From the affordable to the uber-fancy, here’s our guide to all the best restaurants in west London.
West London is known for being a swanky part of town, and as such anyone eating there should expect to be eating well. Dinner by Heston, Restaurant Gordon Ramsey, some of the world’s best restaurants call this part of the capital home, but there are also plenty of hidden gems that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
We’ve put together a guide to the best of them. Read on for the best restaurants west London has to offer…
Best Restaurants in West London
L’Atelier Robuchon
Mayfair
£££
L’Atelier Robuchon had a previous location in Covent Garden that shut down a year after the king of the restaurant world passed away in 2018. In 2023 they reopened at a new site in Mayfair, gracing west London with one of the city’s, and the world’s, best French restaurant brands.
Food here is both highly creative and deeply traditional. Robuchon’s chefs manage to tap into some kind of nostalgia with the simple, familiar flavours, then turn it up all the way with quality ingredients and techniques for a meal that is both homely and deeply luxurious.
Oh, and the wine they pair all that with will have you quizzing their sommelier for their source.
Normah’s
Bayswater
£
Normah grew up cooking. She was doing it for her siblings – all thirteen of them. Later in life she moved to the UK and started cooking as an attachment to her home country of Malaysia.
It’s safe to say that she has a penchant for hospitality. Her takes on classics like curry laksa or beef rendang are sumptuous and comforting. The restaurant itself feels like it could be an extension of her home.
To add a little cherry to the top of all that, a meal at Normah’s won’t break the bank. You could probably eat here without spending more than £15 and walk away totally satisfied.
Kahani
Chelsea
££
There are so many great Indian restaurants dotted around London, but one of the best Indian restaurants west London can boast is Kahani. They take Indian cooking to new heights by combining the freshest local ingredients with techniques like live-fire cooking.
The result is a delightful menu of food that you’ll want to keep returning to dine from (the a la carte is genuinely extensive). You can, and should, wash these down with some of their cocktails – they’re good enough to belong in their own bar.
We recommend the Sweet Modhu, a mix of Bourbon whiskey, red chilli, honey and lemon, served with a slice of honeycomb on the side for dunking.
Sabor
Mayfair
£££
One of London’s best Spanish restaurants and proud holder of a Michelin Star, Sabor has a special place in our heart when it comes to the Michelin Star restaurants west London has up its sleeve.
The food here is very special. Founders Nieves Barragan and José Etura have a magic touch with the tapas. The restaurant’s name means flavour in Spanish, and that’s what you’ll be getting aplenty.
Phat Phuc
Chelsea
£
One of Chelsea’s best hidden gems is a Vietnamese restaurant with a very tongue-in-cheek name: Phat Phuc. The place is a far cry from the up-market bistros and Michelin-accoladed spots you’d expect from the neighbourhood.
It’s tucked into a sunken courtyard and would be hard to spot if you didn’t know what you’re looking for. The setup is essentially a portable kitchen with a gazebo with sharing tables for eating.
Wait a few minutes after placing your order with the proprietor at the window booth and they’ll bring you steaming bowls of pho, creamy laksa curries, delicious spring rolls, or perhaps even a combination of all of the above.
We love this spot during the summer months when the gazebo gives you that bit of shade you’re no doubt dying for. That said, the noodle soups are also the perfect winter warmer.
Rick Stein Barnes
Barnes
££
Rick Stein, a chef synonymous with Cornish seafood, also has a London outpost. Based in a quiet and leafy suburb, Rick Stein Barnes also boasts views of the Thames among its offerings.
Food-wise, you’ll be a party to excellently cooked fish in all varieties. Stein has travelled extensively, always taking down recipes he encounters along the way, trying his hand at them when he gets home.
Drawing on these travels you’ll find a wide range of flavours and techniques at play in his food, making dinner at Rick’s an ever-enchanting experience.
Dinner by Heston
Knightsbridge
£££
Dinner by Heston: the restaurant that really needs no introduction, but it’s our job so we’ll give it one anyway. This place is the London flagship of Heston Blumnetal, chef renowned for his multi-sensory meals where flavours mislead and nothing on the plate is ever as it seems.
Theatre is the name of the game here. Dishes fizz, smoke and pop before wowing you with the unexpected. Dinner by Heston isn’t all show though. The restaurant holds two Michelin Stars so you know the flavours are on par with the theatrics.
The Counter
Notting Hill
££
The Counter was one of our favourite discoveries of 2023. The restaurant had been open for some time, quietly working away on a charcoal-fired barbecue and excellent cocktail programme, then burst onto the food scene to calls of it being the best Turkish restaurant west London has to offer.
We visited around that time and had to agree. The food here is, well, really good. You’ll be going for the kebabs but make sure you try some of the small plates. The chocolate baba ghanoush (yes that’s a real thing) is an absolute must.
Brooklyn Pizza Crew
Fulham
£
Looking for some good pizza in west London? Make your way down to Brooklyn Pizza Crew. The place was founded by a pizza fanatic. He spent a long time living in The States and when he got back to England, missed the pizza so much he decided to have a crack at making it himself. M
The result is a neighbourhood pizzeria serving up big (and we mean giant) slices of New York-style pizza. The owner is super friendly and will be happy to talk you through the slices and his technique for making them.
Once you’ve picked a flavour, either post up in the shop or take your slice and find a nice spot in nearby Parson’s Green.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsey
Chelsea
£££
West London boasts some seriously good restaurants, but few in the world can match up with Restaurant Gordon Ramsey. The flagship of the brand that has placed him on the throne of British cooking, if you’re willing to lay down the several hundred pounds to eat here you will not regret it.
It’s easy to forget these days that Ramsey is more than just ‘the shouty TV chef’. His career began in the kitchens of Marco Pierre White and led to great things – this restaurant being one of them.
The food is the finest of fine dining, intensely creative and drawing influences from all over Europe while maintaining a touch of true Britishness.
Jay Dee’s Catering
Notting Hill
£
Looking for some good Caribbean cooking in west London. Notting Hill has a great option. Jay Dee’s Catering is its name. The spot is a pokey kitchen and a counter – no space to sit if the three or four chairs outside are taken, which they usually are.
Also outside, a barbecue turning out some jerk chicken that’ll have you drooling. You need a portion of that, some of the fish stew and a few patties and you’re set. There are a few public parks within walking distance, or just perch on kerbside and get stuck in.
It’s a meal that’ll remind you that great eating doesn’t require white tablecloths and Michelin Stars.
Other Places to Eat in West London
Mercato Mayfair
A food market in an old church? We aren’t pulling your leg. Mercato Mayfair is the west London branch of the hugely popular Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant and Castle. It’s not as sprawling and as such you’ve not got as much choice, but dayummmm it looks good.
Our favourite spot: Dez Amore – a lovely place that does a nice range of pasta dishes. The pasta is all handmade and the way they dish it up takes this kind of food hall eating to places you don’t usually see it go. Bellissimo!
Practical Tips for Exploring The Best West London Restaurants
- West London is generally known for being the posher part of town. As such some of these restaurants are going to be expensive. If you’re looking for a cheap eat, we recommend Jay Dee’s Catering.
- Remember to book tables in advance, especially if you’re eating at some of the fancy places. The spots with Michelin Stars may require booking a few weeks or more in advance.
