Did you know that Portobello is one of the best areas in London to find an authentic Neapolitan pizza? With all its flashy new openings, many forget that Notting Hill is blessed with some truly great Italian restaurants, so we picked a few of our favourites
1 Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria
It may not look much from the outside, but Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria creates good quality pizzas at reasonable prices, with an authentic-tasting Neapolitan by the metre, and a 1/2 metre served for two.
7 Ladbroke Road, W11 3PA, 020 7221 1373; portobellolondon.co.uk
2 Mediterraneo
Sitting just off busy Portobello Market, Mediterraneo bridges the gap between local institution and tourist hub. The menu focuses on traditional Italian dishes like parmigiana di melanzane and linguine with arrabiata sauce. If you’re looking for a better value meal, try the set lunch at £15.50 for two courses, Monday to Friday. Given the location, it tends to be busy, so be sure to book ahead.
37 Kensington Park Road Notting Hill Gate W11 2EU; mediterraneo-restaurant.co.uk
3 Osteria Basilico
The nearby cousin of Mediterraneo, Osteria Basilico offers a similar menu, but with a greater choice for vegetarians. It has a real trattoria feel, with old-fashioned pine furnishings. There’s a big focus on authentic Italian pasta here with the likes of spaghetti alle vongole e pachino and hand-made tagliolini on the menu. Or, you can just pile your plate high with starters from the antipasti buffet for £8.80 (sadly it’s one visit only, so make the most of it). There’s a broad range of meat and fish dishes, and a great selection of Tuscan wines too.
29 Kensington Park Road Notting Hill Gate W11 2EU, 020 7727 9957; osteriabasilico.co.uk
4 Acciuga
Acciuga serves dishes inspired by the regions of Liguria, Piedmont and Tuscany, and trust us, the chef knows his pasta. Even the picky A.A. Gill is a fan, proclaiming the Accuiga carbonara to be the best he’s tasted in England. In case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced a-choo-ga.
343 Kensington High Street W8 6NW, 020 7603 3888; acciuga.co.uk
5 Pizza East Portobello
Owned by the Soho House group and set on the former site of a Georgian pub named the Fat Badger, the Notting Hill edition of Pizza East is upmarket as to be expected. The floor is made up of beautiful blue and white tiles and upstairs there’s dining terrace for the sunnier days. The pizza prices range from £9-£15, but you can’t beat the rich veal meatball option, served with prosciutto and a dollop of cream.
310 Portobello Road W10 5TA 020 8969 4500; pizzaeastportobello.com
6 Negozio Classica
Most Notting Hill locals have visited this one a few times over, but it’s always worth a recommendation. Primarily a wine bar, Negozio has one of the best collections of Tuscan wines in the city, and very fine antipasti small plates to pair them with.
283 Westbourne Grove W11, 020 7034 0005; negozioclassica.co.uk
7 Saporitalia
It may not get as much love as Pizza East, but Saporitalia on Portobello Road creates some of the best pizzas in London from its enormous clay oven. There’s a focus on Neapolitan food here, with a big selection of pasta and salad dishes, but we recommend you peruse the pizza menu, which is also available for takeaways.
222 Portobello Rd, Notting Hill W11 1LJ; saporitalialondon.co.uk
8 Arancina
This family-run restaurant in is one of the few Italians in London serving Sicilian dishes. It’s a small venue – easily recognisable from the orange Fiat 500 displayed in the window, the very same car that the restaurants owners, Edo and Michele Mortari used to get themselves from Rome to London before launching Arancina. Their pizzas are in traditional ‘alla pala’ rectangular style, with rich Sicilian-style tomato sauce. Don’t leave without trying the restaurant’s namesake, arancini, deep fried saffron risotto balls stuffed with all manner of delicious meat, cheese and vegetable fillings.
19 Pembridge Road W11 3HG; arancina.co.uk Image by Ramón Cutanda López
9 Pescheria Mattiucci
One for the most dedicated seafood lovers, this Neapolitan bacaro has a menu filled unique fish dishes including salted anchovies, gambero rosso (red prawns which are served raw) and the crudo platter (selection of raw fish).
8 Blenheim Crescent W11 1NN; 020 7229 3400
10 Polpo
Russell Norman brought his Venetian small plates paradise to Notting Hill just over a year ago, and we’ve been regulars ever since. There’s a no booking policy (outside of lunchtimes) but thankfully the Notting Hill Gate branch is generally free of the hour-long Polpo Soho queues. We love the Meatballs “alla Vedova” and cicheti serving of artichoke and speck crostini, best washed down with a spritz.
126-128 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3QG, 020 7229 3283; polpo.co.uk. Read our verdict on Polpo’s breakfast offering here.
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