Why Londoners Are Running to 97 Westbourne Grove A First Look Inside Pierre Marcolini’s New Boutique
You know how Christmas in London always feels a bit like a movie?
Notting Hill just got its own chocolate scene.
Tucked into 97 Westbourne Grove, a new Pierre Marcolini boutique has opened and honestly, it feels less like a shop and more like a tiny Belgian jewellery box except everything inside is edible. Truffles, pralines, macarons, and a hot chocolate so rich it feels like a hug.
If you love chocolate, or you’re hunting for a Christmas gift that doesn’t feel generic, this is your new Notting Hill stop.
What is Pierre Marcolini and why is this Notting Hill store a big deal?
If you haven’t fallen down the Pierre Marcolini rabbit hole yet, here’s the short version.
Pierre Marcolini is a Belgian master chocolatier, known for meticulous, high-end chocolate and desserts.
He’s been a pioneer of the bean-to-bar movement since the early 2000s, making chocolate from scratch in his Brussels workshop, not just melting pre-made couverture.
Maison Pierre Marcolini is celebrating 30 years of the brand in 2025, marking three decades of obsessive craftsmanship and design.
The house holds a Belgian Royal Warrant, which basically means: the Belgian royal family officially buys their chocolate here.
Until now, London’s Marcolini presence was mainly:
the Marylebone boutique on Marylebone High Street
counters in Selfridges and Harrods
The new Notting Hill boutique, which opened on 21 November 2025, is their latest London home – and it’s very deliberately placed in Westbourne Grove, that stretch of Notting Hill known for pretty shopfronts, independent boutiques and “I’ll just have a look” turning into “I accidentally bought three things”.
Where exactly is it and when is it open?
📍 Pierre Marcolini, Notting Hill
Address: 97 Westbourne Grove, London W2 4UW
Opening hours (as listed for 2025):
Monday–Saturday: 10:00–19:00
Sunday: 12:00–18:00
Special Christmas hours: open on 24 Dec (09:00–17:00), closed 25 Dec, open again 26 Dec, and early close on 31 Dec.
Always double-check opening times on the official site before you go, especially around bank holidays, but that’s the baseline.
How to get there
Nearest Tube stations:
Notting Hill Gate (Central / Circle / District) about a 10–12 minute walk
Bayswater (Circle / District) also walkable
Queensway (Central line) another good option
From Notting Hill Gate, just head north towards Westbourne Grove and let the pretty shopfronts guide you. Westbourne Grove itself is one of West London’s classic shopping streets independent boutiques, cafés, and Portobello Road a short walk away.
If you’re staying nearby and want to turn this into your “local chocolate fix”, booking somewhere like a HOTEL makes it dangerously easy to “just pop out” for hot chocolate and a box of pralines.
What’s inside: more than just a chocolate shop
Walk in and you get that unmistakable “this is fancy but warm” feeling.
You’ll usually find:
Pralines and ganaches in careful rows each one like a tiny sculpture
Seasonal collections (for Christmas 2025, there’s a whole Art Deco-inspired festive range)
Macarons in classic and creative flavours
Kumos cloud-like meringue/chocolate creations
Nectars Pierre Marcolini’s indulgent drinkable chocolate, used for their signature hot chocolate
Gift boxes, hampers and pretty tins that genuinely look “giftable” without extra effort
Everything is designed not just made. It’s the sort of place where you can happily spend ten minutes just pointing at the counter, asking: “What’s that one?” and “Okay but which one is the marzipan, I’m scared but also curious.”
The hot chocolate: why everyone is shouting about it
The Reel calls it “truly life-changing”. Dramatic, yes. But the hot chocolate here isn’t your average powder-in-milk situation.
The Notting Hill boutique serves Pierre Marcolini’s “Nectars” hot chocolate effectively a liquid version of their chocolate expertise. Think:
dense but not heavy
velvety rather than syrupy
genuinely chocolatey instead of sugary
The texture is more like a melted bar than a sweet drink you sip it slowly, almost like a dessert in a cup. For December, they often add seasonal twists: spices, limited-edition toppings, or special festive serves (these can change, so always ask what’s on that week).
If you’re planning a Notting Hill winter walk, this is the version of hot chocolate you want in your hands.
Christmas gifts: what to actually buy here
If you’re in “present panic” mode, this place is a cheat code. You can walk in with zero ideas and walk out fifteen minutes later having sorted:
Host gifts – small elegant boxes of pralines or seasonal chocolates
Proper gifts – larger curated boxes, Advent-style collections, or deluxe Christmas assortments
Stocking fillers – mini tins, bars, single-origin tablets
Office or neighbour gifts – pretty, neutral, and impossible to hate
Because Marcolini is a bean-to-bar house, the flavours tend to feel grown-up rather than overly sweet – ideal for anyone who genuinely loves chocolate and wants to taste distinct notes, not just sugar.
If you really want to lean in, you can make a whole “Notting Hill chocolate afternoon” of it: hot chocolate in-store, a box to take home, and maybe a few macarons for the Tube ride back.
Why Notting Hill is the perfect match for this boutique
Westbourne Grove has been called “preposterously fashionable” in the best way for years a mix of independent fashion, design shops and cafés, with Portobello Market just around the corner.
Putting Pierre Marcolini here does a few things:
It gives Notting Hill a serious luxury chocolate address, not just a generic high-street name.
It fits the area’s vibe: pretty shopfronts, curated interiors, slow browsing.
It creates a natural “festive loop”: Westbourne Grove → Portobello Road → a hot chocolate stop → wandering past pastel houses.
For December in particular, the whole street picks up a kind of gentle neighbourhood glow: wreaths on doors, fairy lights in windows, and everyone wrapped in scarves, clutching coffee cups… or in this case, molten Belgian chocolate.
How to build a perfect Notting Hill chocolate afternoon
If you want to turn this into more than a quick in-and-out, here’s an easy flow:
Start at Notting Hill Gate Station
Walk up towards Westbourne Grove, maybe detouring via a few pretty side streets (Pembridge Villas, Chepstow Road).Stop at 97 Westbourne Grove Pierre Marcolini
Order the Nectars hot chocolate
Pick up a small box of pralines or macarons
Ask staff what’s new for this year’s Christmas collection
Stroll Westbourne Grove & Ledbury Road
Browse other boutiques, lifestyle stores and cafés this area is made for wandering.Loop down towards Portobello Road
If it’s a market day, you get the full “Notting Hill” atmosphere: antiques, food stalls, and that cinematic buzz.Head home with your box of chocolate as a souvenir
Or… don’t make it home with it. Completely understandable.
A couple of practical notes (so expectations are realistic)
This is not a sit-down café with loads of tables it’s a boutique first, with takeaway hot chocolate and treats, and sometimes a little space to linger.
Seasonal creations, limited-edition boxes and specific flavours can sell out, especially close to Christmas. If you have your heart set on something you’ve seen online, go earlier in the season.
Opening hours around Christmas and New Year can shift slightly (they already list different hours for 24, 25, 26 and 31 December) so always check the official website or Google listing on the day you go.
Final thought Christmas in a cup, Notting Hill on a plate
There are lots of places in London where you can buy chocolate.
Very few feel like this.
The new Pierre Marcolini Notting Hill boutique is one of those rare spots that manages to be:
genuinely luxurious without feeling cold
festive without feeling tacky
small enough to feel special, big enough to feel like a proper “destination”
If you love chocolate, love pretty streets, or just need one foolproof place to buy Christmas gifts that will impress… this is it.
If you go, tell me what you ended up buying (and whether you agree about the hot chocolate being a little bit life-changing).
And for more sweet spots like this, cosy winter walks and London experiences that actually feel worth your time, follow @london.yaar on Instagram and check londonyaar.com I’ll keep finding the places that make the city feel like your own personal Christmas movie.