Dining in Kensington at its Best

Kensington is arguably one of London’s major tourist accommodation centres so, understandably, many visitors are interested to know what the dining in Kensington is really like.

Reviews

You should, of course, look up online dining reviews and, in theory, that’s fine but it does have some limitations. The fact is that not all online reviews can be trusted to be honest. It’s long been known that it’s possible to pay people to write a glowing review of an establishment and post it onto an independent review website. It’s distasteful and unethical but sadly it happens. So, some of those ecstatic reviews of an experience dining in Kensington might not be entirely what they seem.

Another issue with online reviews is that you can’t always be sure that they’re current. Glowing reports from six months back might be encouraging, but as any food critic will tell you, a LOT can change in a restaurant over that period of time.

Insider Tips

With that in mind, if you’re staying in a Kensington hotel, the soundest piece of advice is to ask to the opinion of the staff, and specifically an experienced concierge. They take their job seriously so you should be able to be certain that they’ll suggest some great local restaurants and perhaps, even if discretely, those that are worth avoiding! Their advice on dining in Kensington will be much more personal, valuable and up-to-date than anything you’ll find on the web.

Don’t Ignore the Hotels for Great Dining

You’ll find thousands of restaurants offering almost every cuisine you can name in and around Kensington. However, you shouldn't disregard your own hotel or others in the area for an excellent dining experience.

In the past, hotel dining may have been something of a last resort for those who couldn’t be bothered calling a taxi or taking a wander around the area. That was largely due to the rather uninspiring and unadventurous 'play it safe' Anglo-French cuisine many offered. The 'steak-and-a-prawn on a plate' approach did a lot of damage to hotel dining’s reputation – even when the food was labelled in French!

Thankfully, though, that has changed hugely over recent years. Many of the bigger and better hotels in Kensington have improved their game and recruited some dynamic contemporary chefs. It’s now possible to dine extremely well in some of the more prestigious hotels and some even qualify as 'fine dining' establishments in their own right.

Whatever your palate desires, if you do your research and take note of some insider tips, dining in Kensington can be an exciting culinary experience - worthy of the surrounds of this lovely London borough.

Matthew Zelinski works for the London Regency Hotel, one of the top Kensington hotels. For excellent accommodation and advice on local attractions and dining in Kensington, this wonderful hotel embodies the true flavour of the area. With its traditional regency-style façade and superb facilities, whether you're looking for accommodation in London for business or leisure, the Regency offers an effortlessly elegant experience.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.