Fancy tasting the delights of the Caribbean without leaving the capital? The Notting Hill Carnival has returned for 2008 and is bringing loads of food along with all the usual festival atmosphere. Prepare for two more days of the best in Caribbean and West Indian food and celebrate the Notting Hill Carnival at London restaurants.

Notting Hill Carnival Stalls
From jerk chicken to curried goat to rice and peas, the Notting Hill Carnival is no doubt one of the best places to dig in to the most authentic Caribbean and West Indian food in the capital. Londoners are huge fans of the cuisine; according to festival organisers, each year the carnival goes through a ton of Jamaican patties, 25,000 bottles of rum and 12,000 mangoes.

One of the capital’s most prominent Caribbean cooks, Levi Roots of Dragons’ Den and Reggae Reggae Sauce fame, will be serving up his customer’s favourites at his stall on Westbourne Park Road. If you can’t make it to that one, though, there’ll be another stall along the route – however, their Papine Jerk Centre will be closed for the duration of the carnival.

In the Area
Not a fan of street food? If you don’t fancy queueing for some jerk chicken whilst watching the parade go by, you can always head to a nearby restaurant. Although some of the venues in the area close down for the carnival, there are still loads of opportunities to celebrate the Notting Hill Carnival at London restaurants. See below for our pick of nearby places.

Beach Blanket Babylon
The bar at Beach Blanket Babylon will be open from 1pm – 2am Sunday and Monday, and to celebrate they’ll be having a barbecue. Entry is free before 6pm and £5 afterwards.Black and Blue
Carnivore favourite Black and Blue on nearby Kensington Church Street will be open for lunch on Sunday, so make sure to check them out if you’d like some pre-celebration steaks.Kensington Place
For those of you who’d like a break from the hectic atmosphere, you can celebrate the Notting Hill Carnival at London restaurants like Kensington Place, which will be open all weekend except for Monday night.S and M Cafe
The Portobello Road location of the comfort food favourite will be open as usual, although they expect it will be packed so it’s best to call ahead to reserve a table.Crazy Homies and Lucky Seven
Notting Hill Mexican favourite and its sister bar Lucky Seven will be serving nachos and drinks throughout the carnival, although in the evenings you’ll need a wristband to get in. If you’re interested, ask for one at Crazy Homies.

Other London Restaurants
Don’t fancy fighting the traffic in West London? You can still celebrate Notting Hill Carnival at London restaurants that aren’t in the area. There are loads of restaurants across the capital where you can sample some Caribbean and West Indian specialties, and even though they might not be involved in the festivities they’re still perfect spots for some tropical food and drink.Harlem
The New York-themed bar, club and restaurant will be soaking up the carnival spirit with a whole weekend full of DJs. If it’s good weather try to get a seat by one of their big open windows.

Ace Fusion
Even after the party’s over, there’s still room for celebrating the Notting Hill Carnival at London restaurants. Battersea’s Ace Fusion are hosting a Carnival Cool Down Party on Thursday 28th August from 8pm. Although entry is free, it’s £24.95 for an all you can eat buffet featuring traditional Caribbean favourites.

The Notting Hill Carnival takes place from Sunday 24th August - Monday 25th August 2008 in Notting Hill and surrounding areas. For more information see the links below.