Ottolenghi began in a small shop in Notting Hill in 2002. Since then, the team has slowly expanded, our scope has grown, and exciting new ingredients fill our cupboards. But so much has remained the same.
In 2002 chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi were at the helm, creating a food shop, deli, restaurant, and bakery. It became a place with no single description but was a clear reflection of our obsessive relationship with food.
From this, Ottolenghi has developed a style of food which is rooted in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions, but which also draws in diverse influences and ingredients from around the world.
Our commitment to the championing of vegetables, as well as unusual ingredients, has led to what some call The Ottolenghi effect. This is shorthand for the creation of a meal which is full of colour, flavour, bounty and joy.
We're all about boundless enthusiasm and unwavering attention to detail. Many of our team members have been with us for years; recipes, dishes and ingredients that are trusted favourites still feature on our menus and the philosophy at the heart of all we do is as true today as it ever was.
Simply put, we are very serious about making people happy through our food.
Yotam is based in the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen. He spends much of his time with the OTK team–writing, creating, and testing recipes for his books and columns in the Guardian and the New York Times.
When he isn't testing, tasting and tweaking, he is overseeing the day-to-day running of our delis and restaurants. This involves more testing, tasting and tweaking...so when he's not at work he tries very hard to do something other than eat. Family life and pilates tend to do the trick.
The OTK is Ottolenghi's creative hub, home to a collaborative team of chefs, writers, doers, and thinkers. Together, they cook, taste, converse, and write all the recipes they hope will make it onto your tables.
Over 20 years, we have become a proud family of delis and restaurants. In all our locations you’ll find vibrant food, low intervention wines, and warm hospitality.
