Neal's Yard, which has been one of London's most acclaimed small restaurants since 2015.

112 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5RU

Date Night
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No. 26Trogolo
Restaurant££Open today

Trogolo

The local tip: Lean Tuscan — the handmade pasta and a Mazzei Chianti Classico.

Opened in late 2025 by Lara Boglione (of the Petersham Nurseries family) with Giovanni Mazzei of the Tuscan wine dynasty Marchesi Mazzei — a Florentine trattoria and bar on Westbourne Grove with real pedigree behind it. Handmade pasta, Tuscan wines, and the easy elegance you'd expect from that lineage.

296 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2PS, UK

Date NightCosy
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No. 27Zephyr
Restaurant££Open today

Zephyr

The local tip: Make it a double bill: mezze and chargrilled fish upstairs, then finish downstairs in Naked & Famous — the basement bar earns the trip.

Named after the Greek god of the west wind. A cool, buzzy take on Greek cuisine right on Portobello Road. Modern mezze, chargrilled meat and fish, and a strong cocktail list. The basement bar Naked & Famous is worth the trip alone. The building sits at the intersection of Westbourne Grove and Portobello Road -- prime Notting Hill territory.

100 Portobello Road, London W11 2QD

Date NightOutdoor Seating
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What to look for in a Notting Hill restaurant

Not every restaurant in Notting Hill deserves a spot on a list. The ones featured here meet a simple bar: would I personally recommend this place to a friend visiting for the first time? That filter rules out a surprising number of restaurants that look polished but underwhelm in practice. Quality of execution, atmosphere, and consistency matter more than postcode prestige or social-media presence. The shortlist reflects Andrew's editorial judgment about which places deserve a recommendation.

Where the Notting Hill locals go

If you live in Notting Hill and want the restaurants that haven't been hyped to death, look at the hidden-gem tag. 7 restaurants on this list earn that label, quietly excellent places that have built a reputation through word of mouth. Akub, Caia, Canteen and others stay full without ever appearing in a Time Out roundup.

How this restaurant list is curated

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 a restaurant stops earning its place, it is reviewed and can be removed.

Choose a Notting Hill restaurant by occasion

Date night: Core by Clare Smyth, Dorian, Straker's. Best when you need low light, a room where you can hear each other, and a table that feels worth booking.

Cheap eats: Canteen, Cockney's Pie & Mash, Fez Mangal. Best when you need independent food without the postcode markup.

Brunch: Akub, Dishoom Permit Room Portobello. Best when you need weekend food that holds up after the first coffee.

Outdoor tables: Kāio, Mazi, Zephyr. Best when you need terraces and garden tables that are worth chasing when the weather turns good.

Quick bites: Cockney's Pie & Mash, Fez Mangal, Speedboat Bar at The Electric. Best when you need fast lunches, takeaway, and counter-service food that does not feel like a compromise.

Frequently asked

What are the best restaurants in Notting Hill?
The top picks are Core by Clare Smyth, Dorian, and Straker's. The order combines local judgment with anonymous agree/disagree votes, not Google review scores.
How many restaurants are there in Notting Hill?
27 hand-picked restaurants are featured in this guide, covering W11, W2, W8, W10. We don't list every restaurant in the area — only ones genuinely worth recommending.
Which restaurants are open on Sunday in Notting Hill?
19 of the listed restaurants open on Sundays, including Akub, Canteen, and Dishoom Permit Room Portobello. Hours can change, so check the individual place pages for the latest opening times.
Which restaurants in Notting Hill have outdoor seating?
3 restaurants on this list have proper outdoor seating, including Kāio, Mazi, and Zephyr. Best for sunny days when the London weather actually cooperates.
What's the best restaurant in Notting Hill for dinner or date night?
Akub, Caia, and Caractere are the strongest date-night picks. The full date-night guide has the complete list with notes on lighting, table spacing, and atmosphere.
Where should I eat cheaply or quickly in Notting Hill?
Canteen, Cockney's Pie & Mash, and Fez Mangal for cheaper meals; Cockney's Pie & Mash, Fez Mangal, and Speedboat Bar at The Electric for quick bites. The budget and quick-bite restaurant cuts are better starting points than the full ranked list if price or speed is the main constraint.
Which restaurants in Notting Hill are best for brunch?
Akub and Dishoom Permit Room Portobello are the strongest brunch restaurant picks. They are chosen for food, pacing, coffee, and whether the room works for a slower weekend meal.
Are there any hidden-gem restaurants in Notting Hill?
7 of the listed restaurants count as hidden gems, including Akub, Caia, and Canteen — quietly excellent places that have built a following through word of mouth rather than PR.

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