My Notting Hill: Book & Kitchen


Just off the craziness of Portobello Road,
there's a small street that I particularly love.

It's just a stone's throw away
from the madness,
but it's a tiny sliver of quiet & bliss:

Allsaints Road.

It is just... so cute.

It has small independent pubs & restaurants
dotting the tiny colorful street.

We love to go the Pelican 
for yummy pub meals
and for the sweet staff
that always treats Viola 
like a doll.

But on days when it's just me...
well, I like to go to a place
that's a bit quieter
and entirely quaint:


This tiny shop is half bookshop...
half, you guessed it, kitchen!

It feels like a place 
that would make Kathleen Kelly smile.




The giant windows pour in sunshine
and the tiny back deck
is the perfect place 
to spend alone with a good book
or a wandering thought...

or you know, shame eating a piece of cake.

(I'll never judge you for that, you know that.)

















Even though it has a a significantly smaller
offering than the large chain book stores,
this place gets my vote
for the best bookshop in London.

They have a children's nook
that is so cute and cozy.

When Viola gets older
and starts enjoying books
for more than licking,
I have visions of spending 
chilly afternoons down there with her.

Oh yeah,
 and the staff is crazy nice, too.



You're gonna love it here.

31 All Saints Road
London W11 1HE

info@bookandkitchen.com





Photography by Noah Darnell

28 comments:

  1. Looks so perfectly cozy for chilly London weather. Hidden gems such as this add so much happiness to daily life :)

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  2. Very nice. I would enjoy visiting this place too.

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  3. So cute!!! Every time I read your blog I have this overwhelming desire to go to London and visit all of the places you write about. One day.....

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  4. Bookmarking this gem along with all the others you write about…thinking another trip over is the order of the day soon…x

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  5. Oh so precious. Would love to go there today......

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  6. I would LOVE to be right there with you. There is something so comforting and charming about this life...total bliss!!

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  7. Jon had a book launch there! it was SO much fun. I know I was supposed to be paying attention to the book they were celebrating but I kept getting distracted by everything else on the shelves :)

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  8. That's the cutest ever bookshop.
    Great series, looking forward to more secret {not-so-secret-anymore} NotHill gems.

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  9. That place looks divine! I imagine I could spend quite a few hours book browsing and tea sipping there. I can tell I am going to love this series already!

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  10. I'd love to spend a few quiet hours in that place, it looks adorable. I'll take some of those pastries (yes, plural, don't judge) and a latte, please. (I know, coffee is soooo not as cool as tea but I'm not a big fan!)

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  11. This place looks amazing, and I love the You've Got Mail reference! I'm a book blogger, so this post hits especially close to home. That back patio is enchanting...

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  12. Yeah I will! I was going to make a Hugh Grant joke, but I know I know you already covered his lack of existence. But he OWNED a bookstore in Notting Hill. I couldn't let it go.

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  13. This title was misleading - I thought it meant you had a book deal, and I was all, Of COURSE! and FINALLY!

    lol

    So, LBK, you should take my poor comprehension skills as a SIGN FROM GOD that a book deal is in your near future ;).

    Also I love the Hitchcock's photobomb. He definitely stole the show.

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  14. What a gem!! I really fell in love with your neighborhood :) Wish you were in the city & I could've had a cuppa joe with you!

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  15. Love this and perfect timing for the new series since we'll be in London for the first time in mid-March! Cannot wait! I've already scoured your blog for some of your favs and put them on my list.

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  16. This place looks so great! I hope to travel to London some day!! (:

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  17. Lauren, you make me homesick for a place I've never been. This has to be one of the sweetest little places I've ever seen! I don't blame you for loving it, I would too :) xoxo

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  18. This place looks adorable! I'm visiting London in March, and I can't wait to hear more about your favorite Notting Hill spots - it's getting me excited about my trip!

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  19. I miss London so much my heart is exploding

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  20. I'm in envy. Enjoy a few moments there for me!

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  21. Ahh, I LOVED Book & kitchen when I went there this past summer! Had a day off and decided to wander the non-Portobello Road parts of Notting Hill, stumbled across this place, and fell completely in love. Too funny that you posted this as I just finished getting my photos ready for a post on it myself!

    Also, I have to say, I had their date/honey/banana bread thing and it. was. AMAZING.

    Melanie xx
    Style to Stage

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  22. Oh how I wish it was easier for me to get to Notting Hill with the pram and all, Chloe and I would love this place! She is just 15 months old but totally addicted to books, last time we went to a Waterstones bookshop we stayed for the whole afternoon, she was over excited and did not want to leave, at all xD
    How nice would it be to have a piece of cake with a coffee while she is "playing" with books :)

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  23. This place looks so precious, what a great find

    EnglishPrepster

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  24. My baby loves licking books, too! And, once in a while, letting us read him one. We have SO MANY BOOKS (coming from a family of teachers and readers) I can't wait until he is older and appreciates them. This looks like a precious little gem of a shop. :-)

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  25. How did I never find this place during my days in Notting Hill?! I love it already!

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