It’s the kind of London morning that feels like it’s been dusted with icing sugar. Westbourne Grove hums softly, coffee cups clinking, pastel doors catching the light, and then, between the florists and vintage shops, something new appears. A boutique that doesn’t just invite you in, but glows.
On Nov. 21, 2025, Maison Pierre Marcolini opens its latest store in Notting Hill, and it’s not just another chocolate shop. It’s a love letter to craftsmanship, nostalgia, and the quiet thrill of beautiful things done properly.
What Happens When Brussels Meets West London?
Pierre Marcolini isn’t new to the capital. His creations already grace the shelves of Selfridges, Harrods, and Liberty. But Notting Hill feels different, more intimate, somehow. The neighbourhood’s creative rhythm, that blend of vintage romance and modern flair, mirrors his own approach to chocolate: art meeting emotion, precision meeting pleasure.
Marcolini, who was elected the "Best Pastry Chef in the World" in both 1995 and 2020, brings an exceptional level of savoir-faire to this destination.
Pierre Marcolini
He once called Notting Hill “a cultural hub full of creativity,” and it’s easy to see why he was drawn here. The new boutique feels perfectly at home among the pastel façades and artisanal cafés, bringing a touch of Belgian refinement to West London’s bohemian swirl.
How Does Chocolate Become Art?
Inside, the Art Deco Collection takes centre stage, a confectionery gallery of geometric lines and golden shimmer. Imagine advent calendars reimagined as miniature mansions (£54), windows that open not to trinkets but to chocolate jewels.
Decorative 1930s-inspired boxes include the Christmas Mosaics, which reveal bars arranged in satisfying symmetry, eight or 16 at a time (£23.00 or £39.00). The showstopping Christmas Baubles (£25.00) glint like ornaments that might actually taste better than they look, filled with 16 Hazelnut Dragees.
Each piece tells the same story: discipline, detail, and the belief that beauty belongs in every bite.
What Makes This Collection So Captivating?
The Yule Logs are a masterclass in flavour and form. The award-winning L’Envol Log layers a dark chocolate mousse over hazelnut praliné and crème brûlée, all on a cocoa Joconde biscuit.
The Coco-Yuzu-Shiso Log is brighter, combining light coconut mousse and yuzu cream with a crunchy black sesame praliné. The Oviédo Log features São Tomé & Príncipe milk chocolate mousse, hazelnut-lime praliné, and Madagascar vanilla crème brûlée.
Negroni Kumo
Then there’s the Kumo, Marcolini’s Japanese-inspired pastry, reborn for London in a Negroni edition that pairs pure Equateur - São Tomé & Príncipe chocolate ganache with a hazelnut dacquoise biscuit sponge.
And for those who prefer to sip rather than slice, the “Nectars Creations” bring chocolate into the realm of the ritual drink. Served hot or cold, in flavours like Speculoos and Piedmont Hazelnut, they blur the line between café culture and couture.
Can Luxury Be Quiet?
The new boutique doesn’t shout for attention. It lingers in the senses: the scent of cocoa, the soft gleam of gold, the rhythm of calm. In a season built around speed, Pierre Marcolini’s world asks us to pause, taste, and remember that luxury isn’t about excess; it’s about intention.
This holiday season, Notting Hill gains a new kind of ritual: the quiet pleasure of stepping off the busy street and into a space where time slows, flavour deepens, and life tastes a little sweeter.
Address: Pierre Marcolini, 97 Westbourne Grove, London, W2, 4UW
The latest collections are also available online.
