Antique sellers, independent shops, market stalls and beautiful buildings, Notting Hill has them all in abundance–but all that touring is hungry work and eventually you'll need to eat.
Whilst many of Notting Hill's most famous haunts are incredibly expensive, there are just as many lesser-known spots where you can tuck into a meal for less than £10 a head. Whether you're after a light lunch, or a special occasion dinner, we've tried and tested all the best restaurants in the area, to help you avoid tourist traps and overpriced, overhyped spots. All that remains is to dig into our guide to the best places to eat in Notting Hill.
19 best restaurants in Notting Hill
Walmer Castle
Cuisine: Gastropub cuisine with flair
Price: ££
Go for: Drinks and dinner by a roaring fire
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate
Location: Westbourne Grove
Set on the iconic Ledbury Road, the Walmer Castle - in one form or another - has been a fixture of Notting Hill since 1845. This winter has seen it reopen under the ownership of husband and wife team Jack and Poppy Greenall, publicans and proprietors of Chelsea's The Surprise, debuting a smart new look.
Once a relatively ordinary pub, the Walmer Castle's interiors have been revamped by Isabella Worsley, one of House & Garden's ‘Rising Stars 2022’. The palette is refined and attractive, but relaxed. Described by the team as an ‘egalitarian meeting place where all are welcome’, patrons can expect all the cosiness of a proper pub, but with the slick service and food of an upscale restaurant. Come for lunch or dinner, and then take your glass of wine to sit nearer to the open fires that roar in each of the rooms.
The kitchen is headed up by chef Luaan van der Watt, who has curated a menu that's typical of a gastropub, but with unexpected twists here and there.
Gold
Cuisine: Modern European
Price: ££££
Go for: Late night dinner and cocktails
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate
Location: Portobello Road
Portobello Road's Gold certainly struck a seam when they opened back in 2019, meeting glowing reviews for their take on great ingredients, prepared simply. Entering at street level, through an ambient bar area, you are met with lush greenery, pale wood furniture, cushioned banquettes and zinc-topped tables. The herringbone brick floor and pale pink plaster walls feel warm and natural with an informal sense of style.
Headed up by ex-River Cafe chef, Theo Hill, dishes are listed in five categories: Raw, Cheese & Charcuterie, Salads, Vegetables and Plates. Diners are encouraged to mix and match, sharing a few plates between many. The dishes are generous and bold - which is not always the case with sharing plates - and the menu changes seasonally, so there's always the opportunity to return. Oh, and make sure to check out the roof terrace in the summer.
Read the full review of Gold here
Caia
Cuisine: Wood fired
Price: ££
Go for: Late night dinner and cocktails
Nearest Tube: Westbourne Park
Location: Golborne Road
Limewashed walls, punchily patterned banquette seating and plush velvet bar stools line the walls of Caia's earthy and comfortable space. It's nestled right at the end of Golborne Road, a perma-haven for creatives, artists and designers alike. The concept at Caia is to eat simply but well. It’s about good wine, open fire cooking and well curated music. The menu is designed to be shared and the offering changes frequently, but on an ad hoc basis. For theatrics and a bit of a spectacle, sit at the bar.
This is one of those interesting restaurants where the thread connecting every dish does not run through the ingredients or food, but the cooking style. Desserts range from Maida Vale chutney and lavash crackers, to fresh lemon granita and verbena tea, and a chocolate eclair served with tonka bean chantilly and créme de cassis cherries. Naturally, we opt for the latter.
The second most important attraction here is the listening bar. Descend the stairs and you’ll find a space that feels at once contemporary and nostalgic. One wall is lined by a dark wood display that plays host to hundreds of records, a Kuzma R record player and Auditorium R-25 speakers (fear not, you won’t be asked to repeat those names later). Choose something from their extensive wine menu (or ask for a classic cocktail) and you'll while away the evening listening to a curated selection of funk, jazz and soul. Caia is a true multi-hyphenate space but the distinction between its twin pillars is clean cut: food might be king upstairs, but music is king down here.
Read the full review of Caia here
The Pelican
Cuisine: Gastropub food
Price: ££
Go for: All day lunches
Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove
Location: Just off Portobello Road
In some form or another, this corner of All Saints Road has always been home to a pub. The first iteration of The Pelican opened back in 1870 and has changed hands many times since in picaresque fashion. In 2022, the new version of The Pelican landed in Notting Hill, ruffling the feathers of locals and foodies alike.
At its core is the belief that a good pub is the cornerstone of any local community, bringing people together over good food, in a great setting. The kitchen is headed up by chef Owen Kenworth, with a trim menu of staples, plus a daily changing list of specials. Expect good, fresh produce, cooked without fuss. Inside, the interiors were overhauled by Studio Squire and are a study in pared-back charm.
Akub
Cuisine: Palestinian
Price: ££
Go for: Lunch or dinner, it's great for either
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate
Location: Just off Uxbridge Street
Headed up by Chef Fadi Kattan, Akub is an excellent tonic for the wealth of modern European restaurants Notting Hill has. This is Palestinian cooking made by a creative and contemporary chef, whose inspirations are as broad as the menu.
Walking into the restaurant feels like you've stumbled into a pleasant Middle Eastern courtyard, or sun trap in southern Europe. It's bright, breezy and eminently tranquil, which allows the food to sing. The menu is broken into sections titled, ‘sea’, ‘land’ ‘meat’ and ‘condiments’, which helps to guide your selections. Choose something from each, and you'll end up with a well balanced table. Be sure to save room for the dead sea chocolate cake though–it's not to be missed.
Dorian
Cuisine: British seasonal bistro
Price: £££
Go for: Buzzy at both lunch and dinner time
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate
Location: Notting Hill
Dorian might be brand new, but it sits on a site of great heritage. Taking pride of place on Talbot road, the spot, once Raoul’s and before that, Coins Coffee Store, has been a locals' haunt for decades. The brain-child of Chris D'Sylva of Notting Hill Fish + Meat Shop and Supermarket of Dreams fame, it's designed for every day lunches and special occasions alike. The kitchen is headed up by chef Max Coen and features a reasonably priced seasonal menu. If you want to try somewhere that embodies the cool, easy going atmosphere of 90s Notting Hill, this is the place for you.
Belvedere
Cuisine: Italian
Price: £££
Go for: Dinner
Nearest Tube: Holland Park
Location: Holland Park
For a dramatic, beautiful setting, look no further than dinner at Belvedere. Nestled in the heart of Holland Park - the actual park, not the area - the building dates back to 1638 and has attracted patrons such as Charles Dickens and William Wordsworth in its time. Inside, exposed brickwork and warm orange and red tones lend the room a warm glow.
The kitchen is headed up by chef Antonio ‘Lello’ Favuzzi formerly of The Wolseley and Mortimer House, and the menu is inspired by his Sardinian heritage. Particular highlights include the beetroot ravioli with smoked burrata and the langoustine carpaccio. Don't miss the oysters.
Empire Empire
Cuisine: Indian
Price: ££
Go for: Dinner
Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove
Location: All Saints Road
Inspired by the hedonistic disco days of the 70s, Empire Empire is as much about the experience as it is about the food. That's not to say this is a gimmicky, themed restaurant–it's far from it. The interiors are lowkey, with sparkly touches and a playlist that makes you want to get up and dance. The menu is mostly based on northwestern cuisines ‘stretching across the old Punjab Empire, from Bihar across to Afghanistan’.
Ria's
Cuisine: Scottish/Italian
Price: £
Go for: Dinner
Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove
Location: All Saints Road
Depending on the time you arrive at Ria's, you can expect a different offering. The morning sees home baked cookies, lunch is focaccia sandwiches, and dinner features deep dish Detroit style pizza and natural wine–what more could you ask for?
The Princess Royal
Cuisine: Mediterranean seafood made with British produce
Price: £££
Go for: Lunch, particularly on the weekend
Nearest Tube: Royal Oak, or Bayswater
Location: Bayswater
The Princess Royal is the latest from chef Ben Tish, formerly of Fitzrovia's Norma. Whilst the latter serves up a Moorish-Sicilian melange; here, Tish has paired up with Georgia Pearman, director of Cubitt House, the mini-chain of half a dozen rather fancy London pubs scattered through Marylebone, Mayfair and Chelsea, to deliver a menu of Mediterranean seafood made with British produce. There's also a large central raw bar to be indulged in.
It's filled with what our Acting Features Editor Thomas Barrie describes as “a visibly West London crowd. Beautiful dogs lie at people’s feet, and everyone looks a little like Claudia Winkleman, or maybe her cousin." Outside, there's a spacious terrace and a garden by Jinny Blom, making it a perfect summer spot for long lunches and slow pints alike.
Read the full review of The Princess Royal here
Portobello 177
Cuisine: Caribbean Japanese barbecue fusion
Price: ££
Go for: Dinner
Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove
Location: Portobello Road
Slap bang in the middle of the best road in Notting Hill, lies Portobello 177. Having opened its door this autumn, it's a new and exciting venue that's managed to do something different in the saturated foodie heaven of Notting Hill. Sly Augustin, owner of the multi award winning bar, Trailer Happiness, and hospitality consultant Maiko Neill have teamed up with head chef Shay Ola to create a menu that traverses the globe. Think small plates of jerk aubergine with coconut, served alongside citrus cured mackerel and plantain bread. Stop in for a laidback dinner by candlelight, then head downstairs for cocktails.
Kuro Eatery
Cuisine: Mediterranean inspired nose-to-tail eating
Price: ££
Go for: Early dinner
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate
Location: Notting Hill Gate
Branching out from the much applauded Kuro Coffee, Kuro Eatery is the bakery's minimalist, all day dining spin off show. Headed up by chef Andrianos Poulis, formerly of the Michelin-starred Cornerstone in Hackney, the food is broadly inspired by the flavours of the Mediterranean, but it could be categorised as Italian with a Japanese twist. It's a quietly cool spot, and one that would offer welcome respite from the noise and chaos of Portobello Road.
Miznon
Cuisine: Mediterranean and Israeli
Price: ££
Go for: Perfect pit stop between perusing the antique and vintage stalls
Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove
Location: Just off Portobello Road
Newly opened, self proclaimed ‘pita specialist’, Miznon is the casual lunch spot Portobello dwellers desperately needed. It strikes a happy balance between relaxed dining and pit stop lunching, making it ideal for tourists and locals alike. Highlights include the ‘bag o' beans' (a paper bag filled with crunchy green beans designed to be tipped out onto your table), a whole roasted cauliflower and the best hummus plate you'll ever eat.
Sumi
Cuisine: Sushi
Price: ££
Go for: Lunch
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate
Location: Notting Hill
Following on from the success of Endo at the Rotunda, Endo Kazutoshi brings us Sumi. A more lowkey affair than his first venture, the food is still made in his signature style, but it's available for a lower price point. The menu is considered, with a mixture of temaki, nigiri and sashimi.
Secret Sandwich Shop
Cuisine: Sandwiches
Price: £
Go for: A quick lunch
Nearest Tube: Ladbroke Grove
Location: Just off Portobello Road
With a frequently changing menu of around eight sandwiches, the Secret Sandwich Shop is one of Notting Hill's best lunch spots. Based on the Japanese Wanpaku sandwich, the bread used is light shokupan which fills you up without weighing you down. It's set on the ground floor of famed club The Globe and has little to no signage, so keep your eyes open or you might just walk past it.
Straker's
Cuisine: Modern European
Price: £££
Go for: A long lunch
Nearest Tube: Westbourne Park
Location: Golborne Road
If you've heard of Thomas Straker, this restaurant will need no introduction. For the uninitiated, however, here's what you should know: Straker's was started by an Instagram famous chef, who is much loved for his exotic butter creations. Housed in an unassuming but buzzy spot on Golborne Road, Straker's is well worth a visit–if you can get a booking. That said, it's definitely worth ringing up to see if they've had any cancellations that day.
The menu is a tightly curated selection of things you might see on Thomas's page, from flatbreads to grilled vegetables. It's a small plate concept, as so many are these days, so you do have the opportunity to try most of the offering, which is lucky because you'll probably want to.
Orasay
Cuisine: Seafood and modern European
Price: £££
Go for: Dinner
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate
Location: Notting Hill
Known anecdotally as the place chefs eat on their days off, Orasay is a low key dining spot surrounded by the well mannered chaos of Kensington Park Road. It suffered some fairly unkind reviews upon opening, though it seems like its real downfall was its hype (it's headed up by Jackson Boxer, the chef behind Brunswick House and St Leonards). The menu is loosely based on the West Isles with a focus on seafood and fish, though there are a few meat options for those who cannot go without.
Julie's
Cuisine: Modern British
Price: £££
Go for: Dinner outdoors in the summer
Nearest Tube: Holland Park
Location: Holland Park
A Holland Park institution famed for their take on modern British cuisine, Julie's is set on a charming back street in west London that oozes cool and makes you feel like you're in an almost undiscovered spot. Since 1969, it's been one of the most elegant terraces in London on which to socialise with loved ones over their utterly lovely food.
Beach Blanket Babylon
Cuisine: Modern European
Price: £££
Go for: Dinner with friends
Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate
Location: Notting Hill
Since its opening in 1990, Beach Blanket Babylon has become a Notting Hill institution. Housed in a Georgian building with grand Baroque interiors, the restaurant caters to large dining parties and solo lunches equally well.
