Where to go on Portobello Road, London

Portobello Road Market

Portobello Road Market is one of the largest and most famous antiques markets in the world with over a thousand street stalls selling antiques and collectables. Mixed in amongst the antiques are traditional fruit and veg stalls, plus traders selling jewellery, bric-a-brac, vintage clothes and ethical handmade products. There are also antiques arcades and hundreds of buzzing shops.

 

Fashion

Portobello Market is still best known for its antiques, but the fashion scene has exploded here and more and more stalls are selling a range of cutting-edge and vintage clothing.

 

Village life in London

Portobello Road stretches for about two miles and runs from Notting Hill tube station to just past Ladbroke Grove in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The area has a unique atmosphere and community spirit, making it feel like a village in the middle of the city. There are private gardens here but also plenty of large green spaces open to the public. Holland Park and Hyde Park are also just a walk away. A lot of London buyers who want to know their neighbours but are not ready to move out to the country make a move within London to this district.

 

Film makers and fashionistas

Film-makers love Portobello Road. The classic '90s rom-com Notting Hill starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant was set here and before the movie property in Notting Hill was relatively affordable. Not surprisingly, after the film’s global success house prices shot up. Today tourists flock to take selfies in front of the blue door at the corner of Portobello Road and Westbourne Park Road where Hugh Grant's character lived in Notting Hill. Paddington and Love Actually were also filmed on and around Portobello and talented musicians and street entertainers are always around, hoping to be spotted and to become the next big thing.

 

Traditional British pubs

The Castle and The Duke of Wellington are two traditional pubs on Portobello Road that combine the best in pub hospitality with individuality, character and charm – and great food. Both have Notting Hill movie claims to fame. The Castle is located directly opposite the famous blue door and The Duke of Wellington had a cameo role in the film. Plus, the Duke of Wellington was the place where global superstar Adele signed her first recording contract.

 

Portobello Road Gin

Portobello Road has its own internationally-acclaimed gin – Portobello Road Gin - made on site at a working distillery. The Distillery is a four-storey gin palace located on the corner of Portobello Rd and Talbot Rd. Visitors booking the gin experience can learn about the history of gin and blend their own at the on-site Ginstitute. The Distillery has two bars, a basement gin distillery, a gin museum and a micro hotel on the top floor with views over the market.

 

Food

Neighbourhood restaurants and independent cafes are everywhere on Portobello Road where the food is guaranteed to be as delicious as it is Instagrammable. At weekends the best place to find street food is Acklam Village Market on Portobello Road where there is often live entertainment alongside the traders. Jake’s Vegan Steaks, Portobello Juice and Une Normande a Londres selling artisan cheeses, meats and preserves from across France are three traders giving just a small flavour of the choice of food on offer.

 

Arts and Culture

Portobello Rd has its fair share of London art galleries. The Muse, Graffik London and the Portobello Arts Club are three of the most famous. Since Banksy captured the public imagination, street art has steadily gained credibility in the art world, and Graffik exhibits the finest street and urban art all year round, including works by Banksy. On the street outside, look out for the 100m long Portobello Wall which features artworks commissioned by the local council. There is literary history here too. In 1927, English novelist George Orwell – author of Animal Farm and 1984 – lived at 22 Portobello Road. Today the pastel blue house is marked by a matching blue plaque.

 

The Electric Cinema

Owned by the Soho House group, the Electric Cinema at 191 Portobello Road is one of London’s oldest and now most luxurious cinemas. The vintage-style auditorium includes velvet armchairs, king-sized sofas and even front-row beds. All seats come with their own side table and lamp. The Portobello Film Festival is held in the vicinity every summer and some winters in venues in and around Portobello Road, showcasing independent films by new filmmakers.

 

World-famous carnival

Every August bank holiday weekend the Notting Hill Carnival bursts onto the streets of Portobello and Notting Hill attracting over a million people in a celebration of West Indian culture. Local streets are packed with floats, bands, dancers and food stalls serving traditional Caribbean food and the carnival is now the largest street festival in Europe.

 

Our new office is now open at 322a Portobello Rd, so please stop by for a cup of tea if you’re in the area. If you’re interested in a free valuation of your home, you can book online now or call your local Michael Graham office and one of our team will be delighted to help.