Canteen

310 Portobello Rd

Notting Hill, London

W10 5TA

(nearest tube – Ladbroke Road)

BY NEAL
MARTIN | MAY 23, 2025

The Food:

Mozzarella
with purple sprouting broccoli, anchovies and pangrattato

Casarecce
wild garlic pesto

Asiago
risotto with leek and pancetta

Fettuccine
sausage ragu

Rhubarb
panna cotta

Chocolate
mousse

The Wine:

2022 Pelassa
Daniele Barbera d’Alba Superiore San Pancrazio – 90

I count
them. 

Eighteen.


There
are eighteen people wrapped up in thick coats and scarves forming an orderly
queue. It’s 11.45 am on a Monday morning. There is a frisson of excitement
amongst those loitering with a mixture of intent and hunger, enduring Arctic
conditions to lunch at one of London’s hottest tickets. You see, Canteen is
walk-in only. No bookings. Having travelled in from faraway(ish) Surrey, I would
rather not schlep into the capital to find there’s “no room at the inn.”<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1748010739679-canteen+facade_VT.JPG">Canteen's welcoming façade. 

So,
like everyone else, I arrive early to secure a seat. It pays off, because I’m
shown to a counter stool in front of the open kitchen—the best seat in the house.
For the next two hours, I will sit and be hypnotised by the young chefs,
capture their conversation, see their personalities up close and even strike up
conversation as one of them stretches the dough. Another bonus of my counter
location is that the warmth emanating from the pizza ovens is defrosting my
face. 

Patrons
are a mixture of hipster locals lucky enough to call Notting Hill home and gastronomes
coming to see what the fuss is about. Canteen is moderate in size, afforded
plenty of light with large windows on either side. There is a bustling vibe. I
wouldn’t come here for a romantic date. There’s a hubbub of noise and a music soundtrack
that might be too loud for some, though personally, I would not touch the
volume dial. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1748010823102-canteen+chefs_VT.JPG">My counter seat offered a prime view of the kitchen team at work. 

There
is something very assured about Canteen, which opened late last summer. Its
uninspired name is a bit like Morrissey and Marr calling their band “The
Smiths” insofar that the banality of the name belies self-belief. That confidence
is no surprise, since the team behind Canteen also runs nearby popular
gastropubs The Pelican and The Hero, and two former members of The River Café
team lead the kitchen. There are similarities between The River Café and
Canteen. The menu here is short, but you want to eat everything. Every
ingredient is absolutely top-notch. Pasta is made in-house, stored in
refrigerated units lined up at the back. There is a faint whiff of flour in the
air. Pizzas are spun and stretched in front of you. The dishes are polished and
so damn delicious you will be plotting your return at first chew. 

Where this
differs from The River Café is in price. 

Here,
you can do as I did and order a range of smaller plates for around £15.00 each,
so share that between two or more and you’re laughing. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1748010856849-canteen+broccoli_VT.JPG">Mozzarella with purple sprouting broccoli, anchovies and pangrattato. 

Readers
should note that the menu changes monthly, but this summary will give you an
idea of what’s on offer. I forego the main courses and pizzas because, well,
you know how pasta expands as your gastric juices try in vain to break it down.
It’s easy to overindulge. The focaccia sets the tone. It’s the best I’ve eaten
in a very long time, light and moist, doused with olive oil and not
oversalted. The mozzarella with purple sprouting broccoli, anchovies and pangrattato
(toasted breadcrumbs) is fabulous. The “mozz” is to die for…so pure and creamy,
again, one of the best I have eaten in the capital. The broccoli is sweet and
tender, whilst the anchovies and pangrattato lend saltiness and texture
respectively. For nine quid, I doubt you will find better value in London. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1748010876902-canteen+pesto_VT.JPG">Casarecce wild garlic pesto.I
choose three pasta-based dishes. The Casarecce wild garlic pesto is perfectly al
dente and nuanced in flavour. It is relatively neutral in style, maybe too
nuanced for those who enjoy a bit of punch in their pasta, but I find it
delectable.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1748010904338-canteen+risotto_VT.JPG">Asiago risotto with leek and pancetta. The
Asiago risotto comes with leek and pancetta. This is served on a shallow plate,
whereas personally, I prefer it in a bowl so that I can dig my spoon in. Maybe
I would have seasoned it a tiny bit more, though the pancetta is wonderfully
crisp.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1748010925778-canteen+ragu_VT.JPG">Fettuccine sausage ragu. 

Thirdly,
the fettuccine sausage ragu is, again, quite subtle in flavour, understated
compared to ragu encountered elsewhere, though it means the dish doesn’t
overpower. Perhaps I would have liked a little more tomato sauce, but hey, no
complaints—it’s delicious. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1748010950627-canteen+panna+cotta_VT.JPG">Rhubarb panna cotta. 

The
rhubarb panna cotta is out of this world. Modest in size, the in-season pink
rhubarb is heavenly, gorgeously sweet and tender, the panna cotta itself a
little firmer in texture and exquisitely balanced. I also order a chocolate
mousse with olive oil and sea salt. It is much larger than expected, an overly generous
dollop, quite soft and creamy in texture. I promise myself I’ll only eat a
portion. Suffice it to say that it’s demolished in a few minutes. 

Food of
this quality deserves a better selection of wines than the handful
offered. Looking around, I am the only person in this packed room partaking in daytime
libation. It seems a pre-emptive decision when setting up Canteen that wine is
secondary, a perfectly omissible accoutrement. Is that not a catch-22 situation?
If wine is not offered, then it is not at the forefront of customers’ minds, so
do they just not entertain the idea? Is this a taste of things to come? Or not
to come? Perhaps I must accept that in this day and age, when teetotalism
is rising, I am in the dwindling minority. It is certainly a cause for concern
that winemakers and everyone linked to wine needs to wake up to…the fact that in
some quarters, wine is becoming passé. 

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1748010986437-canteen+wine_VT.JPG">Nevertheless,
the handful of Italian wines offered are by the glass, not that they tempted
other patrons to order. I am enjoying the food so much that I order a special
that is not on the list, a 2022 Barbera d’Alba San Pancrazio Superiore from
Pelassa Daniele. It costs about triple the price I can buy a bottle
for at importers “Davy &amp; Co.,” though to be honest, the wine is a little
gem. Raspberry, tomato vine and light liquorice scents unfurl on the nose. The
palate is silky smooth and very well balanced, with just the right amount of
bite on the finish to keep you returning. The 15% alcohol is neatly disguised,
and I request the cork so I can drink the remaining half at home, lest I
stagger out into the street.Type
“Canteen” into a search engine and you will find one ecstatic review after
another. The restaurant successfully combines casual presentation with
quality-driven dishes, perhaps only matched by The River Café and Luca in
London. It would be easy to presume that Canteen is cutting corners somewhere,
given its reasonable prices, but that is clearly not the case when you see the
brigade diligently prepping dishes. Service is immaculate and friendly. How
nice to see a mostly young team in an age when it is challenging to recruit
people who know what service ought to be. Frankly, I’ve paid a lot more for
Italian food in London…but I don’t think any has quite matched here. © 2025, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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