The Little Yellow Door

Found on a colourful street in Notting Hill, The Little Yellow Door is a bar and restaurant which masquerades as a house share. It’s the same concept as at sibling site The Little Blue Door in Fulham, although we found there was a little less commitment to the theme here. While the Fulham site features a separate kitchen and a faux utility room, its Notting Hill sister looks like most boho-chic restaurants, filled with a hodge-podge of random knick knacks.

The two-floor space features a bar and lounge area at ground level, with a few tables by the entrance which can open out onto the street on sunnier evenings. In contrast, the basement level is far bigger and features booths which can cater to larger groups, as well as a makeshift dance floor for when the party vibe cranks up.

From the menu’s humorous annotations to the jokey nature of the staff, it’s clear this is a fun venue. We got started with a Crimes of Passion from the expansive list of quirky cocktails, which is the gang’s take on a Pornstar Martini. It’s a fruity blend of strawberries-and-cream-infused vodka, passionfruit, and fizz served with an Insta-friendly toasted marshmallow on top. We also enjoyed the surprise punch, which is a house party appropriate blend of rums, guava and fruit juices.

Little Yellow Door’s bar bites range from the snacky to the indulgent – kick-start with a helping of crudites and pita soldiers, which you can marry with fabulous dips including an earthy beetroot hummus, as well as chopped avocado pepped up with chilli and coriander. From the larger dishes, we enjoyed LYD’s upmarket take on a cheeseburger which arrived slathered in truffle mayonnaise and topped with Swiss cheese and confit onions.

The only real dud was the restaurant’s sole dessert. It’s hyped up on the menu, labelled as the ‘best f*cking chocolate pudding’, but we found it to be a rather average chocolate sponge. That aside, The Little Yellow Door is a fun spot for a casual dinner and drinks – head here if you’re looking for a place that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  

A sibling to Fulham’s The Little Blue Door, this faux flatshare is actually a restaurant and bar, all done out to look like your best mate’s living quarters. Following a successful pop up, the team have found a permanent spot in Notting Hill, serving up food and cocktails, as well as rewarding loyal customers with personalised mug-shot mugs and a key to the front door which will always guarantee you entry (the uninitiated have to ring the doorbell).

Expect a cuisine-leaping menu inspired by the ‘flatmates’ travels – think pork belly and peanut bao buns with house pickles, and salt and pepper squid served with lettuce wraps, lime leaf and lemongrass dipping sauce. At the bar, you’ll find quirky cocktails with names such as Coffee and Cigarettes, while on the weekends you can enjoy bottomless brunches and Sunday roasts.

If you don’t want the party to end, head downstairs to The Flatmates’ Den, a games room featuring poker tables, board games and music, which stays open until 2am.