E&O

E&O sits on the corner of Blenheim Crescent in Notting Hill, a short walk from both Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill Gate. It opened in 2001 and became one of the benchmarks for London's wave of pan Asian dining, a Will Ricker room that pairs a serious kitchen with a moody cocktail bar. More than two decades in, it still pulls a west London crowd.

This is a dressed up spot for cocktails and small plates rather than a casual local. The bar does the drinking, the dining room does sushi, dim sum and tempura. If you want cheap and cheerful, this is the wrong postcode. If you want a polished Notting Hill night, it holds up.

The bar runs dark and moody with low lighting, set apart from the brighter dining room. Time Out notes the room's long standing reputation for serving excellent cocktails and dim sum at the bar, which is where regulars perch without a dinner booking. The corner site keeps it light filled by day and atmospheric by night.

The Blenheim Crescent location puts it in the heart of Notting Hill, an easy walk from Portobello Road. That central village position is part of why it has stayed a fixture for over twenty years.

The bar enjoys a steady reputation for cocktails, built to sit alongside the kitchen's pan Asian flavors, plus a sake and wine list aimed at the food. Order dim sum at the bar and a cocktail to match if you are not staying for dinner. The menu pairs touches like black vinegar with crispy pork belly, so ask the bar to match a drink to the plates.

The crowd is a polished Notting Hill mix of dates, locals and a long standing regular set drawn back over the years. The bar fills in the early evening with the pre dinner cocktail crowd, then carries on into the night. Weekends are the busiest and most dressed up.

Find more with our London cocktail bars guide and the London bar guide. Pair E&O with Andina in Shoreditch, Callooh Callay in Shoreditch, or Three Sheets in Dalston. For more reading, see our best bars in Notting Hill roundup and our best cocktail bars in London pillar, or browse the cocktail bars near me hub.