London Holland Park Restaurant Guide

One of London’s most stunning and pretilly located venues – this 17th-century former ballroom in Holland Park itself is scheduled to reopen in the latter half of 2022 under the ownership of Ilya Demichev and George Bukhov-Weinstein, the Russians behind Chelsea’s Wild Tavern and surf-and-turf specialists Goodman and Burger & Lobster. The menu is expected to be Italian-led and there will be room for 120 diners on two floors – each with its own bar. The venue has had various high-profile tenants, including Marco Pierre White, but has often slipped into complacency based on its location – let’s hope they break that mould.

This “old favourite” opposite the Design Museum, now in its sixth decade, is “always buzzing, with great Italian food and a sense that every patron is ‘family’”. It’s family-run, too, with James Chiavarini having taken over from his father, Pino. “James has introduced some modernising touches but I love the feeling that you’re in Italy when you walk in the door – there’s nothing minimal or characterless about it”.

With its inviting décor, this fast-expanding group has been a big “winner” since the pandemic, mushrooming to 18 sites, all of which have generally proved useful additions to their respective areas. But while “it certainly looks the part, and the staff look after you well enough”, the brunch-friendly fare can be hit ’n’ miss, with reports ranging from “surprisingly good” to “formulaic and really abysmal”. Top Tip – “always a top option for feeding the family”.

“Spankingly good Italian food” is found at this long-established modern venue in an “isolated location” behind Holland Park, whose “posh locals know a good thing when they see it”. There are plenty of “unusual options on the menu”, with an emphasis on “original and well-prepared fish dishes”.

Flying under the radar, as they have for over a decade now, Yasuhiro Mineno’s and Shinya Ikeda’s offbeat duo – a two-floor site in a Kensington backstreet (est. 2010), and the newer ‘Ocean House’ spin-off (est. 2013, in the quirky former Brompton Library) – never inspire a huge volume of feedback, perhaps because they are by no means cheap. The owners have fine CVs though and all reports continue to say the sushi here can be exceptional.

Perhaps because it’s easy to ignore amongst the dross of Kensington High Street, this two-year-old venue focused on the eastern Med doesn’t inspire much feedback, but such as we received is all positive. In June 2022, Tomar Amedi (former head chef of The Palomar) joined, and it is now billed as a ‘Levantine Fire Kitchen’. Could be one to watch.

In one of London’s prettiest squares, this “lively” pub classic has the dubious honour of being Piers Morgan’s local – he claims to have met the then-actress Meghan Markle here on the day she later met Prince Harry. (TV crime buffs will also remember it from the late-70s series The Professionals). The scoff’s mostly unreformed pub grub, but good value.

“Polished cuisine” with a “creative mix of ingredients” – overseen from afar by star chef Phil Howard – elevates this “classic neighbourhood restaurant” off High Street Kensington into something “top class” and one of London’s better-known foodie destinations. If criticism is made, it’s typically that a diner “had heard great things, but was underwhelmed despite finding nothing obviously wrong”. In a similar variable vein, service veers from “very pleasant” to “sometimes chaotic”; and the “well-spaced” dining room is “lovely” to some, too low-key for others.

The cute location is a highlight of this “hidden gem”, obscurely tucked away in a plush Kensington backstreet, where the Indian food is “solid and great value for money”. (It’s actually part of a chain of four, but there’s scant feedback on its siblings in Little Venice, Barnes and Kingston).

The “mix of Asian food slightly adapted for all tastes” and offered at “really reasonable prices” makes this long-running chain “a family favourite”. Founded at the Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury 26 years ago, it now has branches in Ealing, Putney, Kensington and Chiswick, along with two delivery-only kitchens. Top Tip – “you can’t beat the curry laksa”.

With its flower-bedecked exterior and “relaxed neighbourhood vibe”, this Ladbroke Grove local is “certainly one of the better pubs” in the capital, serving “delicious food that’s definitely more restaurant than pub grub” alongside “good beer”. It’s close to Holland Park, and attracts a good Sunday lunch crowd.

“The most delicious deconstructed Greek food” has earned this “buzzy” modern take on the taverna, tucked away near Notting Hill Gate station, an enviable reputation over the past 10 years. “I could just feast on their dip jars and the cheese pie”. Top Tip – for the full Aegean summer atmosphere, “the outdoor courtyard is great”.

“Delicious food served in a relaxed and, at times, noisy ambience” earns consistent praise for this Notting HIll three-year-old which focuses on the cuisine of Thessalonica and northern Greece. It’s a “more casual” spin-off from Adrien Carre and Christina Mouratoglou’s Mazi nearby, and is named after a classic Greek film that has come to symbolise the good life and eating well.

This “neighbourhood landmark” on Kensington Church Street was built in 1750 and has won renown in recent decades, both for its lavish floral displays (which earned it recognition from the Chelsea Flower Show) and also for the “excellent, cheap ’n’ cheerful Thai” that operates in its pretty and quirky dining annex, all “at a great price-point for the area”. Long-term customers say “it’s not as good as it once was, but still a reliable stalwart”.

This Mexican/Japanese hybrid in Notting Hill offers ‘gangster tacos’ served with Japanese elegance – and provides “the best fun dining out I have had in a long while”, full of “exciting, flavour-packed mouthfuls”. Finnish-born founder Markus Thesleff coined the label ‘Baja Nihon’ to cover a cuisine that does not exist elsewhere, and has taken over the site occupied by legendary fish ’n’ chip restaurant Geales (RIP) for more than 50 years. Top Tip – “it’s great for allergies – the entire menu is GF and you’d have no idea!”

In looks they are often “almost indistinguishable from the Byron that was replaced”, and Gordon Ramsay’s expanding chain (which has snapped up many of its rival’s former sites) does have fans who say it’s “better than expected” for “a decent burger”. On the flipside, though, there are almost an equal number of sceptics who feel “it trades on the Ramsay name with cooking that’s below par”: “we went not long after this branch had opened hoping for a reliable burger like we used to get there when it was Byron… never have we eaten one so awful”. Still, the roll-out continues with a recent addition near Farringdon station.