A 1910 building still doing its first job
Most London buildings from the early cinema years became bingo halls, supermarkets or churches long ago. The Electric on Portobello Road was purpose-built for films in 1910 and is still showing them, which places it among the oldest working cinemas in Britain. Its frontage is Edwardian and slightly theatrical, and the building is listed Grade II*, so the ornate plasterwork inside is protected as carefully as the name over the door.
It has not survived untouched. The auditorium has been through lean decades and careful restorations, and what greets you now is a room that feels closer to a private screening club than a high street picture house. That mood is the whole point of going: the film matters, but so does the hour either side of it.
What the room is actually like
Instead of tiered rows of fold-down seats, the Electric fills its floor with wide leather armchairs, each with a footstool and a small table for a glass. There is a bar inside the auditorium itself, so a drink ordered before the lights go down travels with you to your seat. The capacity is modest compared with a modern multiplex screen, which keeps the room calm and the sightlines good, and means popular evenings sell out.
Two practical notes follow from that. Book seats ahead rather than turning up, particularly for Friday and Saturday evenings or a new release in its first week. And arrive fifteen minutes early, because choosing a drink and settling into an armchair takes longer than sliding into a row, and nobody enjoys doing it once the trailers have started.
Choosing the screening, and the order of the night
The programme mixes current releases with older favourites, so it is worth reading the listings rather than assuming. A familiar classic suits anyone still carrying a long journey in their shoulders; a new release gives more to argue about afterwards; a subtitled film is oddly good for a first evening, since nobody feels they should be whispering. Then decide which way round the evening runs. Each order has its own merits:
Getting there from Paddington
The cinema sits in the middle stretch of Portobello Road, between Notting Hill Gate and Ladbroke Grove stations and roughly ten to fifteen minutes on foot from either. From Paddington, a taxi takes about ten minutes outside rush hour; alternatively the Circle and Hammersmith and City platforms at Paddington reach Ladbroke Grove in three stops, or you can walk west through Westbourne Park and be there in around twenty-five minutes.
The walk is the better choice on a dry evening, since it passes the quieter end of Notting Hill and puts both of you in the mood of the street before the lights dim. On a wet one, take the cab and save the walking for afterwards, when the rain has usually given up. Either way, tell the desk which route you prefer, since it changes the time she needs to reach your lobby before you set off together.
Company that enjoys the dark
A film is a forgiving start to a first evening together. Two hours of shared attention on a screen removes any pressure to keep conversation going, and it hands you a ready topic the moment you walk out. Patricia, who seldom goes anywhere without a paperback in her coat pocket, tends to have strong opinions about an ending and is happy to argue them over a drink.
Tiffany watches films the way she notices rooms, catching the small details a first viewing usually misses, which makes her an easy companion for something slow and beautifully shot. Guests drawn to a particular look often begin with the auburn companions, a short list of three with Patricia among them, and ask the desk which of them would enjoy the film on the listings that week.
Portobello after the credits
Coming out of the Electric at ten, the road is quieter than it is on a market morning but far from asleep. Small bars, a few late kitchens and the long walk south toward Notting Hill Gate all offer a way to continue the evening, and the bars worth a detour are collected in Notting Hill's late rooms. For the road's daytime character and history, see Portobello Road past the stalls.
Guests staying locally will find W2 4DU near Notting Hill Gate and the larger W11 4UL in Holland Park both a short ride away, while those based in W2 are ten minutes from their own lobby by taxi.
Booking a film night
A night out planned around a screening sits comfortably in three hours, £700, from a drink in your hotel bar to the walk out after the credits. Add dinner either side and the four hour line at £900 is more comfortable. The rates page sets out every duration, and because Notting Hill is inside Zones 1 and 2, she travels to meet you at no added charge.
Buy the cinema seats first, then message the desk with the screening time and your hotel. Once your name and room are verified, she is booked to arrive with time to spare, and the booking is fixed around the film, never the reverse.
The companions named in this guide sit on the brunettes list, one of the types the lineup is sorted by.
Quick answers
It is wise to. The auditorium is small compared with a modern screen, and weekend evenings and new releases often sell out.
Yes. The bar sits inside the auditorium, and drinks bought there come with you to the armchairs.
For most films, three hours is enough for the screening plus a glass afterwards. If you want dinner as well, choose the four hour line so nobody is watching the clock.