Best brunch in london | eat and drink

HIDE

hide.co.uk

85 Piccadilly London, W1J 7NB

Arguably one of the best restaurants in London, Ollie Dabbous’ Hide was awarded a Michelin star just 6 months after opening. We’ve been for dins and loved it but it’s true that it can get pricey in the evenings, so another way in is to head over for weekend brunch where the menu is just £48. Brunch begins with a bunch of snacks, including Porthilly oysters with Amalfi lemon; tempura aubergine served with Thai basil and green peppercorns; and flatbread cooked over charcoal with beetroot hummus and Graceburn creamy cheese.

There are four starters to choose from and we dug into the HIDE Croque Monsieur, a dense cheesy masterpiece, as well as cured organic salmon with chervil mayonnaise and pickled yellow courgette. From the mains, the Cornish crab linguine stole the show – served from pan to plate table side, we enjoyed the subtle spiciness and richness of this dish. The barbecued 50 day-aged beef short rib served with crispy potato cake and onion rings, virgin rapeseed béarnaise, with super sweet smoked tomato is out of this world, too. For £48 in one of the best restaurants in town, you just can’t go wrong.

SEABIRD

seabirdlondon.com

40 Blackfriars Rd, South Bank, London SE1 8NY, UK

Seabird, located on the top floor of The Hoxton, Southwark – yes that means there are epic views from the roof terrace – is one of London’s best seafood restaurants. There’s only one way to start brunch in a seafood restaurant and that’s with a spicy Bloody Mary and oysters; luckily Seabird has the biggest oyster list in town so you’re spoilt for choice on this front. There’s a few ways you could follow those up – a towering shellfish platter, a plate of charcuterie – but we reckon going for a mix of small and large plates is the best bet. The octopus roll with sobrasada aioli and a soft brioche bun is an absolute must as are the creamy jamon croquetas, and if you want fish but can’t decide which, go for the frittura mixta as you get fried squid, scallops, white fish, langoustines and some padron peppers thrown on for good measure. The papas arragudas – boiled salted potatoes with spicy mojo rojo – are great if you want a carb fix but don’t want anything else fried. The already famous manchego cheesecake, finished with a grating of cheese at the table, is on offer for dessert and trust us, you’ll want to save space for this baby.

EGGBREAK

eggbreak.com

30 Uxbridge Street, Kensington, W8 7TA

Eggbreak is a laid back restaurant in Notting Hill and it’s all about the eggs (clue’s in the name people!). The menu features some pretty filthy looking buns including THAT McMuffin with a sausage patty, American cheese, fried egg and hot sauce. Other faves include the crab cakes with poached eggs, sriracha hollindase and spinach, and the cornflake french toast with caramelised banana, blueberries and maple syrup.

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PROVISIONERS

provisioners.co.uk

Provisioners, Queen Elizabeth Street, London, UK

The rather dapper interiors of Provisioners, inside the Dixon hotel, isn’t the only draw here. Having recently launched their brunch menu, there are quite a few things to make this the first stop on your weekend food hunt. Temptation leaps out from the page: the black pudding and pork belly roti is a gem, the pork belly smothered in sweet coffee bbq sauce, red onion jam and a fried egg that is wrapped inside an Indian roti bread. The flatbread is a good shout too and comes loaded with avocado (could have been a little more ripe), creme fraiche, tomato jam and bacon. What’s not to like.

Read our review of the dinner menu here.

ASK FOR JANICE

askforjanice.co.uk

££

50-52 Long Ln, Farringdon, London EC1A 9EJ, UK

If you want a brunch rec in Farringdon, Ask For Janice – as in the restaurant Ask For Janice, not just any old Janice you find on the street. The all-day spot, opposite Smithfield Market, is a pretty laid back kinda place, with industrial-chic interiors, plants hanging from the rafters, light streaming in from the huge windows and a bangin’ brunch menu. They’re not big on big plates so choosing a few small ones is the way to go here. There’s a lot of variety, from classics like bubble and squeak to the more unusual brown & white crab miso toast, though our fave is the baked eggs with merguez sausage, roasted peppers and yoghurt, served alongside toasted sourdough.

MALIBU KITCHEN

thened.com/restaurants

The Ned, 27 Poultry, London, UK

Malibu Kitchen, located in one corner of The Ned and known for serving healthy, feel-good Californian-style food, now does brunch in the form of an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet on Saturdays. There’s a wide mix of vegetarian and vegan food to choose from, including a huge bowl of guac, aubergine parmigiana and beetroot wellington. There’s also fresh halloumi fries on offer, which are so good you may need a restraining order to stop you going back and back. Make sure you save plenty of room for dessert as the sweet section is just as big as the savoury. The array of treats include a hot pink polenta cake, turmeric pavlova and freshly baked cookies. You can wash all this down with one of the cocktails off their menu – we’d recommend the Mr Tea – and all of that is only £30 per person.

BOB'S LOBSTER

bobslobster.com

Unit 71 St Thomas St, Bermondsey, London SE1 3QX

In 2018 BOB’s Lobster made the jump from street food trader to permanent site, opening in the revamped part of London Bridge station, though they haven’t forgotten their roots, parking the famous VW campervan inside the restaurant. And now they’re making sure we all get our seafood fix in the morning thanks to a brand new brunch menu. There are plenty of egg dishes on offer if you wanna stick to the breakfast vibes but the lobster mac ‘n’ cheese with lobster bisque bechamel, lobster tail meat and a sprinkling of fried shallots for texture, is a winner. In our books mac ‘n’ cheese is acceptable any time of the day or night. You can’t come to BOB’s Lobster and not have one of the signature rolls – the lobster and crayfish one is packed with meat and comes in the most buttery brioche. And if you can break away from the shellfish, the tuna tacos with wasabi guac and extra crunchy wonton shells are definitely also worth an order, although be prepared to fight over who gets the last one.

ST LEONARDS

stleonards.london

70 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4QX, UK

St Leonards is one of our fave restaurants in Shoreditch and now that they’ve gone and created a Saturday brunch menu, we love it even more. The a la carte menu is available alongside the brunch offering, meaning you can make a proper meal of it. You’ll defo want to kick off with some oysters from the ice bar – the varieties change regularly but the flamed ones, New Orleans-style, are mega. The smoked pork cheek hash with poached egg and hollandaise is rich and indulgent, and the grilled mushroom tartine with herbed labneh and poached eggs is a great veggie option – with a doorstop-sized piece of sourdough, it’ll certainly leave you satisfied. To go with the brunch dishes, there’s a new Hair of the Dog cocktail list. The beef stock Bloody Mary, with stock, spices and forest salt, will knock out any lingering hangovers in flash.

HOPPERS

hopperslondon.com

££-£££

77 Wigmore Street, London, UK

Spice up your brunch by swapping the classic brekkie dishes for Sri Lankan small plates at Hoppers. You’ve got a few decisions to make as you have various meaty and veggie short eats and karis to pick from as well as a choice of hoppers, dosa and chutneys. The table doesn’t have to all order the same so you can mix and match, perfect if you’re feeling indecisive/greedy. From the short eats, we rate the green peppercorn squid with crispy chickpeas; the fiery devilled chicken wings; and the bacon and mushroom kothu, which has a bubble & squeak feel about it. You’ve then got to choose whether you want a namesake hopper (go for the egg one if you want to up the brunch vibe) or a dosa – the chilli cheese one is particularly great and it’s massive – then your chutneys or sambol and finally the kari you want to mop it up with. The aubergine one gets our vote every time. You can add in free-flowing Lion beer to make it bottomless but it’s worth checking out the other drinks; the watermelon and guava slushie is SO GOOD.

LINA STORES

linastores.co.uk/kings-cross

££

20 Stable St, Kings Cross, London N1C 4DR, UK

It’s all about waking up the Italian way for breakfast at Lina Stores. The 100-seater, retro-styled mint green Italian restaurant and deli certainly looks the part and Head Chef Masha Rener’s Umbrian heritage is splashed across the menu. Tuck into the Tuscan fennel sausage with cannelloni, tomato and pane Pugliese, and watch that bright burnt orange egg yolk pop. The truffle scrambled eggs is decent but probs one to skip if your hank marnvin as the portion is a little on the mean side. The Amalfi Macedonia fruit salad with Amalfi lemon, ricotta and pistachio is excellent as are the Nutella-filled doughnuts if you want something sweet. Just be wary if you’re rushing for a train as service is on the slow side, so maybe save for a lazy morning.

FOLIE

folie.london

££-£££

37 Golden Square, Soho, London W1F 9LB

It’s interior goals at Folie on Golden Square – with electric blue stools, a golden bar, low retro lamps, a floor so patterned you’ll get lost in it, soft leather booths and high gloss tables, it’s 60s and 70s glam all the way, and they’ve even gone for retro music to match. Chef Christophe Marleix has a designed a French-Italian inspired menu with brunch dishes like scrambled eggs with sea urchins served in their shells and chicken & basil croque monsieurs. Folie is also great if you just want to pop in for a morning coffee at the bar or even just to sneak in one of their excellent desserts. We won’t tell.

HASH E8

hashe8.com

170 Dalston Ln, E8 1NG

Hash E8 is one of our fave brunch spots in town, hidden away on Dalston Lane do brunch all day long. The Pig Muffin, that’s sausage patty, bacon, pork belly, egg cake, bacon jam, cheese slice & hash browns in a muffin with chorizo and bacon jam is just YUM. But we also dig the French Toast stuffed with banana, chocolate and peanut butter served with maple syrup and there’s some banging sides too – PLUS it’s all pretty affordable.

SUNDAY BARNSBURY

facebook.com/sundaybarnsbury

169 Hemingford Road, London, N1 1DA

Sunday Barnsbury does one of the best French toasts in town. It comes with creme fraiche and salted caramel and we recommend a side of bacon too, and the cornbread is also pretty on point with avo, halloumi and a poached egg. Portions are decent and this is proper neighbourhood cafe that you’ll wish you lived next to.

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PACHAMAMA EAST

pachamamalondon.com

73 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3HR, UK

For the eastern outpost of Pachamama (sister to the original one in Marylebone as well as the offshoot Chicama in Chelsea), the menu is still largely Peruvian in style but sets itself apart by featuring Asian flavours across too. You have plenty of choice when it comes to brunch with both sweet and savoury waffles and specials that range from a Sichuan chicken burger to smoked eel crepes to sofrito baked eggs with kale. And there are a handful of snacks and small plates from the main menu too, so you can really mix and match.

COAL ROOMS

coalroomspeckham.com

11a Station Way, Peckham Rye Station, London, SE15 4RX

Coal Rooms in Peckham is the place to go when you need an all out meat-feast breakfast. Bring a (preferably hungover) pal and get stuck in to the Full English for Two, a huge plate piled high with thick cut streaky and back bacon, black pudding, fried duck eggs, goat sausages, mushrooms cooked in smoked bone marrow butter and big wedges of sourdough toast. Yep, you read all that correctly and once you’re through with that (or it’s through with you), you’ll definitely need a lie down. There are some lighter options too of course, including a lovely ‘pastrami’ salmon and bubble & squeak.

LITTLE BAT

littlebatbar.com

54 Islington Park St, London N1, UK

Little Bat, sister to Callooh Callay, is best known as a cocktail bar but now they’ve got into the brunch game. They’ve got a varied menu, with a mix of small plates – the roast cauliflower and cheddar croquettes with chilli relish are a must – and main dishes. You can go lighter with the hazelnut crusted baked ricotta with asparagus and pickled radish salad or more indulgent with the chickpea, potato, parmesan and truffle rosti topped with bacon, a poached egg and hollandaise. They haven’t forgotten about the booze either – not only do they have brekkie-inspired cocktails and a bottomless option, they’ve got a DIY Bloody Mary Trolley so you can shake one up just the way you like it. With their open front windows, palm print furniture and bangin’ soundtrack, this is one brunch you’ll wanna linger over.

LES NENETTES

lesnenettes.co.uk

19 Lower Clapton Rd, London E5 0NS

Local French restaurant Les Nenettes brings a very rustic dejeneur to the streets of Lower Clapton. It’s all-female team serves French classics including croque monsieurs and omelettes as well as trusty favourites including avo on toast. There’s also plenty of oeuf dishes on offer, including the soft boiled eggs which are served with a choice of anchovy butter soldiers, melted cheese soldiers or croque monsieur soldiers, which may just be the perfect hangover cure after a heavy night out in East London.

GALVIN AT WINDOWS

galvinatwindows.com

22 Park Ln, Mayfair, London W1K 1BE, UK

Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows on the 28th floor of the Hilton Park Lane – yes the views are pretty epic – has just got into the brunch game with a brand new Saturday menu from chef Joo Won. For the restaurant’s first ever brunch offering, Joo has gone all out with a real mix of dishes, from French pastries and sourdough toasts to classic eggs and lunch plates with an Asian twist. Joo’s Super Breakfast, with soft polenta, Burford Brown eggs, maple cured rib eye bacon, stir-fried chili oyster mushrooms and Anne Rose boudin noir is the way to go if you fancy an elegant take on a traditional brekkie. If you’re in more of a lunch mood, the teriyaki fillet of salmon is packed full of flavour but still light enough for you to have room for one of the puds, and with classics like chocolate fondant and Paris-Brest on the menu, you definitely want to save room.

POMONA'S

pomonas.co.uk

7 Hereford Rd, London W2 5AH, UK

Anything California-inspired has us hooked and Pomona’s brings a dose of The Golden State to Notting Hill. Saying Pomona’s is colourful is an understatement, from the jungle of potted plants by the entrance to their slick and vibrant multicoloured furniture, it’s the kind of place that just makes you feel good. Alfresco dining with an order of the hot smoked salmon, sourdough toast, scrambled eggs and a side helping of black pudding is even more of that feel good factor, and the Madagascan prawns, lemon, chili with parsley and butter are next level. Big, beautiful and boy are they de-lish. It wouldn’t be a weekend brunch without a cocktail and the pear & cardamom bellini is the one. Pomona’s has got it going on.

34

34-restaurant.co.uk

34 Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 2HD

Brunch is big business at 34, the menu is pretty extensive and features everything from your usual egg dishes to pimped up lobster mac’n’cheese and roasts on a Sunday. We’d recommend the salt beef hash with double fried egg and the cornbread with avocado. Then there’s the dessert menu (HELLO Jaffa mouse, banoffee sundae and every ice-cream flavour under the sun) and champers served from glasses shaped like Kate Moss’s boobies.

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DISHOOM

dishoom.com

££-£££

5 Stable Street, London N1C 4AB, UK

Dishoom sure knows how to do it. All their sites have regular huge queues out the door and it’s not hard to see why, especially in the mornings. The naans are legendary – always bacon and egg or the wrestler’s naan (that’s bacon sausage and egg) if you’re particularly hungry/hungover – but the Dishoom spin on the fry up is pretty bangin’ too with spiced scrambled eggs, masala baked beans and buttered buns alongside your bacon, sausages, mushrooms and tomato. And you can get a vegan version if that’s how you roll.

JIM'S CAFE

jimscafeclapton.com

59 Chatsworth Road, E5 0LH

Jim’s is the oldest caff on Chatsworth Road and serves up some bangin’ breakfasts. Baking their own sourdough, muffins & pastries; curing their own bacon and serving up a range of homemade juices, this place has it all going on. But make sure you try THAT salt beef hash.

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