Italian · Notting Hill · £££
Restaurant Opening: March 2026
Go for the Scene
Food: 3/5 Creativity ○ Flavor ● Texture ● Provenance ● Balance ○
Atmosphere: 4/5 Energy ● Lighting ● Interiors ● Soul ○ Service ●
Table for Two Experience
As my cab turned onto Clarendon Road, the driver started to slow the car. “Is this the right street?” he asked, peering out at the unassuming road. As if in response to his own question, we pulled up to a glowing arched entrance, warm light spilling onto the pavement, two doormen stepping forward to open the car door and escort us inside.
Notting Hill has its culinary hub around Golborne Road and Portobello, but Cece’s has planted itself on an unexpected street a few neighbourhoods away. In the former Casa Cruz space on Clarendon Road, the Public House Group’s latest venture is a stark departure from The Pelican and the Fat Badger. The founders describe wanting it to feel like somewhere that transports you away from the day to day and they deliver on that promise from the moment you step out of the car.
Inside, copper panelling, green velvet banquettes, table lamps, palms, mirrors everywhere including the loos, and an impressive central bar on the ground floor. You’re transported into a completely different world.
We went on a Saturday night as a double date with my best friend and her husband and the room was exactly what we’d hope for: buzzy, vibey, the kind of crowd dressed for a Saturday night out in London. Cece’s definitely falls more into the “scene” category which isn’t a criticism, it’s just useful to know before you book and what you’d expect for a restaurant that describes itself as old Hollywood glamour.
The food is okay. Not exceptional, but okay. The menu is New York Italian, more interested in doing the familiar than putting its stamp on the London dining scene. Nothing was bad, but nothing was particularly creative or stood out either. The classics were done well, but to the same standard you’d find at a restaurant with much lower expectations than the Public House Group. There wasn’t a single moment at dinner where we looked around at each other like — did you just taste that. It’s a safe menu but hasn’t reset the bar or standard for anything.
Maybe that’s not what they’re trying to achieve here, the DNA for this restaurant is completely different from their other spots. But I had higher expectations. The Fat Badger was one of my favourite meals last year, and the creativity there (hello, sweetbread tacos) set the bar high for everything the Public House Group puts its name to. If it’s great food you’re after the Public House Group other new opening, The Hart is a better representation of what they can do in the kitchen.
If it’s a sexy, buzzing atmopshere you’re craving, then Cece’s is great night out.
Table for Two What to Order
The raw tuna and the bream carpaccio to start, both clean and a refreshing palette cleanser before the meal.
Table for Two Hot Tip
Book for Saturday. If you arrive before your table is ready or your party is still on their way, ask to be sat at their bar upstairs. It’s a great spot for a drink while you wait.
Occasion Saturday date night · Double date · Girls dinner · Go for the scene
Table for Two scores food and atmosphere separately, each out of five. Table for Two only reviews restaurants twelve months old or less at the time of writing. For classic London restaurants worth knowing, visit our lists. Learn more about our scoring credential here.