Keep the evening free. These are the tables worth booking, the menus worth lingering over and the places that might tempt you to order one more course. Here’s where to head for dinner in Notting Hill, Soho and Oxford Circus.
CANTEEN.
Where homemade pasta and Italian cooking give you plenty reasons to linger over dinner. Run by chefs who previously worked at The Rive Cafe, it’s a spot to build your evening around. Tables are walk-in only, so leave a litter time for a possible wait.
Brasseria
Start with an apertivo and leave the rest of the evening open. On the corner of Westbourne Grove and Portobello Road, Brasseria serves Italian food with a lively neighbourhood feel. Settle in for dinner, catch up over a bottle of win and keep a little room for dessert.
Kiln
Pull up a seat at Kiln’s counter and watch dinner take shape over the grills. This lively Brewer Street restaurant serves Thai-inspired dishes with plenty heat, smoke and bright flavours, alongside bubbling clay pots. It’s walk-in only, so arrive early and leave time to explore soho afterwards.