The story
Portland is a modern British restaurant at Great Portland Street 113 in London, and it holds 3 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence (2026). It opened in January 2015 and gained a Michelin star later that year, a star it has kept ever since.
Executive chef Chris Bassett leads the kitchen, and Angelica Hope runs the team on the line. The cooking is precise and produce-led, with the emphasis on technique rather than formality. The Good Food Guide describes an exploratory style built on assertive, ingredient-led dishes, and one returning reviewer found the restaurant to be of "outstanding quality and consistency."
Small appetisers have included beef tartare with fermented ramsons and seaweed. Vivid green nettle agnolotti arrive with smoked ricotta, bottarga and Parmesan. Main courses have ranged from brioche-crusted pollack with asparagus and truffled hazelnut soubise to mature hogget with smoked aubergine and datterini tomatoes. Desserts might include strawberry and pine-nut dacquoise with tonka beans and elderflower.
The dining room is modestly proportioned, with an open kitchen at the back and high seats at the window overlooking the pub opposite. Tables are unclothed, which keeps the tone relaxed. The wine list changes monthly, and three vintages of Château d'Yquem, the 2011, 2006 and 1994, are poured by the small glass. A private room seats 7 to 12 guests.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Shoehorned in amid the bustle to the north of Oxford Street, Portland has clocked up nearly a decade already. Its quiet commitment to innovative contemporary cooking may not have made the greatest of waves, but in the opinion of one who enthusiastically returns, it is a haven of 'outstanding quality and consistency'. It feels like a true neighbourhood restaurant, modestly proportioned, with an open kitchen at the back and high seating at the window overlooking the pub opposite. Unclothed tables set an informal tone, the better to showcase the fireworks of executive chef Chris Bassett's exploratory style. Little appetisers might incorporate beef tartare with fermented ramsons and seaweed for a taste of what's to come – namely a range of assertive, colourful, ingredient-led dishes. Vivid green nettle agnolotti feature smoked ricotta, bottarga and Parmesan for true umami lift-off. A bouillabaisse of shellfish comes with rouille, saffron potatoes and apple, before perhaps brioche-crusted pollack and asparagus in truffled hazelnut soubise or mature hogget in Provençal array, with smoked aubergine, courgette, datterini tomatoes and wild garlic. Nor do desserts repine into sticky toffee safety; instead, expect the likes of strawberry and pine-nut dacquoise with tonka beans and elderflower. Wines by the glass (from £8) are truly commendable for their imaginative reach, opening with a Kentish sparkler and motoring through a peppery Sicilian rosato to a clutch of forthright, complex reds. Portland has a partnership arrangement with Château d'Yquem, no less, and three of its vintages – currently the splendid 2011, 2006 and 1994 – are available by the small glass.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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