Lisa’s Swedish bar and restaurant launches in London’s Notting Hill, announces CloseUp PR

Lisa Wallén, owner of Lisa's.      Photo: Monika Agorelius

Lisa's a stylish new contemporary Swedish restaurant and bar has arrived in London’s uber fashionable Notting Hill area.  Located at 305 Portobello Road, Lisa's delivers a unique culinary experience coloured by owner Lisa Wallén's Swedish roots and childhood memories. Every dish is made with ingredients selected from Lisa's Scandinavian pantry and the menu is dictated by Sweden’s four distinct seasons of the year and the style is one of rustic food, prepared with a modern simplicity.  The vibrant bar is proving a popular destination in itself, with amazing cocktails prepared by head bartender Karin, exciting seasonal events such as summer crayfish parties and live music on Friday evenings.

“When I was just 7 the only thing I wanted to be was a waitress and my father used to jokingly tell people not to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up as I didn’t have very high ambitions!”  Lisa’s dream stayed with her though and she worked her way across Europe loving every minute of it.

She graduated with a BA in Marketing, Event, Sport and Entertainment Management from the prestigious Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland. After more than 10 years in the restaurant and events industry, Lisa moved to London’s Notting Hill 2 years ago and fell in love with the vibrancy and diversity of the area:  “It’s always a joy and an adventure every time to step outside in the morning”.

Lisa’s love of food stems back to childhood memories of she and her sister being taken out to dinner by their father in Sweden and much of this was her inspiration for Lisa’s:  “I used to love all the smells and listening to all the people.  I remember seeing the restaurant owner sat at the end of the bar or at a little table in the corner with a cigar and a glass of wine or a whiskey, warmly shaking hands with each client who came over to him.  For me, the owner was the person who created the whole atmosphere and everything inside was special because of him”.

Witnessing the rise of chain restaurants during her international career, Lisa was determined to recreate that unique warm, welcoming atmosphere when she eventually opened her own establishment.  With heart and soul invested and with her own name above the door, Lisa opened her first restaurant and bar in London during the summer of 2013 and as she explains, “I chose the name Lisa’s so people can always relate to the place with a ‘face’ as I’m always here”.

Lisa is keen to stress the importance of another major inspiration on the journey to opening her first restaurant – her mother:  “She’s an independent, hard-working woman who is always smiling and always finds solutions.  She’s been a total rock for me during the opening and she even waitresses sometimes when she’s here!” 

Lisa’s extensive travels away from Sweden have also inspired her:  “Being away from your home country, you really appreciate certain traditions about the food, music, ocean, forests, cafes and bars, so I thought it would be a shame not to share these wonderful things about Sweden with London.  We didn’t feel the need to put a Swedish flag on the door, we want to communicate Swedish beauty and design through our wonderful staff, interior design and the food and drinks served at Lisa’s”. 

The majority of the food at Lisa’s is served tapas-style which has proved an excellent way of introducing Swedish cuisine to Notting Hill and clients are presented with traditional Swedish food with a modern twist, including different types of meat, fish and seafood depending on the seasons.  Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available and Lisa’s is also able to offer gluten-free bread and desserts courtesy of Swedish gluten-free bakery Fria Gluten Free.

The welcoming bar offers speciality Swedish beers from Nils Oscar and unique cocktails are created with Scandinavian spirits such as Akvavit and Punsch combined with Scandinavian and English fruits including rhubarb, strawberries, lingonberries, blueberries and cloudberries and Swedish herbs such as dill and thyme.

Swedish culture boasts a host of seasonal celebrations and Lisa is enjoying bringing these traditions to her restaurant in the form of seasonal events like midsummer when herring, salmon, eggs, dill, new potatoes are served and crayfish parties in August when crayfish are abundant in the lakes and the Nordic Atlantic.  The hunting season starts in the autumn and Swedish forests are also filled with many different types of mushrooms, creating a very different type of cuisine from the summer, Christmas then brings the Julbord (Christmas smörgåsbord), followed by Påsk which is the Swedish Easter celebration. 

“Generally most people think of Swedish cuisine as being fresh and healthy but with a lot of taste and the general feedback from our clients has been that they love it.  To be honest, the restaurant has been full since we opened our doors so it seems the word has spread”.

Lisa is keen to keep a local feel to her restaurant and as well as sourcing fish and seafood from the local fishmonger, George's Fisheries on Ladbroke Grove. Most of the chairs, tables and decorative items come from the famous Portobello market, fabrics are from the cloth shop across the street and paint, pens and paper come from the local art shop.  Lisa’s graphics are courtesy of Anthony at the Graffik Gallery in Portobello Road and the chocolate in the desserts come from a local lady who is an artisan chocolate-maker. 

Recognising the importance of being part of the local community, Thursdays see a popular singles night, Friday has live music, on Saturdays Lisa offers 50% off to traders from the legendary antiques market and she is planning a vintage night on Tuesdays.

“We’re creating a restaurant and bar where locals can have their say about menus, live bands and what art is on the walls.  We’re also keen to host more events to help local artists and businesses as well as just having a lot of fun”.