Osteria Napoletana

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

From Naples to Notting Hill

On Kensington Park Road, just a short walk from Portobello Road Market, Osteria Napoletana brings the cooking of Naples to one of London's most characterful neighbourhoods. The restaurant's story traces back to its founder's upbringing in Naples, where wood-fired ovens and the aromas of fresh basil shaped his understanding of food. His mother's kitchen taught him that true Neapolitan cooking rests on simplicity and passion — a philosophy that drives every plate served here.

That commitment has earned the restaurant recognition from Gambero Rosso, Italy's most authoritative food and wine guide, which awarded Osteria Napoletana 2 Forks — a mark of genuine quality for Italian cuisine abroad.

The Food

Ingredients are imported directly from Campania, grounding the menu firmly in its source. The pasta is handmade, and the dishes read like a map of the region's traditions. Antipasti span fried bucatini with sausage and friarielli, baby octopus in Luciana tomato sauce, a giant Battipaglia mozzarella for two, and bruschetta topped with red prawns from Mazara del Vallo with buffalo mozzarella cream.

Among the primi, the Neapolitan cuisine classics are well represented: spaghetti alle vongole, linguine alla Nerano with fried courgette and provolone, scialatielli ai frutti di mare, and paccheri with redfish. The casarecce with sausage, provola and turnip greens — friarielli appearing here as it does across the menu — speaks to the kitchen's regional focus.

Secondi include baccalà alla napoletana, a mixed frittura di mare, and the Involtino della Nonna: granny's veal roll stuffed with provola, served with escarole and white wine sauce. Desserts close the meal with equal conviction — a rum-soaked babà, the traditional pastiera napoletana ricotta cake, and a delizia al limone filled with lemon cream.

The Setting

Osteria Napoletana is part of a wider restaurant group with addresses in London, Miami Beach, Milan and Venice, but the Notting Hill address has its own warmth and identity. The room is designed as a sanctuary — the restaurant's own word — where the spirit of a Neapolitan osteria takes hold in a London context. Lunch and dinner are both served, with takeaway also available.