Our Story
Ottolenghi began as a small deli in Notting Hill, London in 2002 founded by Yotam Ottolenghi, Noam Bar and Sami Tamimi. Food which had its roots in the meandering souks of the Middle-East, where vendors pile their spices sky-high and appeal to all the senses, was transplanted into a thoughtfully designed, modern environment, with a striking contrast between a riot of colours and a white background.
For the very first time, food to go was created and presented with the seriousness of a Michelin restaurant. Freshly cooked vegetable platters and cakes were prepared daily by a group of highly skilled chefs and presented with artistry and skill. The colours, the textures and the flavours were unapologetically striking.
The little shop was an overnight success. The philosophy chimed with locals, who queued around the corner for an aubergine salad with saffron yoghurt or a slice of lemon polenta pistachio cake. A few more Ottolenghi delis followed, as well as restaurants, all echoing the abundance, intensity, freshness and originality of the first site.
Our Food
The iconic Ottolenghi displays are all about joy and abundance; the usual barriers placed in shops between people and food are broken down. We want our customers to see the food and smell it!
It feels laidback, almost casual, but there is an obsessive attention to detail here: fruit tarts are perfectly finished and lined up on slates, squash slices are layered with sauces and scattered with nuts for contrast and crunch, the huge ceramic platters are carefully chosen as ideal background to the food, a towering flower arrangement adds to the organic feel.
This kind of display, alongside the welcoming architecture and communal dining, creates a sense of familiarity and ease. It’s like you’re entering a family celebration where everyone is welcomed
Our culture
Yes.. joy again. The joy that comes from being part of a place that puts food first: food that is innovative but accessible, food that comes from people of different backgrounds, food that’s easy to love and talk to guests about with pride. We are fastidious, there is unconditional approach to quality, detail is everything, but this leads to self-improvement and it sparks creativity and unusual collaborations. People are attracted to Ottolenghi because the link between the food and the service culture, the diversity of voices on the plate and on the restaurant floor, is magnetic and it is unique.
As a team, we are instinctive in our approach. If something doesn’t feel right, it isn’t! We talk to each other, our suppliers and our guests to make sure we always have an ear to the ground and always work as proactively as possible. Feedback is incredibly important to us, we recognise that for it to be effective, it must flow both ways. Our managers work hard to ensure we work in a non-hierarchical environment, this encourages a positive workplace with space to fail and learn from our mistakes as well as celebrate our successes.
The reward for our hard work and continued success over the past 20 years is the relationships we have built with our communities and the growth we have seen in our colleagues. We are very proud that many of our team members have been with Ottolenghi for more than 10 years and our managers are almost all home-grown. Our guests recognise us when they come in through the door and we know exactly what they want. The Ottolenghi delis and restaurants are all part of their communities (even in Central London!) for those who live and work locally. They are equally welcoming to the food fanatics and tourists who come from afar to eat our food and test our efforts against theirs from the cookbooks!
"Simply put, we are very serious about making people happy through our food"
Yotam Ottolenghi
Our Story
Ottolenghi began as a small deli in Notting Hill, London in 2002 founded by Yotam Ottolenghi, Noam Bar and Sami Tamimi. Food which had its roots in the meandering souks of the Middle-East, where vendors pile their spices sky-high and appeal to all the senses, was transplanted into a thoughtfully designed, modern environment, with a striking contrast between a riot of colours and a white background.
For the very first time, food to go was created and presented with the seriousness of a Michelin restaurant. Freshly cooked vegetable platters and cakes were prepared daily by a group of highly skilled chefs and presented with artistry and skill. The colours, the textures and the flavours were unapologetically striking.
The little shop was an overnight success. The philosophy chimed with locals, who queued around the corner for an aubergine salad with saffron yoghurt or a slice of lemon polenta pistachio cake. A few more Ottolenghi delis followed, as well as restaurants, all echoing the abundance, intensity, freshness and originality of the first site.
Our Food
The iconic Ottolenghi displays are all about joy and abundance; the usual barriers placed in shops between people and food are broken down. We want our customers to see the food and smell it!
It feels laidback, almost casual, but there is an obsessive attention to detail here: fruit tarts are perfectly finished and lined up on slates, squash slices are layered with sauces and scattered with nuts for contrast and crunch, the huge ceramic platters are carefully chosen as ideal background to the food, a towering flower arrangement adds to the organic feel.
This kind of display, alongside the welcoming architecture and communal dining, creates a sense of familiarity and ease. It’s like you’re entering a family celebration where everyone is welcomed
Our culture
Yes.. joy again. The joy that comes from being part of a place that puts food first: food that is innovative but accessible, food that comes from people of different backgrounds, food that’s easy to love and talk to guests about with pride. We are fastidious, there is unconditional approach to quality, detail is everything, but this leads to self-improvement and it sparks creativity and unusual collaborations. People are attracted to Ottolenghi because the link between the food and the service culture, the diversity of voices on the plate and on the restaurant floor, is magnetic and it is unique.
As a team, we are instinctive in our approach. If something doesn’t feel right, it isn’t! We talk to each other, our suppliers and our guests to make sure we always have an ear to the ground and always work as proactively as possible. Feedback is incredibly important to us, we recognise that for it to be effective, it must flow both ways. Our managers work hard to ensure we work in a non-hierarchical environment, this encourages a positive workplace with space to fail and learn from our mistakes as well as celebrate our successes.
The reward for our hard work and continued success over the past 20 years is the relationships we have built with our communities and the growth we have seen in our colleagues. We are very proud that many of our team members have been with Ottolenghi for more than 10 years and our managers are almost all home-grown. Our guests recognise us when they come in through the door and we know exactly what they want. The Ottolenghi delis and restaurants are all part of their communities (even in Central London!) for those who live and work locally. They are equally welcoming to the food fanatics and tourists who come from afar to eat our food and test our efforts against theirs from the cookbooks!
"Simply put, we are very serious about making people happy through our food"
Yotam Ottolenghi