Guidebook for London
Food Scene
Farm Girl goes all in on the Australian healthy-eating thing, right down to the coconut ‘bacon’, macadamia butter, and optional sprinklings of superfoods. If you want to roll your eyes, by all means, go for it. But you should also know that the whole health thing here actually comes with some very good food attached. Sandwiches and salads are great, and so are the drinks. ‘Liquid Gold’ - lime juice, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, astragalus, and honey - would be worth drinking even if it weren’t allegedly good for you. The location guarantees a mob scene on Saturdays, but you’re just as likely to queue on Monday.
56 locals recommend
Farm Girl Notting Hill
59A Portobello RdFarm Girl goes all in on the Australian healthy-eating thing, right down to the coconut ‘bacon’, macadamia butter, and optional sprinklings of superfoods. If you want to roll your eyes, by all means, go for it. But you should also know that the whole health thing here actually comes with some very good food attached. Sandwiches and salads are great, and so are the drinks. ‘Liquid Gold’ - lime juice, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, astragalus, and honey - would be worth drinking even if it weren’t allegedly good for you. The location guarantees a mob scene on Saturdays, but you’re just as likely to queue on Monday.
Originally a Protestant chapel, now a community centre, The Tab is a Notting Hill institution. You can join the locals and come here for exhibitions, for yoga or dance classes, or for a drink or a meal in the café/restaurant right at the front of the building. The food has a West Indian bent but there are also burgers and breakfasts. This is not a place for a date: you’re eating in what’s essentially the foyer of a public building. But the local vibe, all ages and all races, makes the Tab a great place to hang.
47 locals recommend
The Tabernacle
34-35 Powis SquareOriginally a Protestant chapel, now a community centre, The Tab is a Notting Hill institution. You can join the locals and come here for exhibitions, for yoga or dance classes, or for a drink or a meal in the café/restaurant right at the front of the building. The food has a West Indian bent but there are also burgers and breakfasts. This is not a place for a date: you’re eating in what’s essentially the foyer of a public building. But the local vibe, all ages and all races, makes the Tab a great place to hang.
Books for Cooks is a cookbook shop that also runs a café at lunchtime. The dishes all come from recipes in books they’re testing, so the no-choice menu changes every day. Check their Twitter feed to find out what’s cooking, and bring a bottle – there’s no alcohol license. Book-buying is optional but recommended: they have the biggest selection in the country.
45 locals recommend
Books for Cooks
4 Blenheim CresBooks for Cooks is a cookbook shop that also runs a café at lunchtime. The dishes all come from recipes in books they’re testing, so the no-choice menu changes every day. Check their Twitter feed to find out what’s cooking, and bring a bottle – there’s no alcohol license. Book-buying is optional but recommended: they have the biggest selection in the country.
This is one of the liveliest restaurants in the area, and it serves some of the best tacos in town. The servings are small-plate size so you’ll need three for two people, plus a couple of sides and/or nibbles. Plus a small bathtub’s worth of margaritas and beer. Bright lighting and very basic seating make this a venue for all-out embarrassing behaviour rather than a quiet date. Go with a gang, and don’t miss the fish tacos.
74 locals recommend
Taqueria
141-145 Westbourne GroveThis is one of the liveliest restaurants in the area, and it serves some of the best tacos in town. The servings are small-plate size so you’ll need three for two people, plus a couple of sides and/or nibbles. Plus a small bathtub’s worth of margaritas and beer. Bright lighting and very basic seating make this a venue for all-out embarrassing behaviour rather than a quiet date. Go with a gang, and don’t miss the fish tacos.
Drinks & Nightlife
This intimate drinking den claim that the “creation and execution of exceptional drinks is our passion”, and who are we to argue? Pop a couple of Hell in the Pacific's down the hatch and it'll be hard to counter this claim, and they're pretty darn serious about the quality of their Dim Sum plates too. A must for all rum aficionados, there's also soothing DJ sets to enjoy at the end of the week.
109 locals recommend
Trailer Happiness
177 Portobello RdThis intimate drinking den claim that the “creation and execution of exceptional drinks is our passion”, and who are we to argue? Pop a couple of Hell in the Pacific's down the hatch and it'll be hard to counter this claim, and they're pretty darn serious about the quality of their Dim Sum plates too. A must for all rum aficionados, there's also soothing DJ sets to enjoy at the end of the week.
A delicious haunt for Caribbean lovers, The Rum Kitchen is just about one of the most exotic destinations you would hope to find in Notting Hill. Lacing your cocktails in bespoke splashings of rum and adorning your plate in lush jerk chicken, The Rum Kitchen is a slightly cosmopolitan way to dine in a truly street food style.
92 locals recommend
Rum Kitchen Notting Hill
A delicious haunt for Caribbean lovers, The Rum Kitchen is just about one of the most exotic destinations you would hope to find in Notting Hill. Lacing your cocktails in bespoke splashings of rum and adorning your plate in lush jerk chicken, The Rum Kitchen is a slightly cosmopolitan way to dine in a truly street food style.
Comprising of three spaces, 65 & King brings you a choice from one of the three private rooms, the Thrills Room for 35 people, the Opera Box for 50 or the intimate Red Room for 10. Amazing signature and classic cocktails are the order of the day when it comes to drinks at 65 & King. And for the peckish people, the American style food menu cannot be overlooked - sliders, steak, lobster, burgers and sandwiches.
34 locals recommend
The Hayden Pub & Rooms
65 Westbourne GroveComprising of three spaces, 65 & King brings you a choice from one of the three private rooms, the Thrills Room for 35 people, the Opera Box for 50 or the intimate Red Room for 10. Amazing signature and classic cocktails are the order of the day when it comes to drinks at 65 & King. And for the peckish people, the American style food menu cannot be overlooked - sliders, steak, lobster, burgers and sandwiches.