Travel
The Best Of Notting Hill
W11 is home to Portobello market, carnival and a host of chichi shops and cafés. We pick our favourite Notting Hill haunts.
Pastel-hued mews houses, the bustling markets of Portobello, global street food and a vibrant music heritage: Notting Hill may be encircled by the genteel Holland Park and Kensington, but W11 continues to hang on valiantly to its eclectic roots. Brought to global attention by the film Richard Curtis named after the area, Londoners flock to its annual carnival while, for others, it’s all about the myriad of high-end boutiques scattered about its fancier streets. These are our top insider picks for places to visit, where to shop and the tables to book if you want to experience the real Notting Hill.
If you want authentic Neapolitan food with generous, steaming hot plates of pasta and warm, southern Italian service, this is the spot. A great, unpretentious family eatery in the heart of Notting Hill. The melanzane alla parmigiana and tiramisu are both top-notch. Book it.
The original Farm Girl in what has now become a chain, this fresh and fun joint opened in 2015, tucked away right at the top of Portobello before the bustle of the market begins. Serving health-focused, holistic Australian-style food, the fare is delicious and the coffee sublime. The perfect brunch spot to fuel up before hitting the stalls. Book it.
For those who want to venture out after dark, Trailer Happiness on the corner of Portobello and Elgin Crescent is a subterranean Tiki bar that has been serving deliciously kitsch, rum-soaked cocktails since 2003. With a fun retro interior and regular live music nights, it has a laid-back lounge feel and attracts a fun, local crowd. Discover more.
A nostalgic journey through 200 years of consumer culture, this quirky museum looks at how iconic household names have evolved over the decades and the power big brands have on our buying habits. A fun, visual exhibition with lots of ‘I remember that!’ moments. Discover more.
Skip past the tourist tat on Portobello Market, continue under the railway bridge (with a brief detour into the Portobello Green vintage market if it’s on, which is still worth a nose) and keep heading north till you hit Golborne Road. In the shadow of Trellick Tower you will find authentic Portuguese tarts at Lisboa; beautiful curios at Universal Providers, proper fish & chips at George’s; and stylish eyewear at Taylor Morris.
This international theatre in an iconic Grade-II listed building right on Notting Hill Gate offers an eclectic programme of theatre, film, dance, music and poetry in the intimate 195-seater auditorium. Book it.
Forget ‘that bookshop’ from the film and head instead to Books for Cooks on Blenheim Crescent, a W11 institution that, as the name suggests, specialises in tomes of a gastronomic persuasion. Sink into the squishy sofa and salivate over the foodie volumes to find your next culinary inspiration. Or why not bring the pages to life and book into one of their cookery demonstrations upstairs? Book it.
Another Notting Hill classic lies just further north on Portobello in the form of The Cloth Shop, which has been around since the 1980s. It has been bedecking the stylish houses of west London with beautiful block-print fabrics, ticking (a speciality), washed linens and a whole range of vintage homewares ever since. They have a great online shop too if you don’t fancy carrying your wares home. Shop here.
There is a wonderful international cluster of stores on Ledbury Road, just off the chic, wide avenue of Westbourne Grove. There you will find Spanish-inspired leather footwear at Penelope Chilvers; chic Euro children’s wear at Petit Bateau and Caramel Baby & Child, as well as French skincare at Caudalie, plus Levante deli delights at Ottolenghi. Cross the road and on the south side you have sublime chocolates at Melt and innovative skincare spa, FaceGym. Round the corner and you’ll happen upon one of the best people watching pavement spots in all of west London outside 202, opposite the Insta-famous Piers Gough-designed turquoise triangle toilets and flower stall by Wild at Heart.
By Lydia Mansi
January 2023
Eat & Drink
Osteria Napoletana
If you want authentic Neapolitan food with generous, steaming hot plates of pasta and warm, southern Italian service, this is the spot. A great, unpretentious family eatery in the heart of Notting Hill. The melanzane alla parmigiana and tiramisu are both top-notch. Book it.
Farm Girl Café
The original Farm Girl in what has now become a chain, this fresh and fun joint opened in 2015, tucked away right at the top of Portobello before the bustle of the market begins. Serving health-focused, holistic Australian-style food, the fare is delicious and the coffee sublime. The perfect brunch spot to fuel up before hitting the stalls. Book it.
Trailer Happiness
For those who want to venture out after dark, Trailer Happiness on the corner of Portobello and Elgin Crescent is a subterranean Tiki bar that has been serving deliciously kitsch, rum-soaked cocktails since 2003. With a fun retro interior and regular live music nights, it has a laid-back lounge feel and attracts a fun, local crowd. Discover more.
Visit
Museum of Brands
A nostalgic journey through 200 years of consumer culture, this quirky museum looks at how iconic household names have evolved over the decades and the power big brands have on our buying habits. A fun, visual exhibition with lots of ‘I remember that!’ moments. Discover more.
Golborne Road
Skip past the tourist tat on Portobello Market, continue under the railway bridge (with a brief detour into the Portobello Green vintage market if it’s on, which is still worth a nose) and keep heading north till you hit Golborne Road. In the shadow of Trellick Tower you will find authentic Portuguese tarts at Lisboa; beautiful curios at Universal Providers, proper fish & chips at George’s; and stylish eyewear at Taylor Morris.
The Coronet Theatre
This international theatre in an iconic Grade-II listed building right on Notting Hill Gate offers an eclectic programme of theatre, film, dance, music and poetry in the intimate 195-seater auditorium. Book it.
Shop
Books for Cooks
Forget ‘that bookshop’ from the film and head instead to Books for Cooks on Blenheim Crescent, a W11 institution that, as the name suggests, specialises in tomes of a gastronomic persuasion. Sink into the squishy sofa and salivate over the foodie volumes to find your next culinary inspiration. Or why not bring the pages to life and book into one of their cookery demonstrations upstairs? Book it.
The Cloth Shop
Another Notting Hill classic lies just further north on Portobello in the form of The Cloth Shop, which has been around since the 1980s. It has been bedecking the stylish houses of west London with beautiful block-print fabrics, ticking (a speciality), washed linens and a whole range of vintage homewares ever since. They have a great online shop too if you don’t fancy carrying your wares home. Shop here.
Ledbury Road
There is a wonderful international cluster of stores on Ledbury Road, just off the chic, wide avenue of Westbourne Grove. There you will find Spanish-inspired leather footwear at Penelope Chilvers; chic Euro children’s wear at Petit Bateau and Caramel Baby & Child, as well as French skincare at Caudalie, plus Levante deli delights at Ottolenghi. Cross the road and on the south side you have sublime chocolates at Melt and innovative skincare spa, FaceGym. Round the corner and you’ll happen upon one of the best people watching pavement spots in all of west London outside 202, opposite the Insta-famous Piers Gough-designed turquoise triangle toilets and flower stall by Wild at Heart.
By Lydia Mansi
January 2023
Lydia Mansi
Lifestyle Editor
Lydia is an all-round lifestyle guru, tireless champion of women in business and our resident expert on beauty.
FIND OUT MORE