The Cow

Tom Conran's 1995 Notting Hill original, one of England's first gastropubs, built around Guinness and oysters.

★ 4.4 $$ Notting Hill, London Guinness and oysters, a Notting Hill seafood lunch, an old-school gastropub

Published March 28, 2026 · by the barsforKings editorial team

The Pitch

The Cow sits on Westbourne Park Road in Notting Hill, opened by Tom Conran in 1995 as one of England's first four gastropubs. The downstairs saloon is a casual bar; a small restaurant runs upstairs.

Its signature is Guinness and oysters, the silky-and-salty pairing kept on ice above the bar. Come for that combination, a seafood platter, and a piece of gastropub history. Skip it if you want a quiet table on a Saturday, because the saloon gets packed and loud.

At a Glance

Address89 Westbourne Park Road, Notting Hill, London W2 5QH

NeighbourhoodNotting Hill, London

Nearest transitWestbourne Park (Hammersmith & City), about 8 minutes

Price Range$$

Typical spendabout £6 a pint

Drinks specialtyGuinness and oysters, seafood, gastropub plates

ReservationsWalk in downstairs; book the upstairs restaurant

HoursOpen daily, with the upstairs restaurant running lunch and dinner. Check the official site for current times.

Best forGuinness and oysters, a Notting Hill seafood lunch, an old-school gastropub

Plan Your Visit

The Cow is in Notting Hill, London. Walk in downstairs; book the upstairs restaurant.

Get Directions Ask Our Team

89 Westbourne Park Road, Notting Hill, London W2 5QH

The Room

The ground-floor saloon is a tight, characterful bar with oysters on ice and a regular crowd. The upstairs restaurant is the calmer room for a full seafood meal.

The Cow has kept its 1990s gastropub bones rather than chasing a refit. Londonist and Time Out both frame it as an enduring Notting Hill original.

The Drinks

Guinness is the order, poured to match the oysters that are the house speciality. Beyond that the bar keeps a straightforward range of beer and wine.

Order a Guinness and a half-dozen oysters in the downstairs saloon. Upstairs, the kitchen runs Cow classics including fish stew, bangers and mash, and the Deluxe Seafood Platter that the official site builds its name on.

What to Order

Guinness and a half-dozen oysters

The house pairing, kept on ice above the bar. The reason the place exists.

The Deluxe Seafood Platter

The upstairs signature, built for sharing.

Fish stew

A Cow classic on the restaurant menu.

Bangers and mash with onion gravy

Gastropub comfort for anyone skipping the seafood.

The Crowd and Vibe

The Cow draws Notting Hill and Westbourne Park locals, seafood regulars, and a weekend crowd that knows the Guinness-and-oysters routine.

It runs busiest at weekend lunch and on Friday evenings, when the downstairs saloon fills and gets loud. The upstairs restaurant stays the calmer choice.

What Regulars Say

Guinness and oysters is the defining order, and the official site, Time Out, and Londonist all lead with it.
Regulars treat the downstairs saloon as the place to be, with the upstairs restaurant for a sit-down meal.
The gastropub pedigree, as one of the first four in England, comes up repeatedly as the reason it still matters.