8 of the best Notting Hill bars

Caia feels a little like your cool muso friend’s flat – relaxed, a little swish, with mood lighting, and a vinyl record collection featuring rare Jazz, Funk, Tropical, and Disco, and the more contemporary soulful selections. It’s a listening bar and we very much approve of the sounds coming out of this little Notting Hill bar & restaurant.

Curated wines, class cocktails, and a food menu featuring dishes cooked on a custom-made open-fire grill. It has the atmosphere we’re looking for to enjoy cocktails and vinyl, and the quality of the fare coming from the kitchen only enhances the experience.

Caia is open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays and also offers two spaces for private hire: the fully exclusive and intimate Wine Room that can accommodate 10 for sit-down events, and the Green Room that can accommodate 25 for a seated event.

You may have seen other inconspicuous little doors of various colours across London behind which you find a duplex flat except it’s a bar & restaurant. Well, a short distance from Westbourne Park, there’s the Little Yellow Door and like its siblings, it does indeed feel just like a flat.

So, why do we like the Little Yellow Door beyond its funky decor and novelty flat-like atmosphere? It’s a great spot for private parties. Whether you want to book out the whole flat (for all you extroverts) or just a room within it (for all my introverts), it’s a Notting Hill bar that won’t let you down regarding a private party. Food to share and cocktails to throw back, it’s basically the elevated house party.

Trailer Happiness self-describes as “a low-rent, mid-‘60s California valley bachelor pad” and we’re inclined to agree. The Notting Hill bar loves rum in a way that evokes Hunter S. Thomson but the decor is way, way too sauve for the likes of the author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – that’s not a bad thing.

It’s retro, it’s little-umbrella-in-your-cocktail-kitsch, and do you know what? In an often rainy and dreary place like London, it’s absolutely imperative that bars like Trailer Happiness exist – hellbent on transporting you to somewhere in the South Atlantic or maybe the South Pacific, with Caribbean flavours in the drinks and the food.

It’s an award-winning bar on Portobello Road and has been in the tiki business for more than twenty years now. Respect.

We probably can’t write an article on Notting Hill bars without featuring the Portobello Star, it has three centuries under its belt and is situated – you guessed it – on the road that’s home to West London’s busiest market. The Portobello Star does it all: signature cocktails, house-infused spirits, craft beers, wines – the lot.

It’s always got a vibe and it’s not just good for a catch-up pint, it’s also an incredibly versatile events space that can be used for private parties and more. The full venue has a capacity of 150 people standing and the Apartment space has a standing capacity of 50 people. It’s a solid bar and you have to respect the long years it has been serving thirsty West London patrons.

The Elgin near Maida Vale is one of the prettiest traditional pubs from the Victorian era, with its etched mirrors and stained glass, but that’s not why it’s on our list of favourite Notting Hill bars – looks mean nothing next to substance.

There’s a seasonal menu serving elevated pub classics using British sustainable ingredients, bangin’ sandwiches, a cocktail menu featuring well-made and well-loved classics, wines, and, lastly, private dining menus. Stable, and well-rounded, the Elgin can do no wrong.

Speaking of private dining, the first floor can be booked exclusively for groups of 40 to 100 or the whole venue is available for parties of up to 230.

Excellent name aside, the Quiet Night Inn near Westbourne Park has everything we want in a pub, like local craft brews, cocktails, a pool table, a beer garden, a roof terrace, and a decent kitchen. There’s also Street Fighter II and a room for private hire. We know. It’s great.

The inside is just like the outside–restored Victorian splendour. It’s cosy, it’s comfy, and we’re happy to spend a couple of hours here. As for the exclusive event space, it’s a flexible area that can accommodate up to 60 guests, complete with a private bar and a balcony.

Tucked away on a quiet corner of Notting Hill, opposite St Mary of the Angels Church, the Cock & Bottle is another lovingly restored Victorian pub that’s laid-back, easy, and a great place for an afternoon session. Sunday Roasts, Ted’s Burgers, goblets of gin, craft brews, and a strong wine list – that reads like a shopping list, but they do have it all.

You know the score, pretty-looking traditional pubs are a dime a dozen in London, but the ones that have the atmosphere, hospitality, and cellar to make visiting those attractive surroundings worth it are rarer.

Cock & Bottle offers the Sutherland Room for private hire. The upstairs dining room can accommodate up to 45 guests and is available for exclusive hiring, stocked with a private bar.

What makes Walmer Castle one of a kind? Well, on paper, the pub sounds like just another great pub, but there is something about its atmosphere and the sense of its place in the local creative community that make it feel… different.

The now family-run free house around the corner from Portobello Road had its beginnings back in 1845. It’s relaxed yet refined with an interior design by West London-based Isabella Worsley and showcases an unpretentious art collection, elegant yet rustic furniture, and unfussy British fare made with top-quality ingredients.

We love the regular live Jazz, Blues, and Soul, the cultural talks on history, art, and more. But mostly we love the aforementioned atmosphere, the hospitality, and the attention to detail. It’s dog-friendly too! You can’t replicate ambience and Walmer Castle has plenty of it.