Lady’s Secret Guide to London’s Golborne Road

I love exploring London’s streets. While I’m usually on the side streets, the high streets are where a lot of the action takes place. They’re at the heart of many London neighborhoods, and Ladbroke Grove is no exception. The area’s main street is Golborne Road, and if you want to know what you’ll find, read on for A Lady in London’s guide.

Golborne Road

Ladbroke Grove is just north of Notting Hill. Golborne Road comes off the famous Portobello Road after it passes under the Westway. The street has vibrant shops and a market to rival its celebrated neighbor’s.

But unlike Portobello Road, Golborne Road has a local feel. Most visitors don’t venture this far north, so it’s calmer and less crowded than its Notting Hill counterpart. It’s a great London secret.

Once you arrive, it’s simple to start exploring. The street is relatively short, so you can take it all in easily.

How to Get to Here

It’s straightforward to get to Golborne Road, too. It’s close to Ladbroke Grove and Westborne Park tube stations, both of which are on the Circle and Hammersmith and City lines of the London Underground.

The area is also served by local buses, many of which stop on nearby Ladbroke Grove. It’s a short walk from Golborne Road, so it’s easy to get here from there.

Golborne Road Market

The main draw for many locals and visitors is Golborne Road Market. This market is an extension of the busy Portobello Road Market.

It’s open every day apart from Sunday, but it’s at its biggest and best on Friday and Saturday.

The market has different traders on different days, but on most days you can find it full of stalls selling street food, antiques, clothing, bric-a-brac, flowers, and home goods.

There are tables, food trucks, and other stalls set up all along the road, so you’ll be spoiled for choice when you visit.

Given Ladbroke Grove is home to a large Moroccan population, you’ll also see tagines and smell spices everywhere as you walk through the market. Golborne Road’s Moroccan food is famous throughout London.

Shops

And speaking of which, the market is lined by a lot of independent shops. From hip clothing stores to lifestyle boutiques like Lali, there’s no shortage of places to go.

There are also a lot of great vintage stores and furniture shops. These are the perfect places to pick up unique clothing and antiques for your home.

As you walk down the street, you’ll find alluring colorful facades and shopfronts that put an emphasis on all things aesthetic.

At the east end of the road, the iconic Rellik is a vintage shop with women’s clothing and accessories from the 1930s to today. It’s long been a favorite with celebrities like Kate Moss, and is worth venturing over the bridge and to the end of the street to discover.

Restaurants

Interspersed among the shops, you’ll find a lot of great restaurants. The aforementioned Moroccan influence means there are a lot of North African restaurants around. Many have colorful tables spilling out onto the sidewalks.

There’s also a large Portuguese community in Ladbroke Grove. It’s made its culinary mark on the neighborhood as much as the Moroccan one.

Among the famous restaurants here you’ll find a Golborne Road cafe called Lisboa Patisserie. This place has an ever-present line of customers waiting patiently for their delicious pastel de nata custard tarts.

But don’t fill up on tarts too quickly. Down the street, L’Etoile de Sous has more mouth-watering pastries on the counter, so make sure you leave room for some.

Famous Buildings

Beyond the Golborne Road shops and restaurants, there are a number of famous buildings to see. The most eye-catching is the Trellick Tower.

Designed by celebrated Modern architect Erno Goldfinger, this 1970s Brutalist building is now a London landmark (if one not everyone loves).

While the Trellick Tower can be seen from all over the street, Golborne Road’s other famous building is hidden in plain sight.

It’s a former church that was once home to Stella McCartney. It sits right in the thick of things between the restaurants and shops, but its plain facade makes it easy to miss if you don’t know to look for it.

Side Streets

There are lots of side streets to explore around Golborne Road, too. This blog post is about the street itself, but you can read my guide to Ladbroke Grove to see what else is worth discovering in the area.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this snapshot of Golborne Road. It’s a great place to explore if you’re looking for somewhere local in London, and a fun place to see if you’ve already been to Notting Hill and Portobello Road. Just make sure to keep it a secret.

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