Notting Hill’s Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria celebrates 18 years of southern Italian hospitality, homemade cuisine and loyal community support, led by owner Andrea Ippolito’s passion for authentic ingredients and tradition.
A beloved fixture of west London’s dining scene, Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria is preparing to celebrate 18 years in Notting Hill, marking nearly two decades of southern Italian hospitality, loyal customers and consistently acclaimed cooking.
Founded in 2008 by Andrea Ippolito and his wife, the award-winning Ladbroke Road restaurant has become a local institution, attracting generations of returning diners as well as visitors drawn to its authentic approach to Italian cuisine.
Rooted in the traditions of southern Italy, the restaurant has built its reputation on carefully sourced ingredients, generous cooking and a warm, family-style atmosphere. While widely recognised for its slow-risen sourdough pizzas, the menu also showcases seafood dishes and handmade pasta inspired by Andrea’s upbringing.
Signature dishes include Orata al Forno con Patate e Pomodorini — whole sea bream baked with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, lemon and rosemary — and Tagliatelle ai Funghi Misti, prepared with fresh egg pasta and a selection of home-grown grey oyster, pioppini and cardoncelli mushrooms, alongside seasonal wild porcini.
Highlights
- Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria celebrates its 18th anniversary in Notting Hill
- Founded in 2008 by Andrea Ippolito and his wife
- Renowned for authentic southern Italian cuisine and hospitality
- Popular for slow-risen sourdough pizzas and homemade pasta
- Signature dishes include sea bream with potatoes and mushroom tagliatelle
- Andrea grows speciality mushrooms inspired by his childhood in southern Italy
- Weekday set lunch menu offers two courses for £21
- Covered terrace ideal for spring and summer dining
- Loyal customer base built over nearly two decades
- Restaurant remains a key part of west London’s dining scene
Andrea’s passion for ingredients extends beyond the kitchen through a personal mushroom-growing project inspired by childhood memories of foraging in southern Italy with his mother. Today, he cultivates several mushroom varieties in a controlled environment designed to recreate the cool, damp climate of the Campanian hills, bringing a taste of traditional southern Italian pantry culture to west London.
The restaurant also continues to attract lunchtime diners with its weekday set lunch menu, offering two courses for £21 from Monday to Friday.
With warmer weather arriving in the capital, the restaurant’s covered terrace is expected to once again become a popular destination for long lunches, evening aperitifs and relaxed al fresco dining.
Speaking ahead of the anniversary, Andrea Ippolito said: “As we get ready to celebrate 18 years, I feel proud that our restaurant still reflects everything we believed in when we opened it. For me, it has always been about proper ingredients, generous cooking and the kind of welcome that makes people feel looked after.”
As Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria celebrates this milestone, the anniversary highlights not only the restaurant’s longevity, but also the loyal community and enduring southern Italian spirit that have made it one of Notting Hill’s best-loved neighbourhood restaurants.
The restaurant is open Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 12pm to 11pm, and Friday to Saturday from 12pm to 11.30pm.
