Dining
The 5 Best Restaurants in Notting Hill
West London at its most charming: where to eat well in Notting Hill, from corner bistros to grand rooms.
In short: our top picks are The Ledbury, Core by Clare Smyth and Dorian. 5 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Notting Hill eats the way it looks: charming, a little moneyed, and better than it lets on. Between the pastel terraces are corner bistros, grand neighbourhood rooms and a few genuine destinations. These are the tables worth heading west for.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Ledbury | Notting Hill | ££££ |
| Core by Clare Smyth | Notting Hill | ££££ |
| Dorian | Notting Hill | ££££ |
| Strakers | Notting Hill | £££ |
| Gold | Notting Hill | £££ |
-
Editor’s choice
The Ledbury
Why we pick itTwo Michelin stars and one of Londons best restaurants full stop; book the moment you can.
Worth knowingTables go weeks or months ahead and the tasting menu runs to several hundred a head with wine, which puts it in once-a-year territory.
-
Core by Clare Smyth
Why we pick itThree stars from Britains most celebrated chef; refined, generous, a true special occasion.
Worth knowingExpensive, tasting menu only, and booked months ahead; set aside a proper stretch of the evening rather than treating it as a night out.
-
Dorian
Why we pick itA modern bistro with a cult following; the dry-aged burger and the wine list both deliver.
Worth knowingThe thousand-bin wine list is intimidating and the guidance varies with who is serving, while the small plates push the bill up faster than expected.
-
Strakers
Why we pick itWood-fired, wine-led neighbourhood cooking; relaxed, confident and very of-the-moment.
-
Gold
Why we pick itAn all-day Notting Hill room with a pretty courtyard; easy, stylish and reliably good.
Before you book
Book the destinations and walk in at the bistros, ideally on a weekday when the neighbourhood is calmer. Pair lunch with the market or a wander; Notting Hill is made for the long, unhurried kind of meal. And sit outside if the weather allows: the streets are half the pleasure.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
The Ledbury is our editor's choice: Two Michelin stars and one of Londons best restaurants full stop; book the moment you can. The Ledbury, Core by Clare Smyth and Dorian lead the guide, with 5 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
Related guides
Dining The Best Restaurants in Soho
Counter seats, old institutions, and last week's opening: the Soho doors worth the queue.
5 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Private Dining Rooms in London
No neighbours, no rush: the private rooms in London worth booking when the doors should close.
5 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Restaurants in Mayfair
The rooms that earn their postcode, from a Michelin-starred curry house to the grandest cafe in London.
5 places Read guide →
Dining Romantic Restaurants in London
The rooms we send people to when the night matters, from a quiet first date to an anniversary you cannot get wrong.
6 places Read guide →From the Journal
Dinner as the Main Event: The Case for the Tasting Menu
Most great dinners in London are a means to an end. You eat, you talk, you move on to the bar, the show, the rest of the night. The tasting menu refuses to be that. It is not the warm-up. It is the whole event, the curtain up and the curtain down, three hours that […]
13 Jun 2026Read →
The Enduring Ritual of London Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea is not a tourist trap. It is one of the last unhurried things London does on purpose. Lunch is rushed and dinner is a production, but the hours between belong to nobody, and that is precisely the point. You sit. You stay. You let an afternoon become long. In a city that measures […]
2 Jun 2026Read →
London’s Quiet Obsession with Japanese Food
London does not fall for things loudly. It just keeps showing up. And over the last decade or so, the city has shown up for Japanese food again and again, until it stopped feeling like a special occasion and started feeling like a default. You see it everywhere now. The counter where one chef feeds […]
28 Apr 2026Read →Readers also viewed
Dining The Best Pies in London
From a Bermondsey marble counter pouring parsley liquor to a Mayfair pie room with nine in-house varieties, here are six London places that still treat the pie as a serious thing.
6 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Birthday Restaurants in London
Six London restaurants built for a birthday that people actually remember: pink rooms, jungle grills, Greco-Roman drama and two Big Mamma blockbusters, across budgets.
6 places Read guide → Dining Romantic Restaurants in London
The rooms we send people to when the night matters, from a quiet first date to an anniversary you cannot get wrong.
6 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Brunch in Borough Market
Brunch built entirely around the market itself: wood fired grills, market produce and a rooftop view of St Paul's.
6 places Read guide →