The Ledbury
“Brett Graham took the third star back in 2024 and has not blinked since. Book the three month window for a blowout.”
About The Ledbury
Brett Graham came to London from Newcastle, Australia, worked under Phil Howard at The Square, and opened The Ledbury in 2005 at the age of 25. Two stars arrived by 2010 and stayed for a decade; the pandemic closed the room entirely; and the 2024 Michelin guide handed the reopened restaurant the third star many argued it had deserved all along. The 2026 guide keeps it there, alongside only two other London kitchens.
Game is the house argument. Graham part owns a deer herd, shoots for the kitchen, and runs one of the very few three star menus where muntjac and sika appear under their own names. The signature remains the white beetroot baked in clay with English caviar and smoked, dried eel: a root vegetable given the reverence Mayfair reserves for turbot. The brown sugar tart that closes the meal has its own following.
The dinner tasting runs £225 before wine, with lunch tastings on Friday and Saturday at £180 to £200. Reservations release on a rolling window about three months out through the restaurant's own site, and Saturday nights vanish the morning they open. Weekday tables hold longer, and the dining room at 127 Ledbury Road remains far calmer than its reputation suggests.
The Room
A corner room in a quiet Notting Hill street, rebuilt after the pandemic with fewer tables, deep chairs and a muted palette of oak and cream. The energy is confident rather than hushed: sommeliers move fast, the pass is visible from the back tables, and conversation carries without effort. Dress is smart; jackets are common and never demanded.
Why book it, occasion by occasion
Some rooms flatter any calendar. The Ledbury rewards specific plans. Start with these.
For the guest who tracks the star count
Only three London restaurants hold three stars, and this is the one with a story attached: closed in the pandemic, rebuilt, promoted. That arc gives the evening a narrative your guest will repeat. Ask for one of the corner tables when you book, and let the sommelier steer the pairing; the list runs deep in Rhône and Australia, a nod to the chef's roots.
For a marker night with real food underneath it
The Ledbury celebrates without theatre: no sparklers, no printed menus with names in script, just a kitchen at the top of its powers and staff who read a table. Note the anniversary in the booking and the pastry section will mark it quietly. The game season, October through January, is the version of this menu worth planning a date around.
For terms that need a serious table
Notting Hill reads as a choice, not a default, and the room's spacing lets numbers be said out loud. The three month booking window is itself useful: an invitation issued that far ahead signals commitment. Take the £180 Friday lunch if the deal needs daylight and a two hour cap; take dinner if the handshake is already close and the evening deserves ceremony.
What to order
The menu is a fixed tasting, so the decisions left to you are timing, supplements and the pairing. These are the ones that matter.
- The beetroot, caviar and eel
White beetroot baked in clay with English caviar and smoked dried eel: the dish that defines modern British fine dining and the reason first timers should not shorten the menu.
- Game in season
From October the menu carries deer from the herd Graham part owns, plus grouse and muntjac as the shoots allow. If you can pick your month, pick autumn.
- The brown sugar tart
The closing signature: burnished custard, thin pastry, no garnish doing PR. Do not trade it away for a lighter finish.
- Friday or Saturday lunch over dinner
The £180 lunch tasting comes from the same kitchen at eighty percent of the price with softer light and an easier booking. The smartest first visit in the building.
Practical
- Address
- 127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London
- Reservations
- Direct via theledbury.com · rolling window about 3 months
- Tasting
- £225 dinner · £180 to £200 lunch, Friday and Saturday
- Pairings
- Wine pairings by tier · strong Rhône and Australian list
- Dress
- Smart; jackets common, not required
- Timing
- Allow about 3 hours at dinner
- Dietary
- Vegetarian menu with notice · game heavy in autumn
- Tube
- Notting Hill Gate or Westbourne Park, 10 minutes
Questions diners ask
Is The Ledbury worth it?
Yes. It is one of only three London restaurants with three Michelin stars, and the only one whose menu is built on British game and vegetables rather than French luxury staples. At £225 for dinner it undercuts its two Mayfair peers, and the £180 Friday lunch is the best three star value in the city.
How hard is it to book The Ledbury?
Structured but demanding. Tables release on a rolling window roughly three months ahead through the restaurant's own site. Saturday dinner goes within hours; weekday nights and the Friday lunch hold for days. Set a reminder for the release, and check back midweek for returned deposits.
What is the dress code at The Ledbury?
Smart. Most of the room wears jackets, nobody wears ties, and the staff will not police a good knit. Notting Hill polish rather than Mayfair formality is the register; trainers read wrong at this price. Lunch dresses a notch more casually than dinner.
What should I order at The Ledbury?
The tasting is fixed, so your real calls are season and format. Aim for October through January when the game programme peaks, take the full menu rather than the shorter lunch on a first visit, and give the pairing decision to the sommelier team, whose Australian picks are the quiet strength of the list.