Core releases tables ninety-one days out on OpenTable, and the GBP205 a la carte lunch buys the same three-star kitchen as the GBP275 dinner tasting. The whole booking game is hitting that drop.
Ninety-one days. That is the window Core by Clare Smyth opens on OpenTable, and every other trick on this page is built around landing inside it. Clare Smyth opened the restaurant at 92 Kensington Park Road in Notting Hill in 2017, six months after leaving Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, where she had become the first British woman to hold three Michelin stars. Core earned its own three stars by 2021, and Smyth has been named the World's Best Female Chef. The signature Potato and Roe, a single Highland potato sharpened with oscietra caviar and smoked herring roe, is one of the most precisely conceived plates served in London. Booking it is a question of timing, not luck.
What it costs, and where the value sits
The a la carte runs GBP205 at lunch and GBP235 at dinner, while the Core Classics and Core Seasons tasting menus sit at GBP265 and GBP275 before wine. For a numerate diner the math is plain: the kitchen, the produce and the Potato and Roe do not change between services, so the a la carte lunch puts a three-star meal in front of you for the smallest outlay. That is the value seat, and it is also the easier reservation. Pay up for the dinner tasting when the occasion, not the cooking, demands it.
Wine is the line that moves the bill. The list is deep in aged Burgundy and English sparkling, and the GBP175 pairing or two glasses each will add as much as the food at lunch. Drink by the glass and you keep a three-star meal here within reach of the menu price. The Whiskey and Seaweed Bar downstairs handles pre-dinner drinks at the same standard, and it is the warm-up most regulars use.
How the booking actually works
Core takes reservations through OpenTable, linked from corebyclaresmyth.com/reservations, and tables release on a rolling daily basis ninety-one days ahead. Set an alert for the date you want, log in a few minutes early with a saved card on file, and book the moment the slot appears. Weekend dinners vanish within minutes; weekday lunches sit open for days. For larger parties or a date the system shows as full, call the restaurant on +44 20 3937 5086 and ask the team directly, which is also the route to the private dining room. The current lead time and menu detail live on the Core by Clare Smyth full review.
The easiest seating to get
A la carte lunch, served Thursday to Saturday. It is the same kitchen, the same Potato and Roe and the same service, at the GBP205 a la carte price and a fraction of the booking pressure that governs Friday and Saturday dinner. If the date you need shows full, the cancellation-refresh tactic works well on OpenTable, where released tables reappear without warning in the days before service. For the wider method on rooms that fight back, see our impossible-reservation playbook and where Core sits among the hardest reservations in London.
Best for a proposal or closing a deal
Book this room for a proposal or to close a deal because three things line up: a genuine three-star kitchen, a Notting Hill room intimate enough to talk across, and service that paces the night without crowding it. Tell OpenTable’s notes field or the team when you book that the evening matters, and they will choreograph it. That is why Core sits on our guide to the best restaurants to propose and to closing a deal over dinner. For the wider field, weigh it against ANGLER in the full London dining guide and against the best fine-dining restaurants worldwide. Booking a three-star abroad next? See how to book Kei in Paris.
Not for
Not for a loud group night or a spontaneous walk-in. Core runs a single quiet tasting-menu service with no bar seats to chance, and there is no version of an unbooked table here. Wrong room for anyone who wants noise, a long late session or a same-day seat.
London's most plannable three-star: GBP205 a la carte lunch buys the Potato and Roe. Book ninety-one days out for a proposal.
Frequently asked questions
How hard is it to book Core by Clare Smyth?
Hard, but predictable. Core releases tables on OpenTable ninety-one days in advance, and weekend dinners are gone within minutes of the drop. The lever most people miss is lunch: a la carte lunch at the same three-star kitchen clears far slower and is the realistic route in. Set a calendar alert for the date you want, log in early, and have a second date ready.
How much does Core by Clare Smyth cost per person?
Expect GBP205 for the a la carte lunch and GBP235 at dinner, with the Core Classics and Core Seasons tasting menus at GBP265 and GBP275 before wine. Wine is the real variable: the GBP175 pairing from the Burgundy-heavy list adds as much again. The honest value play is the a la carte lunch, which puts the Potato and Roe and the same Clare Smyth kitchen in front of you for the smallest outlay.
What is the signature dish at Core by Clare Smyth?
The Potato and Roe: a single Highland potato cooked in seaweed stock, dressed with oscietra caviar, smoked herring roe and a warm butter sauce of unusual depth. It is the dish the room orders without reading the card. The lamb with seaweed and fennel and the Cornish turbot with coastal herbs are the other plates regulars come back for.
What is the dress code at Core by Clare Smyth?
Smart. Jackets are not required and the Notting Hill room is warmer and less formal than a Mayfair three-star, but this is a GBP235 dinner and most diners arrive in tailoring or a considered dress. A collared shirt is the floor. Trainers and shorts read wrong against the room, the service and the cheque.
Is Core by Clare Smyth worth it for a proposal?
Yes. The room is intimate rather than grand, the service reads the table without hovering, and a quiet word when you book means the staff will pace the evening around the moment. At GBP205 to GBP275 a head it is a serious outlay, but for a proposal you want to land it earns it. Book the earlier lunch seating and ask for a corner two-top.
Keep reading
For the rooms that genuinely fight back, see the 50 hardest reservations in the world, compare the apps in OpenTable versus Resy, and start the city field from the London dining guide.
Booking methods, menu prices and lead times change without notice; confirm directly on the restaurant's own booking page before you plan an evening around it. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.