Julie's

The Verdict

Julie's has held a place on Portland Road since 1969, its Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 signals that the reboot has landed. If you want a French bistro-inflected dinner in a room that earns its price, book it. If you need a full tasting-menu event or a Michelin-starred showcase, look elsewhere.

The Room

The space is the first reason to choose Julie's over a simpler neighbourhood option. Rich, warming colours, striped banquettes, parquet floors and a stylish bar create a room that reads as occasion-worthy without tipping into formal. The booths are well-suited to date night or a small celebratory dinner: intimate enough to feel private, but the room has enough energy that it does not feel hushed or pressured. A terrace makes summer evening drinks a genuine draw; arriving early for a cocktail from the trolley before moving to the table is the right way to use the space. For a special occasion at this price tier, the interior delivers more visual warmth than most ££ restaurants in West London.

The Food

Chef Owen Kenworthy, previously at Brawn and the Pelican in Notting Hill, runs a menu that sits firmly in French bistro and haute-cuisine classic territory. The range is deliberate: from a chopped salad of the day at the lighter end to a lobster soufflé for the more occasion-minded. Dishes from the Michelin inspector notes include a lemon- and fennel-scented spider crab en croûte among canapés, truffled leek and Gruyère quiche with mustard-dressed fine beans, duck liver schnitzel with shallot marmalade and a quail's egg, crab and scallop tortellini with brown shrimps and spinach in beurre blanc, lamb rump with coco beans and tomato. Desserts align with the French register: crème caramel, chocolate pavé, rhubarb and almond tart with crème fraîche. This is not an experimental or produce-led Modern British menu in the current sense, it is classical, settled cooking that suits a neighbourhood clientele and a celebratory dinner equally well.

Service and Value

This is where Julie's earns its recommendation at the ££ price point. The Michelin guide describes the service team as friendly and engaging, the broader notes on the room, a place where artists, thinkers and regulars feel at home, suggest a front-of-house culture that supports rather than performs. For a date or special occasion dinner, service that is warm without being obsequious matters as much as the food. The extensive wine list includes wines by the glass from £9, the guide notes that even serious Bordeaux and Burgundy come at a fraction of West End pricing. That combination, a Michelin Plate kitchen, a room that works for occasions, a wine list without West End markups, is what makes the ££ positioning feel like genuine value rather than compromise. Compare this to the ££££ bracket: at CORE by Clare Smyth or The Ritz Restaurant, you are paying for a different category of ambition and formality. Julie's is not competing there, the pricing reflects that honestly.

Who Should Book

Julie's works well for: a date night where the room needs to do some work; a small celebration (two to four people) where you want occasion atmosphere without occasion pricing; and anyone who wants French classical cooking in West London without committing to a tasting menu. It is a strong neighbourhood restaurant that happens to have Michelin recognition, not a destination you travel across the city to reach. Notting Hill and Holland Park residents are the natural constituency, but it is worth the journey from elsewhere in West London for the right occasion. For broader London dining options, see our full London restaurants guide.

Practical Details

Reservations: Easy to book, no extended lead time required for most dates, though weekend evenings and key dates are worth booking ahead. Dress: Smart casual suits the room; the striped banquettes and parquet floor set a certain tone without requiring formality. Budget: ££ per head; wines by the glass from £9, with the full list well-priced relative to central London. Getting there: 135 Portland Road, London W11, Holland Park area, accessible from Holland Park or Notting Hill Gate tube stations. Leading for: Date night, small celebrations, neighbourhood dinner with visiting guests.

How It Compares

See the comparison section below for how Julie's sits against London's wider Modern British restaurant field.

Pearl Picks, If You're Exploring Further

If Julie's style of classical European cooking appeals and you want to explore similar territory in London, Cornus, Dorian, and Ormer Mayfair are worth considering at different price points. For the broader Modern British category outside London, The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, hide and fox in Saltwood, 33 The Homend in Ledbury, and Artichoke in Amersham represent the category across different formats and price tiers. For everything else in the city: London hotels, London bars, London wineries, and London experiences.