7 best restaurants in Kensington: Italian Jacuzzi to modern Greek

The best restaurants in Kensington are no secret to the most cultured Londoners. This corner of the capital is more synonymous with groundbreaking exhibitions than a buzzy food scene – but hey, who can compete with the V&A, Natural History Museum and Science Museum as neighbours? Over on High Street Kensington, you have the glorious Kensington Gardens, a glistening row of shops and, of course, more museums. It's well worth popping into the contemporary Design Museum and the highly underrated (in my humble opinion) Leighton House museum – which houses a must-see intricately-tiled Arab Hall. Alas, culture vultures require sustenance like everyone else, and there are plenty of exceptional places in these parts ready to tend to those post-exhibition rumbles.

Whether it’s ostentatious Italian or a Greek affair you crave, these are the best restaurants in both South Kensington and High Street Kensington right now.

South Kensington

Myrtos London by Asimakis

Best for: Upscale Mediterranean fare
Cuisine: Greek
Price: £££
Nearest station: South Kensington

As leafy and inviting South Kensington and the surrounding suburbs seem on a sunny day, the last thing you’d expect to find along Brompton Road is a sleek, Greek hideout. Thankfully for the exhibition-hoppers among us, Michelin-starred chef Asimakis Chaniotis chose SW3 for such a venture, where menus redefine classic Greek food in line with his passions for foraging, fishing, hunting and viticulture. Dishes are reasonably priced for the area and quality, around £15 for vegetable mains and around £22 for meaty centrepieces, with highlights including prawn saganaki and the grilled octopus – everything accompanied by a heap of Greek salad, sure to transport you to the dazzling islands.

Address: Myrtos by Asimakis, 260-262 Brompton Road, South Kensington, London SW3 2AS
Website: myrtoslondon.com

Lina Stores

Best for: Handmade pasta in a retro setting
Cuisine: Italian
Price: ££
Nearest station: South Kensington

Lina Stores’ flurry of openings across the capital in recent years is evidence that convenience and speed needn’t come at the expense of flavour. The pistachio-green façade (very on-trend) spills into a buzzy canteen space where fried artichokes, grilled prawns doused in garlic and lemon and plump burrata start whizzing out of the kitchen soon after the first flurry of diners settle in. Savour a hearty spread but ensure there’s room for the main carb-loading event, as pasta dishes ranging from around £10 to £17 in price range from veal raviolini to crab and Amalfi lemon linguine via the notoriously irresistible carbonara.

Address: Lina Stores South Kensington, 15 Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2HE
Website: linastores.co.uk

The Anglesea Arms

Best for: A pint and some comforting pub grub
Cuisine: Gastropub
Price: ££
Nearest station: South Kensington

Pub grub more your thing? Look no further than 15 Selwood Terrace, an unsuspecting pub that pulls foodies in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, who once resided at number 11. Originally a market garden and nursery dating back to the early 18th century, expect interiors to creek with the weight of the secrets the walls carry on (rare) quiet evenings. Pick at Somerset charcuterie while swirling full-bodied reds, indulge in crispy buttermilk fried chicken or coat warm sourdough in gooey baked camembert – all before the mains arrive. Save room for hearty puddings or save a visit for Sundays altogether, when the neighbourhood's lushest roast dinners leave lucky locals rolling home.

Address: The Anglesea Arms, 15 Selwood Terrace, South Kensington, London SW7 3QG
Website: angleseaarms.com

The Orangery at Number 16

Best for: escaping the hustle
Cuisine: Seasonal classic dishes or afternoon tea
Price: ££
Nearest station: South Kensington

When the sun shines in London, this is where you want to be. Pop into Number 16, a sweet Firmdale hotel (the group is also behind Ham Yard Hotel in Soho and The Whitby in New York), and make tracks for the garden. Here, you’ll find The Orangery, where pastel tables and chairs are scattered throughout the classic English garden. Dishes, meanwhile, lean more American country club than British hideout – order a club sandwich, Suffolk chicken caesar salad or a chicken burger. For something more quintessentially London, book afternoon tea (it’s worth adding a glass of Pommery Brut NV Champagne, which goes down a treat surrounded by rose bushes).

Address: Number Sixteen, 16 Sumner Place, South Kensington, London SW7 3EG
Website: firmdalehotels.com

High Street Kensington

Dishoom Kensington

Best for: Comforting dishes in an Art Deco space
Cuisine: Modern Indian
Price: ££
Nearest station: High Street Kensington

Okay, fine – we’re branching from W8 to W7 here. However, just two stops away from the museums on the Circle Line or a 20-minute walk through some of London’s most resplendent suburbs leads hungry museum-goers to the cosy confines of the nearest Dishoom. While plenty of Dishooms have popped up over the years, they retain a feel that’s anything but chainy, where friends reunite amidst the cacophony of cutlery diving into sumptuous curries and an overflowing array of sides. Admire how Art Deco extravagance meets 1940s Bombay from cosy booths and eagerly await a feast that’ll certainly warm the cockles. The signature chicken ruby is a must-try for first-timers and one of many reasons they like become regulars, while small plates of new keema pau (an Irani café classic) and packed samosa are best loaded onto pillow-soft naan bread.

Address: Dishoom Kensington, 4 Derry Street, London W8 5SE
Website: dishoom.com

Jacuzzi

Best for: A maximalist, fanfare of an evening
Cuisine: Modern Italian
Price: ££
Nearest station: High Street Kensington

When Gloria first opened in Shoreditch in 2019, it beckoned in a new era of dining in the capital. Big Mamma Group brought their ethos of Italian classics over – from France – and didn’t hold back on the immersive elements or made-for-Instagram aesthetics. Enter Jacuzzi, a lip-smacking establishment that’s as extravagant as they come, moulding into its west London postcode with ease. Studio Kiki’s design efforts span 4,000 square feet of space inspired by a dazzling Venetian villa across three floors, where a smattering of tables are illuminated by a thousand illuminated bottles. A backlit staircase leads to a Sicilian haven where intimate corners are hugged by draped curtains you half expect to start rippling in a breeze, while up top is a playful hideout – think Versace flip flops on the wall. Proceedings begin with plump burrata doused in pistachio pesto served alongside crispy Sardinian carasau bread for popping, or crispy arancini hiding indulgent fillings. Pizzas are perfectly light and crispy, while there’s more than enough to satiate the most ravenous carnivores, but the home-made mafaldine with creamy truffle sauce, spun and served in a pecorino wheel, steals the spotlight.

Address: Jacuzzi, 94 Kensington High Street, London W8 4SG
Website: bigmammagroup.com

Maggie Jones

Best for: a rustic, farmhouse-style date night feast
Cuisine: Cosy, classic European
Price: ££
Nearest station: High Street Kensington

Hidden away in a cul de sac off Kensington High Street, this rustic farmhouse restaurant has been feeding Kensington locals for over forty years. Maggie Jones is named in tribute to the late Princess Margaret – who was allegedly a frequent diner here when she was married to Anthony Armstrong-Jones – aka Lord Snowdon. Inside, wicker baskets adorn the ceiling as candles flicker from old wine bottles and dried flowers, antique garden tools and other farmhouse-adjacent paraphernalia are dotted around the cosy, more-is-more space. The food itself is as comforting as it gets, with hearty dishes in winter like roast rump of lamb and fish pie and apple crumble for dessert… Maggie Jones is a hug in restaurant form.

Address: 6 Old Court Place, Kensington Church Street, London W8 4PL
Website: maggie-jones.co.uk