There's definitely a time and a place for bottomless brunch, but if you care more about the food you're eating than the glasses of Prosecco you're stacking up you need a completely different hitlist. Here are the places in London you want to book for brunch where the food is firmly the focus.
Akub
Notting Hill- 27 Uxbridge Street, London W8 7TQ
For a fresh modern take on Palestinian food you need to head to Fadi Kattan’s Notting Hill restaurant Akab where the brunch menu features a holy trinity of Arabic coffee, superb French toast and amazing Zahra fritters. If you’re fond of a sweet brunch dish and want to try something new, how about the Burbara - a dish of wheat, dried fruits and spices which is deeply rooted in Palestinian heritage. As you would expect the coffee here is very good, but take time to check out the tea menu too, which is broader than most places with sage and anis seed both compelling options.
The Park
Bayswater- 2 Queensway, London W2 3RX
The weekend (and bank holidays) brunch offering at Jeremy King's Bayswater establishment has a distinct American bent with some of the favourite dishes including huevos rancheros, a veal and pork meatloaf and grilled flatiron steak with potato latkes and fried egg. If you've got a sweet tooth the vanilla cream doughnuts are a must-try, as are the bespoke build-your-own sundaes, and Hyde Park is right across the road for a pre or post-brunch walk.
Lantana
London Bridge, Shoreditch and Marylebone
The OG Aussie brunch spot in London, Lantana has one of those menus where all the classics are elevated. So a full English (or should that be Australian) also includes potato gems, flat bread & house barbeque sauce while the eggs Benedict here comes with slow-cooked caramelised pork belly and sriracha hollandaise. All options can be made bottomless, both boozy with Prosecco or Mimosa or booze free with all the juice and coffee you can muster.
Abuelo
Covent Garden- 26 Southampton St, London WC2E 7RS
There is a new branch of Abuelo just off Oxford Circus, but it’s the original you’ll need to head to for the most expansive brunch offering. This architect-owned independent local cafe serves up an Australian-style brunch with a Latin American twist. Homemade banana bread comes with toasted coconut, vanilla ricotta and honeycomb, but the addition of dulce de leche makes it next level. Drinks are also on point with an iced rose matcha or matcha ice cream float both being options that would elevate anyone's weekend. The cafe is also extremely easy on the eye with the stylish owners making this spot a visual as well as gustatory feast.
Honey & Co. Daily
Bloomsbury- 19-21 Store Street London WC1E 7BL
The newest branch of the Honey & Co family is their most casual, being an all-day deli, bakery and cafe just around the corner from the British Museum. Brunch is served daily for those dining in, and is an enticing combination of Middle Eastern-inspired salads, shakshuka, tagines and more. Eggs are where it's mainly at, served braised in confit cherry tomatoes & feta for that shakshuka, poached with their baked butter beans on sourdough or boiled with their cheese and chive bureka. As for drinks, their house-made orange blossom iced tea is the business.
Burnt
Shepherds Bush - 63 Askew Rd, London W12 9AU
Brunch is served up every day of the week at this West London neighbourhood favourite. In addition to their own homemade cakes and pastries you can expect to find a regularly changing menu inspired by ultra-local produce. So you might find Kent butter, yoghurt and rhubarb on the menu. Recent specials have included devilled Kentish mushrooms on toast with poached eggs and new pancake options like pistachio crème brûlée buttermilk ricotta pancakes with crème chantilly. The coffee comes from Climpson & Sons.
Brother Marcus
Covent Garden, Borough Yards, Angel, Spitalfields, South Kensington
Brother Marcus might be a restaurant chain, but it’s one of the good ones and you can always rely on them to serve up a decent brunch offering at the weekend. If you haven't been before the menu focuses on modern Eastern Mediterranean dishes. Brunch options are available Monday to Friday but it's at the weekends that the menu expands with a greater range. The smoky shakshuka is an always-on classic but it has to compete with dishes like the kefir-fried chicken on potato rosti with fried eggs as well as toasted banana bread with caramelised bananas and grape molasses. If you're wanting to switch things up a level, they also do special brunch cocktails.
Fallow
St James - 2 St James’s Market, London SW1Y 4RP
Fallow have really built on their breakfast and brunch game over the years, and they have certainly done so with one eye on your Instagram feed. The croissant rolls are the main draw, with everything from sausage, bacon and egg to whey caramel sandwiched between them. Their black pudding Benedict is also a strong draw and, being a sustainably focused restaurant, they shun avocado on toast for crushed English peas instead. Their mid-week breakfasts are also well worth checking out.
Chet's
Shepherd's Bush - 65 Shepherd's Bush Green, London W12 8QE
This restaurant inside the Hoxton Shepherd's Bush hotel quickly became a big hit due to its unique Thai-Americana-style food. Taking specific influences from American diner bars, it's no surprise that their brunch game is so strong. Alongside more trad dishes like banana French toast, you'll also find spicy chicken on a roti waffle and a special Thai omelette on the menu. There's a particularly interesting non-alcoholic drinks selection and you've got to love a brunch place with rotis and curry sauce on the menu, haven't you?
Sunday
Islington - 169 Hemingford Rd, London N1 1DA
Sunday is such a popular brunch location you can always expect queues at the weekend, but it’s worth it for the perfectly cooked Full English and brunch options like courgette fritters as a base for avocado, halloumi and poached eggs. Weekly specials are worth watching out for and range the globe for inspiration from Mexican chilaquiles to chicken musakhan from Palestine.
The Good Egg
93 Stoke Newington Church St, London N16 0AS
The Good Egg in Stokey has been one of the area's top places for brunch since it opened back in 2015. It takes a Middle Eastern approach to its brunch dishes (which are available all-day, all week). There are many options to choose from here, including a popular za’atar fried chicken and waffles with spiced maple syrup and a lamb shawarma hash. Do not, under any circumstances, leave without trying the babka.
Milk Beach
Queen's Park - 19-21 Lonsdale Road, London NW6 6DH
While the Soho branch does a decent breakfast, the original Queen's Park Milk Beach is where you'll need to go for their proper brunch, easily one of the best in the area. An Australian restaurant, they do a mean avocado on toast using St John sourdough (you can get the St John doughnuts here too) and there's a strong line in brunch cocktails and boozy hot options like the Baileys mocha. The Greek yoghurt hotcakes are a good sweet option.
Milk
Balham - 20 Bedford Hill, London SW12 9RG
Every day is brunch day at Balham cafe Milk, which prides itself on using producers from as close to its location as possible. Think classic brunch dishes, but given as much extra love and attention as possible. So smashed avo on sourdough might feature a tahini and sumac aioli and be served with pickled red meat radish and roasted chilli chickpeas. Plus you’ve got to love anywhere that offers hangover sauce (smoked chipotle, if you’re asking). And if the queue for brunch is too long, head to their nearby branch Milk Run for something to take home with you instead.
Esters
Stoke Newington - 55 Kynaston Rd, London N16 0EB
If you’re seeking out a brunch with a difference then this Stokey cafe, tucked away on a side street, is the place you’ve been looking for. Expect to see regularly-changing seasonal takes on brunch specials, so a spring version of French toast will probably feature bright pink Yorkshire rhubarb. Brunch is Saturday-only but they do a cracking breakfast during the week too.
Sunday in Brooklyn
Notting Hill - 98 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5RU
This American import in Notting Hill has a signature pancake dish that any pancake lover should cross town for, served with Hazelnut maple praline and brown butter. You'll need a stack of at least two in our opinion, but if you have any room after that, their steak and eggs are pretty strong or you could go for their egg sandwich, which is scrambled eggs, cheddar, gochujang majo and potato crisp in a brioche bun.
Juliet's Quality Foods
Tooting - 110 Mitcham Rd, London SW17 9NG
Tooting’s very own temple to brunch was set up by Julian Porter and Lauren James (who launched Milk in Balham so they have brunch form). The eclectic menu reflects a team who like to shake things up, so you’ll find their own Pumpkin Seed Dukkah on the poached eggs and limited edition dishes are also worth taking a look at.
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