Food Review: Dove, Notting Hill, London

Dove in Notting Hill seems to be the trendiest restaurant in London right now — and with Jackson Boxer as the chef, it’s easy to see why.

Getting a reservation is nearly impossible, but they advertise a "walk-in" system on their website. So, we showed up at 12:15 pm on a Friday (the restaurant opens at 12 pm) hoping to get a table. Despite the restaurant being half empty, the hostess immediately told us there was no availability, not even for walk-ins — so it’s safe to say the walk-in system is a bit of a sham. Luckily, an older gentleman overheard us and kindly offered to cancel his reservation so we could take his table. By then, the atmosphere already felt snobby and unnecessarily pretentious, which didn’t really match the casual, minimal decor.

Throughout our entire lunch, the restaurant was never full — so the whole effort to make it feel exclusive felt a bit forced. At the end of the day, it’s just a restaurant, not Hermès.

When we asked the waiter to explain a few things on the menu, he couldn’t really answer our questions.

The star dish here is supposedly the burger, served in limited quantities. When we tried to order it (at 12:30 pm, mind you), the waiter told us it might already be sold out — which felt odd considering the restaurant was still half empty. In the end, we managed to get the last two.

Here’s what we ordered:

Fried Potato Pizzette with Burrata & Mortadella – 9.5/10: This was incredible. I’ve never tasted anything like it — the potato base was light and fluffy, perfectly paired with the fresh burrata and flavorful mortadella.

Tuna Tartare – 8/10: The flavors were excellent, but the quality of the tuna could’ve been better. It had quite a few sinewy white bits, and instead of melting in the mouth, it required a bit too much chewing.

Ricotta Dumplings with Lobster Cream & Lime Leaf – 8.5/10: A really interesting and well-balanced dish. The fresh ricotta and lime leaf added a lightness to the rich, creamy lobster sauce. Definitely one of the most unique plates we tried.

Leafy salad - 9/10: The selection of type of lettuce was interesting but most importantly the dressing was incredible.

The Infamous Burger with Gorgonzola – 4/10: Sadly, the biggest letdown of the meal. The burger was far too salty — understandable to an extent because of the gorgonzola, but this felt like eating a spoonful of salt. The meat itself was disappointing too, with a texture reminiscent of a cheap supermarket patty.

Final Thoughts: We’d definitely return for the starters and to try other mains — but if you miss out on the burger, don’t worry. Based on what we tasted, the rest of the food is far more interesting and worth your time.

Food overall: 7.5/10

Service: 6/10

Atmosphere: 5/10