CeCe’s Restaurant London Review: Notting Hill’s New Italian With a Hint of Hollywood

June 21, 2026

CeCe’s restaurant in London is not trying to be the quiet neighbourhood Italian. Let’s be clear about that. This is Notting Hill with eyeliner on.

Set at 123a Clarendon Road, CeCe’s comes from Public House Group, the same team behind London spots including The Pelican, The Hero, The Fat Badger, and Canteen. The restaurant opened in the former Casa Cruz site, which already gives it a certain west London mythology before you even get to the front door. Harden’s describes it as an Italian restaurant “with a hint of Hollywood”, and that phrase feels useful here. This is Italian dining dressed for the evening. Not rustic or sleepy. Very much aware of who is in the room.

The design is a large part of the appeal. CeCe’s is a cinematic Italian restaurant with a biophilic exterior, copper entrance, and dramatic interiors spread over two levels. Walk inside and notice its soft fabrics, glossy surfaces, elegant palms, and low lighting, creating a glamorous, old-school mood that feels more like a private members’ club than a casual trattoria.

That is where CeCe’s works best. As a night out. The kind with martinis first, pasta second, and maybe too much time spent watching the room. It is romantic, but not overly sweet. Stylish, but not minimalist. There is a bit of theatre to it, and honestly, that suits Notting Hill.

CeCe’s Restaurant London Menu

The menu is short, sharp, and unmistakably Italian. It does not try to cover every region, which is good. It is more focused than that.

To start, there are snacks like salumi misti, pizzimonto with almond, tomato and ricotta crostini, mozzarella and finocchiona in carrozza, and aubergine parmigiana. These are simple things, but they fit the room: easy to share, good with a drink, not too heavy too early.

The crudo and antipasti section is where the menu becomes more polished. Raw tuna with pepper, bream carpaccio with optional caviar, carne crudo with artichoke, and pear with walnut and gorgonzola all lean into that modern Italian luxury without becoming too fussy. A special shoutout to the pear, walnut, and gorgonzola, simple but well-balanced.

Pastas are the real reason to pay attention. Crab risotto, sorpressine with tomato and pecorino, spaghetti alla vongole, fonduta agnolotti with Tropea onion, and pappardelle with ragù bianco all read like dishes made for a proper dinner instead of than a quick bite. The fonduta agnolotti seems to be the one to order. It is silky and rich, and the pappardelle with ragù bianco is among the restaurant’s standout primi.

For mains, CeCe’s goes classic and confident: Dover sole with courgette, chicken vignole, beef fillet with spinach alla parmigiana, turbot with tomato and black olive, veal Milanese, and bistecca alla Fiorentina for two to three people. Add polenta fritti or cavolo nero with chili on the side. Finish with rhubarb bomboloni, panna cotta with citrus, chocolate torte with crème fraîche, or ricotta and honey gelato.

CeCe’s understands the modern Notting Hill dinner: glamorous, a little performative, but still built around food people actually want to eat. Go for pasta, stay for the room. And dress like someone might notice.