Some people think that just because West London has a reputation for luxury and fine living so, therefore, must its restaurants.
Those people would be right.
Of course you’ll also find the occasional edgy & inventive spot intermingled here too. But if you’re looking for an area where cutting-edge sushi spots rub shoulders with classic Michelin Starred restaurants, cosy gastropubs, and globally renowned stalwarts then, well, you’ve found it…
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Akub | Notting Hill
Before Akub, Palestinian cuisine was a bit of an unknown entity in London. However since opening last year, Bethlehem-born chef Fadi Kattan’s tranquil restaurant in Notting Hill – bursting with earthy tones and fitted with an actual olive tree – has put it firmly on the map. Come here for the tip top brunch game, modernised versions of traditional dishes (mansef balls stuffed with minced lamb & rice and freshly-baked zataar bread spread with labneh & pomegranates) and all sorts of tempting, elegantly-presented desserts like a dead sea chocolate cake garnished with sea salt, served beside a scoop of tahini ice cream.
Details: 27 Uxbridge Street, W8 7TQ | Book here
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Caia | Notting Hill
Another red hot new restaurant to have opened in Notting Hill in the past year. Not just because it’s named after the Roman goddess of fire, or because the food is centred around open-fire cooking on a custom-made grill (though those certainly punctuate that…), but it also doubles as a luxe wine bar (with floor-to-ceiling bottle-stacked racks) while the basement room has a heavy-duty sound set-up with vinyl coming from Kuzma R record player with Auditorium R-25 speakers. ‘Impressive audio equipment’ in simpler terms…
Details: 46 Golborne Road, London W10 5PR | Book here
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The River Café | Hammersmith
West London is often mocked for being less rapidly evolving than its Eastern counterpart. But that’s probably because it’s busy nurturing the award-winning eateries that have been flying the flag for great British restaurants for over 30 years. Ruth Rogers’ River Café has fostered some of the biggest names in the business, and still hits the mark with glorious Italian dishes – best enjoyed on the riverside terrace, in the sun.
Details: Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, Hammersmith, W6 9HA | Book here
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The Shed | Notting Hill
It’s a rustic farm-to-fork restaurant from The Gladwin Brothers (Rabbit; Sussex), serving seasonal British grub, alongside a lengthy list of Modern European wines.
Details: 122 Palace Gardens Terrace, Notting Hill, West London, W8 4RT | Book here
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The Pelican | Notting Hill
The Pelican is a gorgeously revamped neighbourhood pub just off Portobello Road that just so happens to have both chef Owen Kenworthy at the helm, (who was head chef at the critically acclaimed Brawn for five years) and his nose-to-tail philosophy too. Here, he’s cooking up small plates and hearty fare like spider crab on toast; monkfish pie with lobster head gravy; and scorched leeks with crispy shallots…
Details: 45 All Saints Road, London, W11 1HE | Book here
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The Counter | Notting Hill
Well, this place is lovely. To walk in is to be enveloped by warmth, both from the staff and the ocakbaşı grill, which chef Kemal Demirasal and his team use to churn out a parade of mouthwatering, flame-kissed dishes. The cocktails – laced with savoury notes and spices – make perfect and unexpected companions to visionary creations like the white chocolate babaganoush, alongside well-executed Turkish classics. Ask to sit up at the eponymous counter to be a part of the action.
Details: 108 Golborne Road, Notting Hill, W10 5PS | Book here
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SUMI | Notting Hill
SUMI is a neighbourhood sushi restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Endo Kazutoshi (of Endo at the Rotunda fame) known for its effortless elegance and signature Japanese-leaning cocktails. Standout dishes include iced sashimi, hand-rolled temaki, and salmon teriyaki. It’s worth the splurge, even if you have to eat beans the rest of the week.
Details: 157 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, W11 2RS | Book here
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Claude Bosi At Bibendum | South Kensington
It’s Modern European fine-dining courtesy of the illustrious Claude Bosi. You’ll find it in the former Michelin tyre factory (hands down the best looking building in South Ken). Downstairs is a more relaxed seafood bar with stunning interiors, while upstairs Bosi and his team rustle up the likes of Basque pork with parsley root, winter mushrooms, and black liquorice, earning themselves not one but two Michelin stars within months of opening.
Details: Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, Kensington, West London, SW3 6RD | Book here
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The Harwood Arms | Fulham
The Harwood Arms is London’s only, yes only Michelin-starred pub, co-owned by restaurateurs Brett Graham & Mike Robinson. It focuses on using as much wild food as possible, particularly game, and has a cosy atmosphere with velvet banquettes and dark wood. The menu includes dishes such as deer with beetroot, blackcurrant and smoked bone marrow, coronation quail salad with apricot and almond, and whipped chicken livers with thyme hobnobs and onion jam.
Details: Walham Grove, Fulham, SW6 1QP | Book here
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Hawksmoor Knightsbridge | Knightsbridge
Arguably some of the best steak and seafood in London, in a chic, Art Deco setting. If you want to argue with us.
Details: 3 Yeoman’s Row, Knightsbridge, West London, SW3 2AL | Book here
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The Ledbury | Notting Hill
Justin De Souza
The Ledbury is undoubtedly one of London’s finest fine dining restaurants. Drop in, and you’ll find a streamlined 8-course tasting menu, which focuses on using whole animals as part of chef Brett Graham’s push for more sustainable meat production. No a la carte. After closing for a few years during the pandemic, the place has had something of a revamp: the menu is prepared by new head chef Tom Spenceley (previously of the double Michelin-starred Kitchen Table in Fitzrovia), and the restaurant’s interior has been redesigned by These White Walls, who’ve gone off-piste with some green & beige walls.
Details: 127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, W11 2AQ | Book here
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Core by Clare Smyth | Notting Hill
Clare Smyth was the first female British chef to net three Michelin stars when she headed up Gordon Ramsay’s eponymous joint – and blow us down if she hasn’t done it again with her own debut solo spot. Enter a sleek, well-heeled dining room with a huge plate glass window looking onto the kitchen, where Smyth and her team industriously prepare elegant tasting menus of classic British fare.
Details: 92 Kensington Park Road, W11 2PN | Book here
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Dinner by Heston | Knightsbridge
Your double Michelin-starred dinner at Dinner will take inspiration from dishes through the centuries, with a little help from Heston Blumenthal’s wacky creativity (like an ‘orange’ that’s actually meat), a very old recipe book, and a historically accurate pineapple roasting pulley.
Details: Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA | Book here
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Endo At The Rotunda | White City
It’s Michelin-starred sushi served up in an intimate, 24-seater restaurant on the 8th floor of White City’s Television Centre. That’s really all you need to know.
Details: 8th Floor, The Helios, Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, W12 7FR | Book here
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Maggie Jones | Kensington
A cosy, romantic hideaway hidden in the depths of a Kensington cul-de-sac, filled with ceiling-hung flower baskets, wonky stairs and candle light.
Details: 6 Old Court Place, Kensington, W8 4PL | Book here
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Like dining out in West London? Follow up with a tour of the best brunch in West London