By Patrick Neate

Ten years ago, when the term ‘gastropub’ was still novel enough to have some meaning, an enterprising bunch took over a seedy boozer on Hammersmith Grove, the busy cut-through from Goldhawk Road to the Broadway that marked the ‘wrong side’ of the neighbourhood estate agents call ‘Brackenbury Village’. For some months, the pub was shut. But then, one day in May 1996, The Grove Bar & Restaurant emerged from beneath the scaffolding, a light and airy haven that promised top quality food and drink at local prices. Within a month, curious locals had turned into happy regulars. Within a year, The Grove’s winning combination of excellent modern Mediterranean cooking and an easygoing atmosphere, had turned it into a favourite retreat for West London twentysomethings, gastronomes and families alike. 

A decade later and Hammersmith Grove is quite the desirable address: speed humps have limited the traffic flow and house prices have leaped. And The Grove? Well, other restaurants, cafes and gastropubs have come and gone, but The Grove is still delivering its triumphant formula with remarkable consistency. Stylish but unpretentious, busy but welcoming, serving generous portions and reasonable prices, The Grove is both the ‘find’ of many a restaurant buff and very much the local’s local. 

Of course, there have been some changes. Over the years, The Grove has developed a definite accent on organic produce (both food and wine), albeit always competitively priced. There is now a comfortable lounge bar upstairs that is the ideal spot for all kinds of functions and parties, or just a quiet drink; and an outside terrace that offers one of London’s most pleasant (and popular!) al fresco dining experiences. Most importantly, however, in November 2003, the team behind The Grove opened a sister restaurant (The Golborne Grove) on Golborne Road, quickly proving that the successful model was easily transferable to fashionable Notting Hill. 
With both restaurants winning prestigious awards and glowing reviews from the likes of The Evening Standard, Metro, Green Magazine and restaurantguides.co.uk, The Grove restaurants look set fair for many years to come. More to the point, however, with ongoing promotions and thousands of pounds already donated to the Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith), The Grove restaurants are that rare thing: neighbourhood businesses that are vital parts of the communities they serve. Good luck to them! 

The Grove: "Restaurant of the Year" - Green Magazine, 2000
The Grove: ‘Best London-based Food Pub’ – Unique Retailer Awards, 2003.
Golborne Grove: ‘Best Food Pub In Greater London’ – Enterprise Inns, 2002-2003.