Mix it Up for the Most Important Meal of the Day With These Alternative Breakfasts

Sick of cereal? Tired of toast? Read on

Though we are responsible for one of the great dishes in the culinary pantheon – the Full English breakfast – our brekkie habits are pretty uninspiring (brunch on the other hand seems to be a meal where anything goes). A bowl of cereal, a slice of toast, a croissant munched on the way to the tube, or a tub of overnight oats in front of the laptop is what we’re eating most mornings, probably because having a fry-up first thing / two or more days in a row = total wipeout. But London is a place blessed with great restaurants and there are plenty of interesting brekkie options that don’t involve beans, bacon, avo or bread. From south Indian masala dosa in south London to congee in the City, these are the best alternative breakfasts in London.


Tamila

There’s nothing like a bit of spice to really get your mornings going and that’s exactly what’s on offer at Tamila, the more casual curry house spin-off from  The Tamil Prince and The Tamil Crown. The south Indian breakfast offering includes masala dosa, medhu vadai (savoury doughnuts), poori masala, uttapam, and gunpowder idily with chutneys and sambar on the side.


Leydi

Start your day the Turkish way with a big brekkie spread at Leydi. Selin Kiazim’s breakfast menu features Turkish eggs, menemen and böreks but the Turkish breakfast for one, with simit, boiled egg, feta, olives, honey-kaymak, seasonal vegetables and spreads, is defo the way to go. And don’t forget the Turkish tea.


Koya Soho

Japanese breakfasts are woefully uncommon in London so thank god for Koya. The Soho restaurant serves a classic Japanese brekkie – grilled fish, rice, miso soup and pickles – as well as dishes like rice porridge with egg and pickles, and the English breakfast-inspired egg, bacon and shiitake mushroom udon.


Murger Han

Swap your maple bacon pancakes and overnight oats for scallion pancakes and congee at Murger Han. The Chinese restaurant group does a variety of breakfast dishes but if you can’t choose, the tasting set is here to save the day. The tray has a compartments for a number of morning treats, including deep-fried dough sticks, scallion pancakes, millet congee, steamed bun with meat stuffing, fried bread slices, condensed milk, black tea spiced egg, and pan-fried chicken dumplings.


Chet’s

Thai-Americana spot Chet’s has a diner-style brekkie offering – eggs, pancakes, French toast and the like – but the Boedga Sandwich, a Thai-inspired nod to an NYC staple, made with fluffy egg, sai uah sausage, cheese and umami ketchup, is the standout plate.


Honey & Co

Breakfast at Honey & Co is not to be rushed. You start with a mezze spread that’s a meal in itself – bread, hummus, tomato salad, labaneh and za’atar, olives and pickles, ashura cereal with yoghurt and plums, fig loaf and homemade jams – and then follow it up with egg dishes like shakshuka, sabich and spinach bureka.


HOKO

Like a good cha chaan teng should, HOKO on Brick Lane serves up a number of different set meals for breakfast on the weekends. Whether you choose the ham soup macaroni with toasted bun and fried egg; the satay beef noodles with toasted bun, fried egg and ham; or you make up your own plate from the a la carte options, copious amounts of Hong Kong milk tea is a must.


Dishoom

The bacon naan may be the headline act but there’s a lot more to love on the Dishoom breakfast menu, like the Keema Per Eedu, spiced minced lamb cooked with runny eggs, topped with salli crisp-chips and served with buttery pau, and the Chole Puri Halwa, chickpeas, sweet semolina and pickles served with a giant puri.

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