The Fat Badger

I’m in London 2 or 3 times a year, and since this place is my friends’ local — we usually end up here. Love it. At first i was dismayed by the prices, but after a few weeks in UK I put the place into context and realized by London standards the place is inexpensive and the food is pretty good. Great friendly staff and great beers on tap. Always treated well here despite my tawdry Yankee accent, even during World Cup. I make it a point to visit each time I am in town and look forward to going back.

the fat badger used to be a great pub and a real gem hidden away from the portobello crowd (the food, the service and the atmosphere was excellent). i used to work in the area and have been here many times. the last 2 times i dropped by on a weekend, it all seems to have come crashing down. the food is only ½ as good as it used to be. the atmosphere is still great, however the variety of beers/​ales could be improved. not quite worth a trip to ladbroke grove anymore.

Mushy peas and Fish and Chips… this gastropub served up a great meal and a solid pint of Guinness. Actually, one of the better spots I ended up grabbing a pint in London.

I like my badgers fat, I also like them in Notting Hill selling cider, with big round tables and friendly locals.
I came in here for a cheeky drink after an event down the road with some Unilocalers. It was highly recommended and I can see why. I waited a while at the bar to be served but it was quite busy. Not expensive too which was suprising for the area. Now I’ve read all the reviews here I think I’m going to have to come back for the food.
This place was a solid 3 stars until a little furry critter caught my eye. A stuffed badger on the bar. And he’s not the only badger here, apparently the owner has a white stripe in his hair… the best badger of all!

Trendy pub in the big-​space-​and-​bare-​timber mould, with the usual range of beer taps and some interesting wine selections on the chalk board. I didn’t try the gastro-​fare, but did spot that the snack menu included scotch eggs for those not afraid of a coronary down the track.
Also, it’s dog friendly which is a plus (for dog-​people anyway), and the wallpaper is brilliant — be sure to take a closer look.

The staff is very friendly and personable. My bf fell in love with the pub Akita dog who was playfully walking around amongst the customers.
Just a cozy and friendly envt which is only a 5 minute walk from my flat!

Lovely pub, lovely grub.

What do you get when you match the shell of a classic British boozer with the creative team from the Soho House group, a head chef formerly of Bumpkin and Claridges, loads of seasonal produce due to a location on one of London’s best markets, and a commitment to putting foodie twists on British classics? A Fat Badger, apparently. (You’d also get a fat Unilocaler if I lived closer…)
The Sunday Roast menu was stocked with the traditional faves and Brit-​brekkie classics, as well as some alternative twists like smoked haddock with poached eggs and spinach. The Bloody Mary was spicy and well rounded and went down way too easily. If only every day could be Sunday, right?
Moreover, the vibe was low key, friendly and easy going, just like a local should be. The atmosphere was quite relaxed and we even spotted a few customer’s with their pups near the bar.
Literally off the beaten path of Portobello Road, this lil’ badger packs one hell of a punch. I’d highly recommend you make your way up here next time you’re wondering what all of the fuss is about Portobello Road.

One of my local pubs that I return too on occasion more for it’s locality than anything else. I’ve eaten at the restaurant once and while the food was good, I thought the menu was a little pretentious. I love a good gastro pub but not when I need items on the menu explained to me :) A side of fries to accompany a beer every now and then is as far as I go on the food side of things these days. A selection of games such as connect four also reside at this pub which makes it perfect place on a rainy day. Oh, and I do like the pretty wallpaper!

The Fat Badger is a regular watering hole for my and my workmates following a hard day at work. There are lots of comfy sofas and tables to sit at where you can enjoy a nice beer or a pint of real ale. I quite enjoy sitting at the window and watching the cool hipsters of Portobello Road passing by. This is a great place to visit if you ride a bike as there are bike racks directly outside and visible from the pub itself. The service can be patchy — at times I’ve waited far too long for my beer as the barman spends time preening and posing for the hipsters in the pub. But all in all, a nice place to drop by after work for some R and R!

Located at the north end of Portobello Road, Fat Badger is in a slightly shabbier but nonetheless interesting area of Notting Hill. It follows that the pub — opened at the beginning of 2007 — gets a great mixed crowd.
The pub itself is stunning — with amazingly high ceilings and picture windows, you’ll never feel cramped in here (even when it is). You’re in luck if you manage to grab a table downstairs (be forewarned or enlightened — these can be reserved) — you get the pub atmosphere but can also partake in the offerings from the upstairs restaurant. Also of note is the vibrant red/​pink and black wallpaper with mocking images (I won’t spoil the surprise).
The upstairs — at the top of quite a grand staircase — is beautiful as well (again, more large windows) but feels a bit detached from the buzzing atmosphere below. Service is slow and often inattentive, exacerbated by the fact that the kitchen is located downstairs. The food, on the other hand, is worth trying if not exceptional.

Situated at the quieter end of Portobello Road away from the market, The Fat Badger is a decent pub serving good food with a great décor. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Notting Hill, this drinking venue will be a refreshing change.

The thing I like best about the Fat Badger is the cool wallpaper. Having said that, the gastro pub food is pretty good but don’t expect the most amazing meal of your life as I may have after reading too many glowing reviews. Good solid British fare with some interesting twists. Full review at

I wish I’d like the Fat Badger better.
I keep giving it another try and yet another, but it remains an overpriced gastro pub with a lack of direction. Drawn in again by the promise of a £5 lunch and the first spots of rain, I had the perfect excuse to give it another go today.
You wonder how they survive with the place being virtually empty most of the week. They must make up for it with large crowds on Friday and Saturday nights.
During the week and especially during the day, the pub has to compete with much cheaper lunch options on Golborne and Portobello Road.
The £5 menu included a polenta with baked tomatoes and pesto option (delicious but not very filling — a fancy starter, if you ask me), BLT or sardines with guacamole, if I remember correctly. The main a la carte menu is just too expensive for the area, no matter how good the food may prove to be.
A small glass of wine at £4.50 rounded off the meal, confirming my previous view that this place is just that little bit too expensive. No amount of beautiful wallpaper justifies more regular visits.

3^rd time lucky… the Fat Badger is a quirky, gastro pub on the corner of Golborne and Portobello Road. It’s spread across 2 floors, with the restaurant on the top floor and the bar (with a DJ towards the latter part of the week) downstairs.
Very kindly, the Fat Badger hosted my birthday bash earlier on this year. The portions in the restaurant weren’t overly generous, but pleasant nevertheless. I enjoyed a beetroot salad for starters, duck and potatoes for the main and some kind of chocolate brownie with ice cream for dessert.
What really stuck me about the Fat Badger is the décor, large Victorian windows, and pink walls, adorned with art deco style murals. Also the buzzing and relaxed atmosphere in the heat, as drinkers gathered amasses outside the venue (Oh dear! Bozza won’t be too pleased…). Definitely a good one for a drink. Prices are pretty typical for the locality. Expect to pay £30:00 for a 3 course meal and drinks. For more info click onto

This pub is lovely– it is basically one huge room with scattered tables and bar stools. It has really high ceilings and a lovely cosy wooden décor. I think there is a floor upstairs which can be hired out but not 100% sure as I always sit on the ground floor normally. The food is really good and the chips are excellent! Thin and crispy, just the way I like them!

The Fat Badger is hot at the moment. It is very strategically located, being at the corner of Portobello Road and Golborne. This is actually where the fun really begins on Portobello with the vibrant and colourful mix of Portuguese, North African, Caribbean and British cultures. It is quite funny actually to see how Ladbroke Grove is hyping up at the moment, with hords of people priced out of Notting Hill are moving North and discovering a new frontier of posh London. Anyway I am disgressing and in summary The Fat Badger did not cut it for me. The upstairs restaurant is very average for a gastro-​pub, the food is so-​so, the service makes an easyjet hostess look like she trained at Gordon Ramsey and the air is very VERY smoky. If you are young, single and local (and not hungry), The Fat Badger will work for you. Since I no longer fit all of these criterias I won’t return for food but may do so for a beer with local friends or on a Saturday afternoon after the market.