If you’re looking for some inspiration for brunch or breakfast in London, I’ve got you covered. I’ve rounded up five places dotted around the city with varying menus (yet I always order the eggs…) and budgets. Enjoy.
Hubbard and Bell – www.hubbardandbell.com
199-206 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7BD
Nestled inside the Hoxton Hotel, Hubbard and Bell is the perfect spot for a casual yet sophisticated breakfast in the Holborn/Covent Garden area. The service was good, and the food even better. “Eggs Benny” (LOVE this) will set you back £9 and the full English was around £12, so standard prices for the location. I’d say the contemporary surroundings and good portions and food quality makes it well worth the visit.
Village East – www.villageeast.co.uk
171-173 BERMONDSEY ST, LONDON, SE1 3UW
We visited Village East around 10am on a Friday morning and appeared to be the only people in the entire restaurant, which I’m not normally fond of. But I’ll just chalk it down to the time of day (I was secretly overjoyed I didn’t have to wait for a table, a la Breakfast Club). I had a full English to set me up for the day, and it did the job. The service was good and I have to mention how ridiculously delicious the baby hash browns were. I think if the place had a bit more hustle going on it would’ve improved my experience, but I can’t fault the food, service, or stylish decor. While in the Southwark area, I would recommend checking out other food/coffee spots along Bermondsey Street too. This was my first visit and I wish I’d spent more time exploring.
Darwin Brasserie at the Sky Garden – skygarden.london/darwin
20 Fenchurch Street, City, London, EC3M 3BY
The Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street (aka. The Walkie Talkie) is perhaps my most highly recommended spot for breakfast in London if you’re looking for something a little bit special. I always recommend booking things like this to avoid any disappointment; I can never seem to gauge how busy these novelty breakfast restaurants will be.
It’s a smart-casual vibe at Darwin and really chilled out. No beating around the bush here – the portions are expensive and small. The food is well presented and perfectly satisfying, and they serve their coffee in those amazing double-walled glasses. At the end of the day, though, you’re paying for the stylish environment and the truly beautiful surroundings. I always thought it would be too perfect if you went at the right time of year and managed to catch the sunrise while sipping on your cafe latte. One day…
There is something so relaxing and incredibly well thought-out in terms of the architecture of the Sky Garden and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone visiting the big city. And just FYI, you can visit the Sky Garden for free, without spending a small fortune in the restaurant(s). Tip of the day folks.
Trade Cafe – www.trade-made.co.uk
47 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6BD
Taking it back to the most casual of levels, we have Trade cafe in Shoreditch. I visited here on a Sunday morning around 10.30am and it was basically bursting at the seams. Super busy with a good atmosphere. I wasn’t overly keen on my latte being served in a paper cup inside the restaurant, but I’ll gloss over that since the coffee and food were so great. I really felt that the food served to us was of such good quality; everything was so fresh and fulfilling, and really reasonably priced. I went for the avocado toast which looked a bit simple but fully delivered on flavour and freshness. Star of the show for me was the coffee and I’d be inclined to visit again for a caffeine and cake situation.
Riding House Cafe – www.ridinghousecafe.co.uk
43-51 GREAT TITCHFIELD ST, LONDON, W1W 7PQ
Riding House Cafe is as central as it gets. I’ve mentioned it on the blog before actually – it’s neatly tucked away a few streets behind Oxford Street. Despite this, I’ve never struggled to stroll in and get a seat with no reservation required. Gotta love that sharing table! This might be my favourite pick of today’s bunch, for the overall food/service/vibes. The menu is fantastic and they serve food all day. The restaurant itself looks great; it has that industrial vintage thing going on. I think all of the fittings inside are bespoke or reclaimed, but it feels so well put together; less shabby – more chic. I’ve always had great service and the food has never disappointed. I recommend the Chorizo Hash Brown! Prices are Central London prices but I’m confident in saying it’s totally worth it. And my main breakfast recommendation is the Chorizo Hash Brown!
I hope you’ve found some inspiration for breakfast in London town. A lot of these restaurants are obviously open all day and have fantastic menus to check out but I’ve just rounded them up into my breakfast This is obviously scratching the surface of the amazing breakfast scene in London, but let me know if you hit any of these places up. And please send me your recommendations of new places for me to try next time I visit! Thanks for reading.
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