Congratulations – you’ve made the first step towards eating the best eggs and bacon that London has to offer! We thought breakfast deserved a little bit of love, particularly since brunch has kinda taken over the show don’t ya know. After all, breakfast is, as our mums, dads and teachers always taught us, the most important meal of the day. So making it both pretty, delicious, and pretty damn delicious is a muy importante. Here’s a roundup of 15 London breakfasts you must try before you die:
1. Sweet Potato Fritters at Brother Marcus
Brother Marcus’ breakfast is out of this world. Their menu is filled with weird and wonderful things, but the star of the show is surely what was formerly known as the Step Sister, now called simply ‘Sweet Potato Fritters’: a tasty tower of gluten-free sweet potato, courgette and feta fritters served with avocado, crispy kale, turmeric yoghurt and a poached egg.
Not only is it mind-blowingly delicious, but it’s also incredibly ‘grammable – much like the restaurant itself. You should also try the harissa eggs or the smokey shakshuka.
📍 Angel, Borough, South Kensington and Spitalfields.
🚇 Angel, Borough, South Kensington and Liverpool Street.
2. Hawksmoor Breakfast at Hawksmoor Guildhall
Serving anything in a skillet pan and offering the option of grilled bone marrow (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it) screams splendour, but the food at Hawksmoor is also well sourced and fantastic-tasting.
Already hailed (by us) as one of the best fry ups in town, their Sunday breakfast for two at their Guildhall branch includes an enormous full English (for two to share), sausage and egg muffins, bloody mary’s and a whole host of other bits and bobs. It’s the mightiest and meatiest of the London breakfasts featuring on this list.
📍 10 Basinghall Street, Guildhall, EC2V 5BQ.
🚇 Nearest stations are Bank and Moorgate.
3. A Full English at The Regency Café
The Regency Café opened way back in 1946 and continues to serve proper British grub to this day. The interior is very unpretentious, with basic art deco features and pictures of Tottenham Hotspur players on the walls (sorry Arsenal).
What it lacks in fanciful design it sure makes up for with the food. The fry up is a total bargain at £6.95, with the option to add extras (e.g. bubble and squeak, hash browns, black pudding) for an extra quid. You may have also spotted the café in various films and TV shows, including Layer Cake in 2004.
📍 17-19 Regency Street, SW1P 4BY.
🚇 Nearest stations are Pimlico and St. James’ Park.
4. Bacon Naan at Dishoom
We’ve raved about this London breakfast a few times and, trust me, there’s a reason for it. Light puffy naan bread surrounds layers of crispy sugar-cured bacon, melted cream cheese, fresh coriander and chilli tomato jam. The Dishoom bacon naan laughs in the face of the British bacon buttie.
In fact, we’d go as far as saying you can’t call yourself a true Londoner until you’ve tried one (exaggeration maybe; but you get the idea!). Match it with a lassi or a breakfast cocktail and you’ll be set for the day.
📍 Various locations across London.
5. Eggs Benedict at The Wolseley
Don’t be put off by the celebrity clientele; you don’t have to be rolling in it to breakfast like a king at The Wolseley. The restaurant is famous for having the best Eggs Benedict in London and, at £13.50 a plate, it’s hardly got a Mayfair price tag (well – not the worst). They also have a fantastic afternoon tea if you’re looking to stay all day.
📍 160 Piccadilly, Mayfair, W1J 9EB.
🚇 Nearest station is Green Park.
6. Sweet Potato Rosti at Eggbreak
Guess what? There’s eggs on the menu at Eggbreak. And when we say eggs, we don’t just mean the ‘done any way’ kind. We mean done every way: ways that you didn’t even know were possible. Try the Sweet Potato with goat’s cheese, honey, kale, pine nuts, dill yoghurt and poached egg if you’re after something different and downright delicious, or opt for their Spicy Piggy Bun with Gochujang-spiced pork patty, homemade chilli jam, ginger, fried egg and American cheese. It really is an eggcccccellent place to start the day and a worthy entry onto this roundup of the best London breakfasts.
📍 30 Uxbridge Street, Notting Hill, W8 7TA.
🚇 Nearest station is Notting Hill Gate.
7. The Full English at Terry’s Café
Terry’s Café is family run and the food is all top quality and locally-sourced. The meats they use are from Smithfield Market – where Terry worked before opening the café – and their fresh produce comes from Borough Market. They stick to a traditional breakfast of sausage, egg, bacon, bubble and squeak, black pudding, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms. It’s a damn good London breakfast we think. Wash it down with a big mug of coffee and… hangover, be gone!
📍 158 Great Suffolk Street, Waterloo, SE1 1PE.
🚇 Nearest station is Waterloo.
8. Baked Eggs at Caravan
No London breakfasts round-up is complete without a mention of Caravan and their baked eggs with spiced tomato, pepper and chickpea ragu, rose harissa, greek yoghurt, flatbread and parsley. It’s easily one of our favourite places for early morning feasting. If you haven’t been here yet, you seriously need to ask yourself what you’ve been doing with your Sunday mornings.
📍 Various locations across London.
9. Ricotta Hotcakes at Granger & Co.
Granger and Co. make their ricotta hotcakes (that’s pancakes to you and I) thick and fluffy, with a texture as light as heavenly clouds. They’re served with banana and honeycomb butter (!), giving you just the right amount of sugary sweet energy to start your day.
📍 Various locations across London.
10. Duck & Waffle at Duck & Waffle
If you’ve not yet made your way up the Heron Tower for brekky, you must get Duck & Waffle‘s signature dish when you do. The combination of crispy confit of duck leg and a fried duck egg, both served on a crisp yet fluffy waffle, is surprisingly delightful. It’s topped with a tangy mustardy maple syrup for the perfect amount of sweetness alongside the savoury.
It’s not the cheapest of London breakfasts, but you also get an unbeatable view of the capital. Oh, and it’s now back open for 24/7 dining; if you’re want a late/early meal to hit the spot.
📍 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY.
🚇 Nearest station is Liverpool Street.
11. Have The Lot at E Pellicci
A fan of actors, musicians, foodies and everyone in between, E Pellicci have been drawing in punters for years. It’s easy to see why – they’re absolutely bloody fantastic. The inside boasts classic wooden and ornate-panelled décor, the staff are absolutely lovely, and the local caf even has Grade II-listed status. While all the food here is bangin’, we’d recommend going for ‘Have The Lot’, which comes in either a veggie or a meaty option. Eggs, sausages, hash browns, bubble and squeak, mushrooms, fried bread – sign us up!
📍332 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 0AG.
🚇 Nearest station is Bethnal Green.
12. Spiced Apple Porridge at 26 Grains
The fab 26 Grains offers a seasonally-changing menu of colourful porridges packed full of nutrition and all the good stuff. Situated in Neal’s Yard near Covent Garden and in Borough Market, the Scandi-inspired menu offers delightful dishes such as Spiced Apple Porridge with apple compote, cardamom granola and maple yoghurt, as well as Five Grains Porridge with blood orange curd, sesame brittle and yoghurt.
They also whip up some blow-your-head-off coffees, vegetarian and vegan options and some lovely herbal teas.
📍 1 Neal’s Yard, London, WC2H 9DP and 2–3 Stoney Street, Borough Market, SE1 9AA.
🚇 Nearest stations are Covent Garden and London Bridge.
13. Berry Pancakes at The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is loved by many, and for good reason. Their piled-high pancake stacks, topped with lick-your-plate-clean maple syrup and vanilla cream should definitely be on your breakfast bucket list. However, if you want to avoid the queues, it’s probably best to find a time during the working week to go. Nothing’s worth getting hangry about.
📍 Various locations across London.
14. The Ostrich Egg at Florentine Restaurant (seasonal availability)
At the Florentine Restaurant in Waterloo, customers can order a sizzling, shareable brekkie where an enormous ostrich egg takes pride of place.
So enormous that it’s said to be the size of twenty-two regular chicken eggs! On the side, you’ll get all the usual trimmings: portobello mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, streaky bacon, Cumberland sausages and baked beans.
Note that it’s only available during ostrich breeding season (March to September), and it’s not always guaranteed, so you should check their website for availability before booking.
📍 6 Hercules Road, Lambeth, SE1 7DU.
🚇 Nearest station is Lambeth North.
15. Dutch Babies at Where The Pancakes Are
The Dutch babies from Where The Pancakes Are come in a sweet and savoury variety: The ‘Apples & almonds’ Dutch babies come with native apple varieties, almond paste, fresh berries, almond flakes, plus house cream or vanilla ice cream, and the savoury version ‘Montgomery cheddar & goats cheese’ is filled with cheddar and goats cheese, roast thyme & rosemary, radiccio & greens, and a balsamic dressing. A strong contender for the best London breakfasts we say.
📍 Fitzrovia, Battersea and Flat Iron Square.
🚇 Nearest stations are Goodge Street, Battersea Power Station and Borough.
So there you have it – a roundup of 15 of the best London breakfasts. What better way to start your day than by tucking into one of these bad boys hey?!
Also published on Medium.