Nigel Noshes

A very personal view on restaurants and travel

Notting Hill Vegetarian Restaurant Review – Holy Carrot: Holy S***

At a Glance
Restaurant Holy Carrot
Location Notting Hill
Price
Rating
Verdict
Really great vegetarian food, but loud with average service

Veganuary hit our family hard. A number of years ago, after an abstemious January, one of our family decided to swear off meat forever. And this in the face of his Granny’s horror whenever we sit down to dine together: I have to admire his bravery.

It is a family tradition that you get to choose a restaurant for your birthday meal, and no-one else is allowed to complain about your choice (which is why we had a disastrous meal in Meghan’s in Richmond a couple of years ago.). So it was no surprise that the birthday boy chose a vegetarian restaurant on the achingly trendy (with prices to match) Portobello Road.

If you want a quiet meal with lots of space around your table, this is not the place for you. If you want a buzzy atmosphere with outstanding food in only faintly comfortable surroundings, then you will be very much at home. If you love meat and think that no meal is complete without it, give me a shout: We should go to Holy Carrot together and you will see why vegetarian food, when prepared with care and attention, is as good as anything you would get in the omnivore equivalent (You are paying, by the way…)

A vegetarian restaurant menu titled Holy Carrot, nestled in Notting Hill, offers a delightful selection of wine, beer, cider, and alcohol-free options, alongside refreshing juices and smoothies.
Close-up of a menu at Holy Carrot, a vegetarian restaurant in Notting Hill, showcasing cocktails like Old Fashioned, Espresso Martini, and Lychee Martini. Enjoy alongside an array of refreshing beers, ciders, and delightful snacks.
Discover the Holy Carrots dinner menu at this Notting Hill vegetarian restaurant, featuring an enticing array of snacks, smalls, larges, and sides with delightful plant-based dishes and prices that will surely receive rave reviews.

Annoyingly, I did not capture the exact menu we had, but the one above is a pretty good facsimile. You’ll notice I did manage to snap the drinks menus, which definitely speaks to a slightly warped set of priorities.

You must have a cocktail. While they are bought in, they are amazing (unlike Megan’s bought in cocktails which were weak and awful). Not cheap, but then London cocktails have recently experienced Weimar-like inflation.

A glass with ice and a sealed bottled drink sit on a wooden table at Holy Carrot, the acclaimed Notting Hill vegetarian restaurant. Nearby, a menu tempts discerning diners while a knife awaits its culinary duties.

We basically ordered everything. If you go, best to go in a group so you can experience the full range of food on offer, as all of it is good. While there is an emphasis on charring, as you can see from the photos, there is an amazing array on offer.

At a charming vegetarian restaurant in Notting Hill, a bowl of pasta with sauce is topped with sliced jalapeño, sage leaves, and thin carrot curls on a wooden table. Glasses and plates grace the background at Holy Carrot.
Plate of sliced leeks in a green and yellow sauce, garnished with almonds and herbs, on a wooden table at Holy Carrot, a renowned Notting Hill vegetarian restaurant. Nearby, a person in a white shirt enjoys this delightful dish.
In the heart of Notting Hill, a person holds a plate of red endive leaves above a dish with green sauce and chopped herbs at the renowned Holy Carrot, a celebrated vegetarian restaurant.
At the charming Holy Carrot in Notting Hill, a plate of roasted carrots garnished with herbs and sauce is being held over a wooden table, exemplifying this vegetarian restaurants commitment to delightful plant-based cuisine.
Two hands present a plate of flatbreads and a small bowl of cream above a cooked mushroom dish at Holy Carrot, a vegetarian restaurant in Notting Hill.
A person holding a vibrant meat dish garnished with fresh herbs and sauce on a wooden table; its a surprising find amidst the innovative vegetarian offerings at Notting Hills Holy Carrot, promising an unexpected delight for those seeking diverse flavors.
A metal plate with various pickled vegetables, including carrot slices, red beets, cucumber, and radish, graces a wooden table at Holy Carrot in Notting Hill. A menu is partially visible in the background of this charming vegetarian restaurant setting.

I have since canvassed the assembled cast, and while it is a tough choice, the Hummus, Carrots, Stracciatella, Pumpkin and Koji Bread win out. Basically, you cannot order badly, but you can order brilliantly.

I am not a pudding person, but when it’s your birthday, it is inevitable that someone is going to bring you something to celebrate, so everyone rallied round to make the birthday boy feel less lonely.

A small chocolate dessert with a melted candle on top sits on a dark plate next to a crispy garnish.
A hand rests next to a bowl of chocolate pudding topped with cream sauce on a wooden table, reminiscent of the delightful desserts at Holy Carrot, the renowned vegetarian restaurant in Notting Hill.
At Holy Carrot in Notting Hill, a poached pear in a pink bowl sits elegantly alongside a glass of soft serve ice cream swirled with caramel, next to a sleek gray pitcher on the wooden table—an inviting scene at this renowned vegetarian restaurant.
Menu titled Desserts on a wooden table with options for sweet items, warm drinks, and teas, including chocolate torte and iced matcha latte. Glasses visible nearby.

All really rather excellent. I only have two complaints: First, the wine is a bit toppy in price terms (especially by the glass), although we did find a Vermentino we liked.

A person holds a bottle of Antonio Camillo 2023 Vermentino wine from Toscana. Glasses and a plate are on the wooden table in the background.

Second, sad to say, was the service. Really quite uninterested and not particularly attentive. It took quite a while to get drinks ordered, and then to order the food. But don’t be put off, as the end result is amazing.

Conclusion

Rating: 4.5/5 (half a mark off for service)

Holy Carrot: https://www.holycarrot.co.uk

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Polpo Sloane Square Review: Grabbing Lunch by the Tentacles At a charming Fitzrovia restaurant, savor a plate of creamy risotto topped with sliced meat, crispy shallots, grated carrots, and a garnish of herbs, elegantly served on a wooden table.Fitzrovia Restaurant Review – Clipstone: It’s a no-brainer A basket of assorted fried vegetables served on a napkin-lined plate, with utensils and a drink visible in the background.Richmond Restaurant Review – The Ivy Cafe: It grows on you… Four plates of Middle Eastern dips, including hummus and labneh, garnished with herbs, olive oil, chickpeas, and spices, arranged on a wooden table.Soho Restaurant Review – Bubala: Great Food on the Edge (of Poland Street)

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2 responses to “Notting Hill Vegetarian Restaurant Review – Holy Carrot: Holy S***”

  1. Trafalgar Square Restaurant Review – Portrait: Not such a pretty picture… – Nigel Noshes

    […] whack is fair enough if the food and service lives up to it (or even just the food in the case of Holy Carrot), but this promised much, but the picture it paints is not […]

    Reply
  2. Borough Market Restaurant Review – Mallow: Drama? Absolutely not. – Nigel Noshes

    […] was comfortable. This was in stark contrast to our last couple of vegetarian outings to Bubala and Holy Carrot, where the food was amazing, but so was the volume. I had a couple of semaphore flags in my bag in […]

    Reply

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