Last Updated on October 3, 2025
Bottega 35 London: A Tuscan Feast for Kensington’s Tastemakers
3.5 out of 5.0 starsOne of the discombobulating things about reviewing restaurants is the way new places open on the site of somewhere you are familiar with. The basic footprint may be the same, but everything else has changed. Some places I have reviewed have been through four or five iterations, which sometimes brings on a case of the vapours, normally mitigated by a cocktail or two.
So, I had some reservations when asked to review Bottega 35, a recently opened Italian restaurant just behind the bustle of Kensington High Street on the site of Latin American favourite Zuaya. However, the new place is still owned by the very reliable Zandi brothers’ Emerald Hospitality Group, so I wasn’t too worried.
If Zuaya was all about being immersed in Amazonian foliage, Bottega 35 is very much a chic Tuscan farmhouse, albeit one with house music burbling away in the background. There are rough-hewn dark wooden floors, plaster walls, Tuscan earth colours, antique chests, a gorgeous vintage record player and some fabulous glass light fittings to get you in the mood. Apparently, the partner of one of the group’s owners is a restaurant designer, and it shows. The interior is lovely. We were in the basement area, and there is also outside seating.
We started with some wine, the fruity and floral notes of an Italian Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico and the more herbal flavours of a Gavi di Gavi, il Portino. From the Antipasti menu, we had a hot, tasty mushroom arancini perched on a cheese sauce puddle. Less successful were the thin strips of fried zucchini, which were a little greasy and had clearly been sitting for a while before being served.
A main dish of chicken Milanese came with a deliciously salty Parmesan butter. The chicken had been properly tenderised with a crisp crumb and was a pleasure to eat.
From the Fish & Seafood list, the fried mixed seafood (fritto misto) came crisp and hot from the fryer. There was a good mix of seafood, and the dish was served with a pleasantly vegetal parsley aioli.
A sizeable green salad composed of green beans, asparagus and avocado, was slathered in too much mustard vinaigrette for my taste. Apparently a previous customer had complained that there wasn’t enough…
Oven-roasted potatoes were cut into little chunks but needed more seasoning and rosemary to really deliver.
I’m a sucker for a bit of table theatre, and with the Bottega tiramisu, the delicious dessert is constructed right before your eyes, which is enjoyable.
Fresh warm sponge fingers were dipped in coffee, then covered in cream and chocolate. It gave a more deconstructed mouthfeel than the usual compact collation but tasted great.
Despite a couple of teething issues, Bottega 35 is a stylish addition to the Kensington restaurant scene, offering a range of classic dishes at an affordable price and is well worth a visit.
35 Kensington High Street,
London W8 5BA
WhatsApp: +44 7950 958065
Looking for something different? We also recommend the Town House at the Kensington Hotel
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