Holy Carrot

Holy Carrot is all about fire and ferments. It's a familiar approach from chef co-founder Daniel Watkins' restaurant Acme Fire Cult, but at Holy Carrot, serves as a liturgy to the humble vegetable alone. Refined with an edge, this is the kind of vegan, plant-forward restaurant that can cater to both a well-heeled Notting Hill clientele and earthier Portobello Road thrifters.

It’s impossible to talk about Holy Carrot without a mention of its magnetic interiors. Led by the discerning eye of co-founder and ex-Vogue producer Irina Linovich, it’s like an ultramodern limestone cave. Textured walls curve as if hewn from stone to form sheltered nooks for gently lit tables and coal-black chairs. Keep walking, and you’ll find Watkins and team busily plating pickles, coal-roasted leeks, and grill-scorched veggies tossed in fiery sauces.

We begin with its signature koji bread, which is sour, verging-on-bitter in flavour, and intended as a vehicle for a chilli smoked mushroom ragu. Although we felt it slightly overpowered the rich subtleties of the prickly sauce, it’s easy to see why it’s a fan favourite. Elsewhere, punchy, harissa-spiced carrots are paired with a deft creamy hummus and the refreshing hit of shiso, while a bowl of Oyster mushrooms al pastor are punishingly good - hot and charred until crisp with pineapple and a silken tofu cream.

For dessert, a dark chocolate tahini cremeux with a salty caramel sauce hits all the right notes. We round off with a matcha tiramisu of lightly cultured ‘cream’ and sponge soaked in spent coffee kombucha. It’s a clever little thing, although after the almighty whack of flavour delivered with our main course, comes off a tad too gentle in comparison.

Calling Holy Carrot ‘vegan’ doesn't do it justice, and in some ways, neither does ‘plant-forward’, but we love that it refuses to be bound by rules or decorum. Its willingness to push boundaries is what makes it brilliant. Matched with an energetic atmosphere and an accessible list of natural and biodynamic wines, we can see it doing well in London’s progressive dining scene.

Found in the beautifully colourful Notting Hill neighbourhood, Holy Carrot brings Londoners a vegetable-forward menu, matched with a chic and sophisticated setting.  After a series of successful supper clubs, Holy Carrot opened the doors to its first permanent site on Portobello Road in July 2024. Since then Acme Fire Cult’s Daniel Watkins has taken to the kitchen as executive chef. Dishes follow Watkins' signature ‘fire and fermentation’ approach, this time with an entirely meat-free, low-waste menu.

Led by the creative eye of founder and ex-Vogue producer, Irina Linovich, the interiors of Holy Carrot are welcoming, minimalist, and achingly on-trend with earthy curving walls, terrazzo flooring, and dark wood tables. This is a restaurant where guests are encouraged to kick back and relax, whether dining indoors or outdoors.

The menu at Holy Carrot is proof that vegetable-led dishes need not be boring or flavourless. In fact, they are fashionable, delicious, and always creative.
Snacks begin the menu, including koji flatbread with chilli ragu and smoked mushroom, along with sweet potato hummus with bhel puri and focaccia. Small plates follow. Think grilled watermelon with cucumber, seaweed and togarashi and Cuore Del Vesuvio tomatoes paired with almond ricotta, kombu and fine herbs.

For your main, choose the hispi cabbage dolma with vadouvan butter and cashew cream, or the glazed oyster mushroom with salsa verde. Other mains include the asparagus with piattone and dill butter, and the grilled trombetta with miso bagna càuda with white bean and crema. Nobody wants to skip the dessert section, especially when it's this enticing. The matcha tiramisu comes with coffee kombucha and candied pecans. The chocolate tahini cremeux is topped with roast hazelnuts, and the vanilla amazake is paired with grilled strawberries and pistachios. To pair, expect an equally intriguing low-intervention wine list.