I’ve had Maggie Jones’s in my list of restaurants to visit in London for quite some time now. I’m pretty sure that I saw a photo of its beautiful interior on instagram which was enough for me to decide that I MUST go there to see if it’s as pretty as the photos, if the food’s good too then that’s just an added bonus.
A recent visit to an art exhibit brought me to Kensington a few weeks ago which finally gave me a chance to dine here. In hindsight, I realized that I shouldn’t have waited this long to visit it as it’s so worth the journey.
Maggie Jones’s is a favourite among Kensington locals which includes Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden. The original name was Nan’s Kitchen which opened in 1964.
I was told that Princess Margaret would usually go there and dine at one of the restaurant’s ground floor booths at around 9:30pm and the reservation would be under the name of Maggie Jones as her alias.
They’ve then changed the name in the early 70’s to honor their most famous patron and over the years, a lot of other royalties have dined there. Having seen it myself, it’s actually the perfect spot to dine for those who are seeking discreet places. Some of the tables offer complete privacy.
The interior of the restaurant blew me away and is just as pretty as the photos, maybe even moreso in person. It has a very rustic, romantic and most importantly – informal feel to it. There’s nothing I love more than non-pretentious restaurants and Maggie Jones’s fits that description to a tee.
I was seated on the second floor and the staff immediately provided a complimentary bread and butter for me to nibble on as I looked through their menu.
They offer set menus and I opted for the two-course set with the Roast Pork Belly with Apple Sauce as my main and Apple Crumble as my dessert. I would later thank myself for not choosing the three-course menu because their servings were huge!
The Roast Pork Belly was perfectly cooked, juicy meat with an incredibly crispy crackling. It also came with seasonal vegetables on the side which again was such a huge serving. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it’s the best roast pork belly I’ve ever had.
The Apple Crumble offered such a comforting taste after the main meal. I had it with a side of custard and a latte.
I also love how affordable the entire meal is. The two-course menu is £20 while the three-course menu is £24. I was probably expecting them to use the fact that Royal Family members have been frequenting their restaurant to hike up their price. Considering the quality and quantity of the food they served, I think it’s one of the cheapest meals I’ve had here in London.
It was an amazing meal and definitely one that I’d highly recommend to anyone visiting or living in London. More than the delicious food and breathtaking interior, the service that I got from the staff made such a positive impact as well. Paolo’s friendliness and love for his job was so infectious, I enjoyed our little chat after my meal. He even set some tables up so that I could take the best photo of it. Lol. We now follow each other on Instagram. :p
I can’t recommend Maggie Jones’s enough, as you may notice from this blog post – I truly and honestly enjoyed it.
I went to Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park after my heavy lunch to burn a bit of the calories I’ve consumed at Maggie Jones’s. Lol.
Kyoto Gardens during autumn is not to be missed, it’s the perfect end to my day out in Kensington.
Maggie Jones’s
6 Old Ct Pl, Kensington, London W8 4PL
For more information, visit their website.
Their two-course meal is £20.00.
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So beautifully made! You have a talent for photography indeed.
Gorgeous! These are both definitely going on my list for the next time I’m in London — hopefully it will be safe for me to visit next year. (I can’t believe it will have been 5 years since my last trip!) And I’m so pleasantly surprised that the prices at Maggie Jones are so affordable!
Hello Danielle, I hope you’re doing well. So great to hear from you and yes, hopefully you’d be able to visit London again. 🙂