Hidden Gems: Golborne Road – West London

By Anthony Hughes

Although it is not strictly speaking hidden, perched at the north end of its better known cousin the Portobello Road, the Golborne Road and its surrounding streets are definitely gem-like.

It’s such a diverse street that I believe it captures every part of London in its relatively short length, but no one part of it excessively. Also because most of the crowds of tourists don’t tend to make it that far, it retains the community feel of the area, busy and vibrant but unspoilt by big high street brand names.

Whilst the Golborne Road is perhaps most famous for its delicious Portuguese deli and restaurant, it has many other gems to explore if you are hungry: A superb Nordic restaurant (if you like that sort of thing), a falafel restaurant, Moroccan and French delis, a Middle Eastern bakery, several great cafes, some excellent food stalls and one of the best fishmongers in North West London to name but a few.

The shopping isn’t bad either, with lots of great little boutiques selling cool ‘objets’, furniture and clothing of the kind that you get in the more curated shopping streets like Lambs Conduit Street or Exmouth Market. However, in keeping with the diverse feel of the street, on the pavement outside these boutiques there are also bric-a-brac stalls selling all kinds of weird and wonderful junk from old DVD players to ceramic busts of Napoleon … if only I could find somewhere to put it…