Brunch
STORK
There aren’t many places you can get a Pan-African brunch in town but Stork in Mayfair is one of them. The fine-dining restaurant led by head chef Taalib Adanse and senior sous chef William JM Chilila takes inspo from across the the African continent and giving those flavours a modern spin. There are mix of new brunch plates and some existing dishes adapted from the main menu, like the excellent ras el hanout lamb beignets and the king prawns with avocado & scotch bonnet jam. If you’re in the mood for brekkie, you’ve got the likes of seasonal porridge, akara fried eggs with green chilli, Zambian pancakes and the Pan-African breakfast – a spin on the fry-up with spiced beans, beef sausage, plaintain and yam hash browns – to choose from. If you like sweet with your savoury, the crispy corn-fed chicken with fermented chilli, plaintain waffle and syrup for drizzling will be up your street. Be prepared to fork out for this brunch though, a cheap eat this ain’t.
COYA MAYFAIR
Coya is already well known for bringing the spirit of Peru to London and now you can dive into that Incan heritage with the Inca Trail brunch at Coya Mayfair. Look forward to a three course brunch with delights such as crocantes con guacamole, taco de salmón and four (!) different varieties of ceviche. Not to mention the mains of Chilean sea bass with rice and sirloin steak with crispy shallots all finished with a selection of desserts and fruit. And it’s not just about the food because Coya put on some lively entertainment whilst you brunch – make sure you don’t miss out on the party in the Pisco Bar once the food experience comes to an end too. If it’s a boujee Saturday affair you’re after, Coya is just the place for you.
MAE + HARVEY
Cool kid on the block Mae + Harvey is serving up some of the best brunch and coffee over East. With a weekly changing menu, you can expect the likes of pancakes with roast plum, almonds, ricotta and maple syrup; Turkish eggs with garlic yoghurt, chilli butter and toast; and house-cured smoked salmon on everything bagel with beetroot cream cheese. Not to mention next-level sarnies. Get there early and nab a seat before the crowds come flocking.
ABUELO
Abuelo is where Australia meets Argentina slap bang in the heart of Covent Garden. We know, it doesn’t sound like it’s gonna work but trust us it does. It’s a proper mash-up of flavours with dishes like the Big Bondi featuring avocado, pickled jalapeño, dukkah and goat’s cheese piled high on sourdough; Huevos Divorciados de Turco (aka saucy eggs and toast dippers); and the Jaffle, which is a classic Aussie toastie stuffed with beef, red bean salsa brava and hot melted cheese. And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, don’t miss their signature lamingtons.
MILK BEACH
If you like some BIG Aussie vibes whilst you’re brunching, then Milk Beach is the place to go. Opened by coffee expert Elliot Milne, two-time coffee roasting champ Matthew Robley-Siemonsma and Queensland chef Darren Leadbeater, you’re in very safe hands at this Queens Park spot. Menu-wise, don’t miss Granny Elly’s banana bread served with an espresso cream cheese, or the eggs benedict with pulled ham hock and pickled daikon washed down with a Milk Beach Garibaldi cocktail of course. When it comes to coffee, these guys roast their own so expect some very good stuff that you’ll defo be purchasing to take home and brew yourself.
You hear on the grapevine that South London has some banging brunch offerings, and Milk is no exception. You’ll find customers frequently queuing out the door and we can tell you why. The menu boasts variations on eggs including poached eggs on sourdough with burnt butter hollandaise and salmon, classics such as the panko fried red snapper sandwich (aka the fish sando) and the real star of the show, The Convict, their hangover-curing sausage, bacon and egg muffin. Trust us, you better start lining up now.
NGOPI
One of our favourite things about travelling around Asia is eating a shit ton of noodles, rice and dim sum for breakfast. This is one of the reasons we’re a big fan of Indonesian cafe Ngopi located on Dalston Lane. The small spot has a condensed menu featuring some very sweet dishes and a range of quirky takes on traditional Indonesian favourites as well as Indonesian coffee, drinks, cakes and snacks. Don’t miss the Fried Indomie Toasty, a toasty crammed with instant noodles, egg, cheese, corned beef and kimchi. Not only is it tasty, it’s a guaranteed hangover buster, similar to something you’d pull together in a fridge or cupboard raid. Finish off with the lapis legit, baked by Auntie it’s a layered cake with a burnt butter flavour. Delish.
CAFE MURANO COVENT GARDEN
If you like your brunch with some of the pizzazz a celebrity chef brings, then check out Angela Hartnett’s Sunday brunch at Cafe Murano Covent Garden. It’s a short menu of brunch classics given an Italian twist. Don’t miss the oozing n’duja smoked cheese toasty and the spinach and ricotta puff pastry roll, which tastes like a giant pastry version of a cannelloni. Coffee comes in pots and there’s super fresh OJ, both good for rehydration if for some reason on a Sunday morning you find yourself dehydrated.
SUNDAY IN BROOKLYN
Sunday in Brooklyn, the cult fixture in New York’s dining scene and one of our favourite spots in the city is now across the pond here in Notting Hill. The Williamsburg fave, opened by founders Todd Enany, Adam Landsman, and chef Jaime Young in 2016, is known for its inventive spin on American staples, playful cocktails, an epic brunch menu including super ‘grammable pancakes, which come slathered in hazelnut maple praline and brown butter, and great atmosphere. It’s not only all about the pancakes, there’s lots of other epic menu choices including the grilled swordfish with charred broccoli, cherry tomatoes & butter beans and one of Sunday in Brooklyn’s famous burgers, the crispy chicken sandwich. You’ll not fail to notice some of their cocktails such as the ‘Honeybear on Holiday’, made with rum, sherry, apricot, pineapple, lime, cumin & honey. If you’re in Notting Hill it’s the place to be.
CAFE BILTMORE
Michelin-starred Jason Atherton is behind the new brunch menu at Cafe Biltmore where you can dine on classics like the Croque Monsieur or Madame; buttermilk pancakes with vanilla cream, berries & maple syrup; two-day aged sourdough pizzas; or even sirloin steak and chips. We can recommend the fried calamari, a healthy portion for two with a Thai dressing & sweet chilli dip and also the buttermilk chicken burger inside a soft brioche bun, with Churchill sauce and a side of fries. Lovely. It’s pet-friendly, child friendly and with London’s number one acoustic roaming band The Travelling Hands belting out hits past and present within the half-covered heated urban oasis while you sip on free-flowing bubbles, Bloody Marys or mojitos, what’s not to like?
SUNDAY IN BROOKLYN
Sunday in Brooklyn, a cult fixture in New York’s dining scene and one of our favourite spots in the city has hopped across the pond and opened a big spot in Notting Hill. The Williamsburg fave, opened by founders Todd Enany, Adam Landsman, and chef Jaime Young in 2016, is known for its inventive spin on American staples, playful cocktails, and great atmosphere. The brunch menu gets a lot of attention over in NYC and it’s a hit here in London too, thanks in no small part to those super ‘grammable hazelnut maple praline and brown butter pancakes. Aside from stacks on stacks, you can dig into biscuits & gravy, steak & eggs, shakshuka, crispy chicken sandwiches and cauliflower patty melts, and not forgetting some of Sunday in Brooklyn’s signature cocktails – hello Honeybear on Holiday.
SKYLIGHT PECKHAM
Clearly we just can’t get enough of rooftop bars in London as the Skylight team has recently opened a second venue in Peckham. Like the first Skylight, the entire space is big enough for 250 people, this time with a stronger focus on food too. Serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, its highlight is the huge outdoor terrace, perfect for soaking up London’s skyline. The brunch menu features the likes of a quinoa breakfast bowl, a classic avocado on toast (you’ll want to top this with a soft boiled duck egg), burrata with tropea onions, smoked aubergine & n’duja and cinnamon spiced banana french toast. We love the hot smoked trout served with charred asparagus, poached egg and pink pepper hollandaise, and we recommend you pimp your brunch with some extra bacon and Blackbird sourdough smothered in salty butter on the side. Skylight is the perfect place for an all-day affair; coffees for breakfast, eggs for brunch and cocktails for the afternoon, watching the sun go down over South London.
If you’re looking for one of the best brunches in the city, then Brother Marcus is your guy. This plant-filled restaurant serves up an Eastern Mediterranean inspired menu including the likes of the Step Sister, a stack of sweet potato, courgette and feta fritters with a perfect runny poached egg and served with crispy kale and turmeric yoghurt, and The Yummy Mummy, featuring quinoa tabbouleh, falafel burnt aubergine and beetroot tahini. But if you prefer the sweet stuff for brunch, you’ll wanna make the most of their in-house bakery offerings which includes sticky pistachio and honey baklava, sweet babka filled with layers of cinnamon and fudgey AF tahini blondies. All three of their locations are a guaranteed brunch hit.
JULIETS QUALITY FOODS
Juliets is the only reason we’ll schlep to Tooting, yes this place is REALLY worth it. It’s got the high-ceiling, exposed brick wall and retro interior vibe going on but this place is all about the food. As well as pimping the usual brunch faves (think espresso and fermented chilli hollandaise), these guys are also slinging some very epic specials featuring the likes of grilled doughnut bread slathered in whipped ricotta, bergamot creme patisserie and chamomile marmalade; crispy smoked pork neck pastrami bagel with broad bean piccalilli and egg custard; and sourdough bread end waffles with poached apricot and toasted quinoa. BUT you can’t come here without ordering their diner-style hash browns covered in Lincolnshire poacher cheese. Thank us later.
HONEY & CO
Honey & Co moved out of its long-time home on Warren Street in 2022 and moved into a larger site on Lamb’s Conduit Street shortly after. You’d think this would make it easier to get a table, but no, Honey & Co is still fully booked most days – and for good reason. The restaurant’s Middle Eastern menu is truly top-tier; Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer (the husband and wife team behind Honey & Co) have previously worked at Ottolenghi and NOPI, so they know their stuff. Start your day off right with shakshuka or scrambled eggs with merguez sausages, or swing by later to try their seasonal lunch and dinner menus. And if you manage to leave without buying at least one of the cakes on the counter, you’re better people than us.
Hidden away on Curzon Street in the heart of Mayfair is CUT Out, a new alfresco dining space at 45 Park Lane. The small, secluded terrace offers the menu from Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant CUT and cocktails from BAR 45. Drinks are served tableside with BAR 45’s bespoke serves and signature negronis created in style from the trolley – we want one for our own home so bad. Wolfgang Puck’s steaks are the highlight of the menu, and the ‘Tasting of New York’ allows us to test drive USDA Prime Black Angus, Japanese Wagyu and Australian Wagyu to decide which is our ultimate go-to steak. There’s plenty on offer for non-meat lovers like the sweetcorn agnolotti pasta. As the sun sets, the lanterns are lit and you’ve got a cocktail in hand, the little terrace feels like a pretty damn special spot.
We’ve been fans of Morty & Bob’s for years. Their grilled cheese sarnies are high on our list when it comes to cheesiest of cheese toastie dreams. Now that they’ve moved from East London to the hot spot hub of Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, the menu has evolved and now revolves around three power plays; the grilled cheese (obvs), inventive small plates and global wines. The brunch offering covers both the indulgent and the healthy. The minute rib-eye steak comes with house hash brown – a slab of potato that’s crispy on the outside and light as air on the inside – and a nice runny fried egg. Their green toast, avocado with chilli and lime, kale crisps and radish served on sourdough is a light, healthy option that tastes as good as it looks. And there are a whole load of cakes and sweet treats available too….Morty & Bob’s, not just our cheesy heroes.
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. Pachamama East also knocks up one of the best Sunday roasts in London.