Porte Noire King's Cross

Porte Noire King's Cross är en bar, restaurang och delikatessbutik på Gasholder 10, A, 1 Lewis Cubitt Walk, King's Cross i London.

Porte Noire is a restaurant, wine bar and bottle shop rolled into one, built on the shared obsession of wine expert David Farber and Idris Elba (yes, that Idris Elba). What began with a visit to a Champagne school in 2018 led to their first Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, followed by an organic Provence rosé and Petite Porte, a more casual Champagne. The range is a big draw, with everything from natural and orange wines to aged bottles served by the glass via Coravin.

The food follows a French bistronomique approach, with a menu of French and broader European sharing plates. Everything is seasonal, starting with nibbles like olives, charcuterie, and harissa-buttered sourdough, before moving into dishes like scallops with porcini butter, tuna tartare, mushroom pappardelle, or a slow-cooked beef bourguignon pie. There are also larger sharing plates, from short ribs to a hefty veal tomahawk. It's seasonal, so it shifts, but expect refined European cooking that's built to pair perfectly with a serious wine list. And there's also a weekend brunch if you're around earlier in the day.

Set inside the gasholder building at King's Cross, the room feels warm and laid-back, with calming tones and a wall of bottles stacked high. The canal-side terrace adds some sunny vibes when the weather's on your side. 

You can drink here, eat here, or just pick up a bottle to take home, and the mix of familiar names and more unusual finds means there's usually something worth trying.

Jessica Dellow