Essenza in Kensington and Chelsea

Piccolo, intimo ristorante a Notting Hill con una clientela elegante e personale molto gentile. Si mangiano tipici piatti italiani, ottimi i primi, buonissimi i secondi e dolci. Ci vado spesso e molto volentieri

Had gluten free pasta, tasted nice but in the mere dribble of sauce at the base of fhs plate was split. We also spent 45 minutes after being brought the bill waiting to pay which was extremely frustrating. Trying to get someone’s attention multiple times and being ignored. Just leaving customers to wait at their outside table, assuming to intice people in as it looked busy on the outside? Maybe getting up to leave would’ve brought them over quicker…

It's delicious~ but the price is a little expensive.

Highly recommended restaurant. Very nice!!

The food was wonderful and the people were very kind. Grazie mille a tutti.

We found this “little gem” on the street parallel to Portobello St, just around the blue gate of Notting Hill. Delicious food and excellent service. We recommend the crispy panera and the pastas above all (we had caccio and Pepe and gnocchi)

The food was substandard to me for an Italian restaurant and traveled around italy eating their cuisine. Extremely overpriced and impatient staff. For the price, more effort could have been made.

This spot was recommend by a friend whilst staying in Nottinghill. The food was really tasty at you got a huge portion for really decent prices, especially for the area. Food and staff lovely, seemed very popular with locals, would recommend!

Excellent service and food. The fettuccine alla bolognese was amazing. Highly recommended

The food is excellent, best meat and pasta in London. I go regularly there. Nice service, really great authentic Italian food. The atmosphere is simple, not over fancy. This is in my opinion the best Italian restaurant in London. I absolutely love it. Highly recommended.

This is really the best Italian restaurant I know. The food is absolutely fantastic, wonderful special pasta dishes, Roman specialties - and the best meat in London. Whatever you want from an Italian restaurant, it's here. Not over fancy, just right. I go there almost every day. The service is attentive and fast. I absolutely love this place and recommend it warmly to everyone.

The oxtail risotto is unbeatable, fantastic wine selection, they do a lovely tiramisu and brilliant cheeses, but most importantly the service is impeccable. Highly recommended!

Fantastic Italian cuisine Home made spaghetti with seafood was very delicious Osso bucco was superb Finally tiramisu was so super tasty Very good and friendly service Wonderful experience

Most delicious tasty Italian dishes I ever experienced, especially home made spaghetti and superb osso bucco. Tiramisu was incredibly outstanding ! Service was very good; very friendly staff. Highly recommended!

The oxtail risotto is unbeatable, fantastic wine selection, they do a lovely tiramisu and brilliant cheeses, but most importantly the service is impeccable. Highly recommended!

Lovely restaurant that serves a great variety of authentic and delicious Italian dishes. The selection of wines and spirits is amazing and the decor is beautiful and intimate. The service is impeccable and all the staff are professional and friendly. A truly amazing Italian restaurant in the heart of London, highly recommend :)

Lovely restaurant that serves authentic and delicious Italian food - great selection of wines and spirits and beautiful decor. The service is impeccable and all the staff are professional and friendly. Highly recommend :)

Delicious food at good prices with excellent service. We arrived quite late of an evening, but nothing was too much trouble for the staff

Love this place so much have been going for years definitely one of my favourites in London. The starter Cozze e volgole is a must try.

We had good hopes of Essenza but unfortunately these were dashed. The table was rather cramped and not comfortable. A minestrone soup at £10.10 (why the 10p) was so thin it hardly resembled a proper minestrone. A carpaccio of beef with 5 slices of meat and some rocket at £15.50, not great quality beef. My main course of Veal was so disappointing, a piece of tasteless veal and school dinner mashed potatoes - a travesty at £26. One of us found a large piece of plastic in their meal - a half hearted apology given. I ordered a bottle of Bardolino which I expected to be red (it did say Rose on the wine list but I hadn't noticed. When it came and I mentioned that I thought Bardolino was a red wine, the waiter looked at me as though I was mad "No" he said "Bardolino is Rose". Well, you learn something new every day. Will not go back

Always delicious and cosy and you can hear yourself speak here. Yummy health sea bass and broccoli. But the pasta is all recommendable.

Ordered “handmade” tortelloni, paid 20£ only for that. That s not handmade, if you buy pasta sheets and roll them up into a massive tortellone shape, fill it in with some spinach and ricotta with no salt at all. Sauce was liquid, in general no taste and portion for 20£ was definitely not enough. Than we ordered gnocchi ai 4 formaggi. They were completely soaked in a liquid cream sauce, there was a dusty cheese on top (probably the last part of an old cheese piece which seemed like a pecorino)… this one was extremely salty, really a lot and that was 17£. Soufflé was a bought one, not made by them, not the best but edible, tiramisu was claimed to be with pavesini, which was not true, those are not pavesini. Overall, we really spent a lot of money for what we got and it was definitely not worth it. By the way I’m a Roman chef

Delicious Italian restaurant right off the bustling streets in Notting Hill. Food was delicious, staff was very friendly and accommodating. They were able to accommodate my gluten and dairy allergy.

The best Tiramisu I've ever had 😋 worth every penny

I am Italian and believe me this is one of the best restaurants in Portobello! Food is delicious and the staff is professional. I recommend it!

The tastiest Italian meal I have had in London. Ee had Tortellini Basilico, Melanzana Parmigiana, and classic Tiramsu. Friendly service, cosy atmosphere, reasonable prices. Favourite with local literati. Thoroughly recommended.

One of the best and reasonable Italian meals I have had in London. Excellent service from Joao and everyone. Definitely returning.

Recomand cu mare drag! Totul a fost super Ok!

Very authentic Italian, great atmosphere and the menu has a lot of options. If you want good, authentic Italian in the Notting hill area, definitely try it.

.We went expecting a reasonable elegant dining experience. We were allured by the truffle choices on offer. Unfortunately we were having a different experience, we had a screaming baby at 9 pm at night, waiters were having to be reminded to bring ordered food, ask for olive oil to the dry spinach. The wine selection is way below par, very few good choices at reasonable prices. Walking home up Kensington Park Rd we passed many more reasonable, more appropriate restaurants… no screaming babies!

Delicious meals all around. Our group had the spaghetti bolognese, veal milanese and two of the chef specials. Everyone loved their dishes. For dessert we had the black chocolate souffle, which was really a chocolate lave cake. Very tasty. Waiter was great and gave good, honest suggestions.

The best items out had were the red sauce pastas. Delicious.

We loved every second and every bite of our dinner with you, thank you very much for a lovely evening!

Best pasta I have ever had! This restaurant is great for people who really appreciate Italian cuisine! I have been to many restaurants but this one stands out! ❤️🍝🇮🇹

I had dinner at Essenza over the weekend with a friend. We called & booked a table outside over the phone 2 days in advance. The service was great. They kept checking on us even though we were the only diners seated outside and it was a rather cool night. They were efficient but not rushed. The outside seating was comfortable (although the only source of light was street lighting & light coming from the restaurant). The food was delicious and matched our expectations. We each ordered 3 courses: burrata & calamari & prawns for starters, gnocchi in cheese sauce and pan seared tuna steak for mains, and panna cotta and tiramisu for dessert. We were happy with every single item. The drinks menu was rather basic in the non-alcoholic side but we didn’t mind. We really enjoyed our dinner at Essenza & will be coming back.

Cibo ottimo, personale gentilissimo e parlano italiano e inglese, le decorazioni sono abbastanza carine...si può mangiare dentro e fuori è tutto organizzato! Lo consiglio molto!!!

It is the right place to have a delicious authentic pasta.

A real authentic Italian restaurant with amazing food from starters to main course and desert. Also a great location with amazing hospitality. Would recommend to anyone. My absolute go to is the fettuccine bolognaise, give it a go and you will not regret!

Overpriced microwaved food. I highly recommend not eating from this restaurant. Never even received my Uber Eats order, called the restaurant and they were absolutely useless. Still waiting for my refund. Keep giving this restaurant negative feedback, it may give them the attitude adjustment they need.

We dined with a group of 10, on Saturday evening, great intimate atmosphere, nice environment and classy customers. Enjoyed food and service it’s a great Italian restaurant in the hearth of Nothing Hill

I enjoy myself in Essenza Ristorante Italian Restaurant the food was lovely.

Order accepted at 18.46. Delivered at 20.56. Over a 2 hour wait for some pasta. Very disappointing. Not the restaurant’s fault. JustEat - please reimburse.

Best Italian food in London, Ossobuco amazing

Food amazing and service very kind and fast. Generous portions. Good value for money

The worst Italian food I’ve had in 10 years. The pasta dishes are over cooked, bland and have zero flavor. The eggplant is somehow even worse, like eating cardboard. Zero effort. Like ordering from a dark kitchen late at night but 5x the price

Locale molto italiano sia x l’accoglienza che il cibo, in un quartiere decisamente romantico ma anche molto giovanile. Il Servizio accurato, disponibile, allegro e gentile in particolare il cameriere con la coda ma anche i proprietari. Cibo italiano mediterraneo, ottimi gli ingredienti semplici e di qualità. Abbiamo preso sia dei primi buonissimi che dei secondi, non abbiamo preso vino perché dovevamo camminare😂. Qualità prezzo ottimissimi. Ps il pane un po’ meno abbrustolito 😉Consigliato. 10/10

Bonne cuisine italienne. Bons vins.

Always a pleasure to eat here. Service is fantastic and food is fabulous! Real authentic and delicious food.

Cibo divino e porzioni abbondanti! Consigliatissimo

Fantastic pasta and good portions. Will not order often because its expensive but when you want to treat yourself this is the one!

Great food, great warm friendly service. Been eating here for a few years now. Never had a bad meal.

We were really looking forward to this meal, as other reviews raved about the food. We were a bit disappointed. Starters were good, of the three entrees one was good one fair and one not so good. Service was okay but not friendly

Genuine Italian experience! Excellent food and well priced given the location. Top marks for Tiramisu desert, very good helping and delicious.

Service, service, service.... The treatment we received was efficient, & perfunctory, there was a kind of bravado about being too busy crack a smile or answer a question. Some of the food was good. The tunna carpaccio was on point, though wanting a drizzle of oil. A second course of lobster ravioli served as a main, rather than the first course requested my companion called “school canteen” food, tough packets of lobster flavoured gunk, more in common with packet ravioli than the lose, silky, self evidently homemade parcels of fresh crustacean I was hoping for. The butter and sage sauce was nowhere to be seen, there were chopped tomatoes instead. The veal was good, sadly not to be had with capers. The side of beans was as confronting as our server it was so al dente. A bowl of freshly grated parmisan left on our table by another server was a benediction. The bill: £82 & change - our drinks were a smallish a bottle of sparking water at nearly £5. I had worked out the costing of this meal based on the menu posted online at around £55 - 60 for actual food & drink items. Apparently the new post Brexit/covid/war prices haven't made it on line yet - the ravioli main course has gone up from £20 to £26. Even with the 15% service charge we could not have anticipated spending £82 on three plates, a side & a bottle of water. Though I specified I wanted the plates in succession making the ravioli a second course before the main as pasta should be in Italy, the two plates were brought together as two mains, not what I had hoped for - fair enough, it was after nine by the time we walked in, however it would have been nice to be asked before the chef/server took the executive role for us. With £90 in cash on the table the prevalent attitude was the balance would be a tip on top of the service charge. 25% for service? Possibly ok, if it was pleasant: that we had to ask for our change tells you about the service & put a sour note on top of an already kinda dismal meal. I rarely eat out, this was my special treat place, I live around the corner. I thought I was so clever bringing a guest here, the experience was significantly different from the last few times (incidentally, I’ve always sat outside in the past and it’s cramped inside) I ended up feeling embarrassed & sad. I don't think I’ll be back soon. Here’s to cooking at home. :)

The food was good. However, our booking wasn't prepared for - no table for 5 ready (tables had to be moved) or booster chair as requested (twice!). Considering the number of reminders I received I thought they’d be ready for us! We were there early (6pm) due to having children with us so I didn’t expect it to busy, however, instead it felt like more of a thoroughfare as delivery orders were flying out and a constant flow of drivers flooding in. I was disappointed in the atmosphere as it was a special occasion and we paid a considerable amount. A real shame. Will stick to Osteria and Mediterraneo next time.

There are plenty of Italian restaurants around this part of town but this one is the best. Constant and consistent too.

Lovely, accommodating staff, wonderful food and service.

Great classic italian. Family feel. Yummy pasta, great mozzarella, sauce just a bit sweet and under-seasoned.

Amazing place and perfect services Food was an incredible Italian experience really I feel to be in Italy !!… High recommend!… Try and you’ll never forget !❤️

Lovely atmosphere, lovely people and lovely food.

Amazing food. Enjoyed every single course for all 3 of us

Fantastic food and service. A wonderful little place for special occasions.

Excellent food and great hospitality from the staff.

Penne all' Amatriciana really delicious dish. Pasta was al dente, food was hot, and from the moment I placed the order till it was at my doorstep it literally only took 12 mins whilst the food tasted really good and fresh. A normal sized portion of pasta, just a bit overpriced in my opinion. Also didn´t come with any sides like cheese or so.

I’ve never been more impressed with a restaurant. The service, food, and wine was amazing. We made a reservation super last minute and they were very accommodating and professional. If I didn’t live in the states, I’d be a regular. If you’re in London and like Italian food, this place is a MUST.

Tanto el restaurante como la comida de Essenza son maravillosos, la pasta y gnocchis riquísimos. Además tienen opciones sin gluten, cosa dificil de encontrar y tienen mucho cuidado en servir todo bien. El equipo que nos atendió fue super amable, ofreciendo un servicio excelente. Repetiremos seguro 😄

We ordered bread as a starter to nibble on however after waiting 20 - 30 mins; and requesting the bread from the waitress we was finally served what your could hardly call a basket of rustic bread. It was a brunt slice of sourdough cut up into multiple pieces. After pointing this out to the waiter, we was given two slices of sourdough this time, good thing it wasn’t burnt. Spaghetti alla marianana - pasta was al dente, can’t complain on that part. But majority of the clams were empty and wasn’t that many mussels. Fettuccine Porcini E Pancetta - was too salty and lacked in taste. I was craving pasta a lot and looking forward to a good Italian meal however left feeling disappointed and still craving pasta. Staff and atmosphere however was lovely. Shame the food was a let down, won’t be in a rush to come back.

Really good meal at a local which has been there in one for or another forever. Zucchini fritti to start were great - hot, just that little bit crunchy but tender on the inside. Saltimbocca was perfect - on a bed of peas. Affogato to finish. Wines possibly not the best value but Pinot Nero was just right with the meal. Only dampener was Call-me-Dave turning up with his family hall way through - noisy and unapologetic - but I guess he needs to eat too.

Lovely meal. Great service. Didn’t feel rushed. Authentic Italian cuisine.

Absolutely perfect! We travel often to London and always visit Essenza. We love everything there. Their Bruschetta is the best ever! We cannot wait to be there again! 👏👏👏 Fans from Prague 😉

Very relaxed and pleasant service serving Italian classics. The osso buco was delicious, as was the tiramisu.

Expensive for the portion size.

Buena cocina está todo bien pero falta un poco del toque italiano excelente servicio gracias.

One of the best Italian restaurants I have been so far. Convenient location, knowable and courteous staff, great selection of pasta and speciality Italian cuisines. Most of important of all "no music" so you can have a comprehensible conversation.

My brocoli was black on the sides, it put me of my food

Well, we have a true Italian cook and owner here, this makes a difference! 😁

We are visiting our daughter and chose this little neighborhood gem and we will definitely return. The food, service and evening were wonderful!

Great staff, we got stuck on Dog Sitters and after calling them up they were happy for us to bring her. Everyone enjoyed their food and the staff were very attentive!

We NEVER received our Order!!! I have 2 kids who went hungry last night!!!!

Good food only if the portions were bigger cuz paying £18 for a box of spaghetti is mad

Food was delicious as usual. I´m a regular customer (for more than 1.5 years now), however noticed that unfortunately they increased the prices by quite a lot! 1.50 GBP per item more expensive than 2 months ago). You now have to pay almost 6 GBP for a portion of Fries (which are not even handcut but seem like Frozen Fries), which is way over the top. Pasta Amatriciana was the best I´ve had so far in this restaurant. But again, they also increased the price of the pasta by 1.50 GBP: Unfortunately they just lost a really loyal customer due to this ridiculous price increase. This was my last order with Essenza. Which is a shame because it was one of the most decent Italian restaurants in that area.

Food was below average but the service was atrocious. Staff were very rude, unfriendly and unprofessional. Based on their attitude I’m pretty sure they cut corners with their ingredients and food prep.

Having eaten at this Restaurant many times over the last 15 years, I was disappointed this time, for the first time ever, in the quality of the food. There has definitely been a decline all around.

Absolutely love Essenza. It's our family favourite and we go at least once a month. Staff is lovely and all of the food is DELICIOUS. Highly recommend!

Food was standard but the service was not great. It seems to be they could not handle the amount of people. The staff were just rude. Food was okay but the price is actually too high for what it actually is.

The food is average. The tagliatelle with fresh black shaved truffle was disappointing for the price of the dish. It would have been better if the truffle was shaved at the table. It was nothing special. Had better elsewhere.

Authentic Italian food at it's best!

Love this local eatery. Excellent food with fresh produce, good service, and relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Sadly, this was a disappointing experience. The restaurant has a busy take away business which seemed to predominate on this particular evening. We had courteous if slightly impersonal service and a long wait for food. The salad was straight out of packet. We both had fish for main course: my grigliata of prawns and monkfish was over cooked and tired, lacking in any noticeable flavour, and my husband’s sole fillet was accompanied by some equally tired steamed spinach and roast potatoes.. Where was the garlic, ginger or fresh herbs to liven things up? Perhaps we had the wrong expectations but for the amount charged and given the location we had hoped for better.

We had a great time in Essenza. The food was absolutely delicious especially spaghetti. We will definitely be back soon. Grazie Mille

I had the best spaghetti and service was good and friendly I will go more time

My girlfriend and I had ordered from Essenza extensively during the lockdown. When they get it right, the food is amazing. When they get it wrong, it's terrible, which isn't okay at approx £20 for a pasta dish. After lockdown we decided to give it a try in person on valentines day. We ordered their best bottle of wine, the lobster pasta and the steak. The lobster pasta was stale and actually cold and there were only a few pieces. It looked rubbish and tasted awful - for £24. We asked for more, stating that we hadn't ordered it as a starter. They brought out a load more that had clearly just been heated in a microwave and it was also stale and disgusting. The steak was bland and chewy. We didn't bother complaining because the staff just seemed arrogant and brusque. Never giving this place my money ever again. It used to be good, but now it's a tourist trap in my opinion.

Amazing food and friendly staff

My wife and I dined at Essenza for the first time last night. Both service and food were exceptional. We started with a glass of Prosecco, then shared a calamari and prawn starter, before moving to Spaghetti Vongole and Ossobuco for our mains. The Ossobuco was probably the best I have had and perfectly paired with saffron risotto and my wife was very pleased with her Vongole. Altogether a perfect experience, we will definitely return.

My wife and I dined at Essenza for the first time last night. Both service and food were exceptional. We started with a glass of Prosecco, then shared a calamari and prawn starter, before moving to Spaghetti Vongole and Ossobuco for our mains. The Ossobuco was probably the best I have had and perfectly paired with saffron risotto and my wife was very pleased with her Vongole. Altogether a perfect experience, we will definitely return.

Overall great experience, excellent food and top notch service.

Good appetisers. The pasta was average. Probably because the restaurant was busy

Wonderful Staff. Beautiful Italian food, especially the amazing Seafood Risotto and Vitello Tonnato.

The food was excellent. One of the waiters super rude.

Always a really great experience but please make fries sizes bigger considering the steep price for such a small portion. Other than that, I´ve been ordering from there more than 15 times already over the last 1.5 years and this is definitely the best Italian restaurant in the area!!