A stylish Notting Hill gastropub with a beautiful room, standout roast lunches, and genuine destination appeal — but service consistency and value can swing sharply, so go for the food and setting, not blind faith.
The Princess Royal Pub & Boutique Hotel earns a solid A- grade on the strength of strong food quality, particularly roast dinners and brunch, paired with an appealing, stylish setting that draws diners to Notting Hill. However, inconsistent execution across visits and uneven service knowledge prevent a higher grade, as the venue struggles to deliver reliably polished experiences under pressure.
The Princess Royal feels like a polished Notting Hill hangout that wants to be three things at once: a proper pub, a destination restaurant, and a boutique hotel with decent style. When it hits, it really hits — guests talk about a beautiful room, a calm conservatory, a lively-but-comfortable mood, and service that makes people feel looked after rather than processed. One reviewer summed up the best version of the place as a “quiet oasis,” and that captures the appeal nicely. Food is more ambitious than standard pub fare, leaning into modern British gastropub cooking with roast dinners, seafood, tartares, brunch plates, and grill items. The menu has plenty of appeal if you like pub classics with a dressed-up edge rather than heavy comfort food. The trade-off is that expectations matter: the same place can feel excellent one day and overpriced or underwhelming the next, especially when the kitchen or floor gets busy. Families can work well here. There are familiar dishes kids can handle — roast chicken, fries, bread, eggs, pancakes, burgers, and simple sides — so this is not a tricky-adventurous menu. That said, it is still a stylish, somewhat premium venue, not a loud children’s place, so it suits well-behaved kids who can sit through a proper meal more than a chaos-friendly family pub.
Area vibe: Stylish, residential and boutique-commercial area with a relaxed yet upscale vibe.
Safety: Generally safe and well-lit with steady evening footfall, though pockets quiet at night.
What's nearby: Close to Westbourne Grove, Portobello Road, Notting Hill Gate tube and numerous independent shops and restaurants.
Sunday roast, Chicken Milanese, seafood mains like Roast Whole Plaice or monkfish, and panna cotta are reliably highlighted on the menu.
Expect a stylish, pricier-than-average pub where reservations are recommended, parking is scarce and service quality can be hit or miss.
A photogenic, comfortable space with a conservatory and terrace that reads as a calm Notting Hill destination.