Notting Hill's best bars

In addition to its brightly coloured homes, antiques and – more recently – an influx of increasingly trendy restaurants, Notting Hill also has a great bar scene. Should you find yourself in the neighbourhood in want of a drink, try one of these haunts – from a vinyl-filled wine bar to a working distillery filled with hundreds of gins.

Gold

With a natural wine list and seasonal cocktail menu, the first-floor bar at this local restaurant has established itself as a prime drinking spot. Enter through the dramatic mural on the front of the building to dark and stylish interiors – the perfect environs for a drink later in the evening (unlike many places in the area, Gold is open until 12.30am or 1am every night).

Try the House on Fire, a fiery interpretation of a margarita using mezcal and habanero syrup, or a glass of Sicilian orange wine. There are also good options if you’re not drinking, such as a pomegranate and basil fizz or ginger lemonade.

95–97 Portobello Road, London W11 2QB

Viajante87

With over 300 tequilas and mezcals on the menu, it’s safe to say this new underground bar takes agave seriously. Agave aside, the bar’s zero-waste approach is omnipresent; the walls, for example, are fashioned from recycled cork, whilst creative cocktails utilise kitchen leftovers. And, as expected from the sibling to locally loved restaurant Los Mochis, the bar snacks are heavenly (order the baked crab taco maki).

Everything on the menu is excellent and worth trying, but we’d particularly recommend the Smoked Earth (a bit like an earthy margarita) and the Queen Mayahuel, which mingles whisky, mezcal, chocolate, banana and cold brew – a boozy alternative to a dessert.

87 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JZ

Caia

Situated pretty much at the foot of the Brutalist Trellick Tower, this open-fire restaurant and wine bar opened last year to great reviews. It serves a good selection of red, white, rosé and orange wines – plus cocktails – in a two-level space. The intimate wine room is where you should go for a good glass of red, and the subterranean restaurant – filled with crate-digger’s nirvana of vinyl – is ideal for a late-night hang on the weekend.

If you’re hungry, the food also excels. Cooked over an open fire, the best dishes are equal parts smoky and tender; try the pork belly with pineapple salsa, preceded by lemon-dotted crispy chicken skin.

46 Golborne Rd, London W10 5PR

Laylow

A members-only club in support of emerging musicians and creatives, Laylow is a chic place to have a drink if you’re part of their club (or friend of a member). The comfortable living-room-esque décor is the ideal place to while away a few hours, then eat something, and eventually end up at a performance in the lower-level music space.

If you aren’t a member, you can still visit – the ground floor restaurant is open to the public if you’d like to eat and drink; the brunch, in particular, is excellent.

10 Golborne Road, London W10 5PE

The Distillery

This Portobello stalwart features a ‘Ginstitute’ where patrons can taste and blend their own gin, plus various bar spaces, private dining areas, and three rooms for lodging. It carries 100 gins from around the world, and a good range of mixers and garnishes allow the unique character of each flourish.

Outdoor tables along Portobello are ideal for summertime drinking alfresco. Should you wish to deviate from the classic G&T, try Paddington Bear’s Marmalade Sandwich, which mixes the Distillery Celebrated Butter Gin (uniquely redistilled with salted butter) with marmalade, egg whites, Aperol, and ‘toast dust.’ A food menu is on offer as well.

186 Portobello Road, London W11 1LA

Golborne Fine Wine & Deli

Situated on the quieter Golborne Road, this rustic Italian deli also has a small wine shop and bar, with a few tables out front in summer. Its wine list spotlights natural, organic wines, with a helpful sommelier – Sam – consistently on hand to help you select your bottle of choice.

The bar menu features an evolving roster of wines by the glass, with the option to buy a bottle in-store and drink it there for a small corkage fee. Plus, on Wednesdays from 5–7 pm, Sam hosts tastings on the long, wooden table in the centre of the store, with the aim of introducing patrons to a greater variety of wines.

100–102 Golborne Rd, London W10 5PS

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