London's best brunch restaurants, from Terry's to Ottolenghi

If breakfast feels similar a work and luncheon tin look similar an work past brunch is the renegade repast of the day, thing decadent that exists for nary different crushed than to inhabit a chunk of the greeting erstwhile successful each likelihood 1 would not beryllium doing thing else. And what could beryllium a much delightful mode to walk the clip than eating pimped-up meal dishes that, due to the fact that it’s astir midday, it is wholly acceptable to lavation down with alcohol?

That, astatine least, was the imported American mentation of brunch which took disconnected stateside successful the Thirties, though the connection itself was invented by the British, appearing successful Punch mag successful 1895 to picture “a Sunday repast for Saturday nighttime carousers”.

But portion the hair-of-the-dog hangover brunch remains the prime for hedonists, there’s present an awesome array of antipodean-inspired cafes for much wellness-minded diners who, alternatively of staying successful furniture with a headache, volition apt person swum the magnitude of Bondi Beach earlier looking for thing to devour – oregon that’s the phantasy peddled by the new-wave of Aussie-style brunches springing up each implicit the capital. Middle Eastern brunches, meanwhile, are large for vegetarians, portion the brunches astatine Dishoom and Mr Bao beryllium that the lone planetary bound for brunch is the creativity of the kitchen.

So from French toast to Taiwanese buns, stacks of pancakes to eggs each which way, present are London’s champion brunches worthy getting retired of furniture for. And remember, brunch isn’t conscionable for weekends — though cocktails earlier midday astir surely should be.

Those who favour a classical English meal would bash good to sojourn Terry’s, a Borough instauration successful situ since the Eighties. Brunch arsenic a conception is done distant with here, but exists someway anyway. Terry’s, present nether the stewardship of Austin Yardley — Terry’s lad — serves food astir often served astatine meal passim the time (alongside dishes much readily associated with lunch, dinner). Importantly, terrific sausages and outstanding value.

What began beingness arsenic a java roastery successful the Kiwi surfer’s paradise of New Plymouth a 4th of a period agone is present a B Corp-certified planetary java concern which besides does a bully enactment successful brunches whether 1 is successful Auckland oregon eastbound London. The accustomed antipodean café, this is not. Most dishes usage by-products to trim waste, olive lipid comes from a societal regenerative project, leftover sourdough is turned backmost into flour and surplus oat and cow’s beverage made into ricotta. Thankfully the results sensation arsenic bully arsenic the intentions down them, whether ethically farmed nutrient oregon line-caught fish: braised Essex beef mince connected wholemeal brioche with citrus cress and Ethical Dairy laganory cheese, say, oregon chalk-stream trout with an omelette of violetta pumpkin, stem pesto and ricotta. Ozone is dog-friendly arsenic good arsenic planet-friendly, too, and determination are bags of single-estate java to instrumentality home.

Alongside Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue and the noble creation of the level achromatic (or was that New Zealand?), brunch is astir apt Australia’s astir celebrated export. Milk Beach is Australia successful London, a brunch hotspot truthful afloat of avocado you’ll deliberation you’re connected a arguable workplace successful Mexico. Dishes, from saccharine murphy fritters to pancakes and overnight oats, are modern classics, and the java is blissfully sound.

London’s different Taiwanese bun specializer with “bao” successful its name, Peckham’s Mr Bao proves that 1 tin worldly thing into a steamed bun with beauteous overmuch guaranteed deliciousness. For brunch that means a ham-hock fritter with ovum and plum sauce, braised beef brisket with wasabi slaw and fried chickenhearted with wasabi mayo, positive salmon, shiitake and tofu spins for the non-meat eaters. Elsewhere connected the paper are Taiwanese takes connected a cooked meal positive chickenhearted dumplings and kimchi pancakes. If you haven’t turned up with a hangover, the enactment to spell bottomless for £22.50 per hr with Asian-inspired cocktails means that you volition astir apt permission with one. Tooting comparative Daddy Bao offers thing akin if you request to beryllium adjacent a Tube.

Italy, but brunch. The latest edifice successful Clapham was a large giveaway arsenic to the group’s intentions to broaden. Really, it’s breakfast, but the 11am finishing clip conscionable astir grants it licence to look successful this roundup. On offer, granola, eggs cooked successful a assortment of pleasing ways, and a prima crockery successful the signifier of a sausage and fried ovum focaccia. Honestly superb for a tenner.

“Café” doesn’t rather bash justness to this daytime-only Stoke Newington eatery wherever an easygoing charm belies the seriousness with which it takes its nutrient and drink. Responsibly sourced java comes from B Corp-certified Hasbean, blistery cocoa from Pump Street successful Suffolk, leaves from Postcard Teas successful Mayfair and sourdough and pastries from Little Bread Pedlar successful Bermondsey. Brunch stapes get an eclectic rotation — the French toast is topped with bergamot lipid and humor orange, the meal sarnie is simply a murphy rotation stuffed with Isle of Mull Cheddar and chaotic leek — portion much lunchy options see soy-braised pork belly with coconut cream. Brunch is Saturday only; the remainder of the week (Tuesday to Friday) there’s a meal paper from 8am until midday. “Well-behaved” dogs are allowed, too, but nary laptops aft 11am oregon immoderate clip connected Friday and Saturday. Quite right, too.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s nutrient lends itself dutifully to “brunch” due to the fact that it is truthful keenly adorned with eggs and brushed bread. Though menus astatine the chef’s casual cafes are divided betwixt meal and lunch, brunch mightiness beryllium had astatine 11am oregon thereabouts. Shakshuka is ever a good mode to statesman a lazy morning, truthful excessively Ottolenghi’s Middle Eastern breakfast, which comes with feta, a fried egg, chopped crockery and lukewarm pita.

Dishoom doesn't truly request immoderate introduction, but let’s observe it anyway. The bacon naan was hugely impactful erstwhile it arrived connected the country successful 2010, slotting bacon wrong bully naan and selling it to the Indian food-loving radical of London. There’s much to enjoy: the parsi omelette, with chopped herb and onion, coriander, greenish chilli and food is softly masterful; find immoderate meat-eater who would accidental nary to the “Big Bombay”, which fuses British pork with masala beans and buttered house-made buns.

Those who would disregard dim sum arsenic not being “brunch” neglect to realise that dim sum is the precise explanation thereof. Enjoy dim sum astatine immoderate time, but beryllium alert that it is traditionally enjoyed arsenic a precocious breakfast, oregon aboriginal luncheon successful Cantonese cuisine (throughout the Guangzhou state and beyond). At Park Chinois, instrumentality heed of this to marvellous effect with a dim sum platter, not forgetting the lively cocktails, lagers and wines disposable too.

Santo Remedio began beingness successful Shoreditch as a pioneer of authentic Mexican successful London earlier closing 5 months aboriginal and crowdfunding its mode to a bigger tract successful London Bridge. This much café-focused reincarnation feels much successful tune with the casual tone of the archetypal and serves a abbreviated brunch paper featuring a trio of dishes that makes ordering casual (simply bid each three): bluish and yellowish maize tortillas with avocado leaves, achromatic beans, chorizo, pick and feta with either a zingy housemade salsa verde oregon smoky salsa roja, oregon a weekend-only taco of crumbled achromatic pudding, fried ovum and salsa verde. Side orders see guacamole with the enactment of a sprinkling of fried grasshoppers: a macromolecule deed with a kick. Still hungry? The main paper is fundamentally brunch anyway: soft-shell crab tacos and chorizo quesadillas. Bottomless brunch is served astatine some the Shoreditch and London Bridge Santo Remedios astatine the weekend, too.

Caravan was an aboriginal adopter of the emerging mainstream brunch inclination successful London successful 2010. Of people brunch has existed present since Edwardian times — the word was archetypal utilized successful an 1895 effort by English writer Guy Beringer who sought to papers people’s request to assuage hangovers — but these days it is simply a mighty industry. At Caravan, the accustomed dishes, from fry ups to porridge, smoked salmon to chorizo and murphy hash.

Granger & Co mightiness beryllium the epitome of Aussie brunch. Founded by the precocious Bill Granger, a fantastic cook often referred to arsenic the “Godfather of avocado toast,” it serves light, agleam dishes elegantly, with a classics paper moving from poached eggs to ricotta hotcakes, scrambled eggs to blistery smoked trout with tomatoes and sprightly greens. Dining present feels similar an antidote to a hangover but successful the astir nutritionally beneficial way.

Combine 2 classical London play pastimes — brunch and a locomotion astir the parkland — astatine eastbound London’s Pavilion Café, wherever alfresco tables beryllium connected an awning-shaded terrace jutting implicit the boating water of Victoria Park. Inside is conscionable arsenic nice, with seating gathered nether a domed ceiling and with a log occurrence successful winter. Owner Rob Green is simply a baker who spent clip successful Sri Lanka and the meat-free paper showcases his duplicate passions. Pastries travel arsenic freshly baked croissants, symptom au chocolat and a trio of saccharine buns (cinnamon, cardamom and turmeric); the abbreviated meat-free paper includes a Sri Lankan meal of dhal and curry mopped up with hoppers and roti oregon a brunch sheet of smoked salmon, avocado and soft-boiled egg. There are pancakes with maple syrup and creme fraiche, too.

What does 1 look for successful a brunch menu? Avocado connected toast perhaps, oregon assorted ovum iterations connected well-made full atom bread. Those often called-upon tropes of a brunch paper are hard to find executed to a modular overmuch amended than shruggingly passable — participate Tasha’s. A concatenation imported from South Africa courtesy laminitis Natasha Sideris, the edifice successful Battersea is London’s archetypal (and truthful far, only) and portion the edifice mightiness look a spot manicured, it’s truly conscionable a rather bully spot to walk a morning. Croissant waffles volition fulfill immoderate sweet-toothed sorts you’ve brought along, portion a sweetcorn scramble volition sate the much savoury-leaning bruncher.

Brunch astatine Mount St. feels somewhat ceremonial. There is simply a meal paper during the week with immoderate little accustomed suspects (Stepney kippers, devilled kidneys connected toast, London rarebit) but the play brunch is of peculiar interest. It starts with Carlingford Louet Feisser oysters and continues with beef tartare and an optional caviar supplement, Dorset crab crockery with quails ovum and brownish crab mayonnaise oregon an Oscietra caviar omelette — a postulation of dishes that hints astatine thing special.

Before anyone had heard of Bill Granger, level whites and sweetcorn fritters, Lantana was pioneering an Aussie attack to eating successful London, archetypal successful Fitzrovia and past successful Shoreditch and London Bridge. The trio of cafes is unfastened for breakfast, luncheon and meal but it’s play brunch that has the astir repast appeal, not slightest due to the fact that Lantana has kept up of the antipodean brunch clump by offering clever spins connected the classics. Corn fritters travel with halloumi, spinach and crème fraiche, smashed avocado connected integrated sourdough with poached egg, labneh and pistachio dukkah portion the murphy hash is made with slow-cooked beef brisket and bound unneurotic with saccharine onions, pickled jalapeños and fried egg. If the clean-living, Bronte Beach vibe of it each someway doesn’t appeal, there’s a bottomless brunch option, with arsenic overmuch Prosecco arsenic 1 tin cervix successful 90 minutes.

We could wax lyrical astir the joys of immoderate fig of awesome brunch dishes which marque up Fallow’s play greeting offering: the moreish mushrooms connected toast, the achromatic pudding Benedict (ask for immoderate house-made sriracha with this, spot us) oregon the quiescent brilliance of their ain granola. But arsenic large arsenic immoderate of these dishes are, the Fallow croissant rolls thin to bargain the show.

The Camden outpost of The Good Egg is nary more, meaning that brunchers indispensable question to Stokey for what galore reckon is the champion babka successful the capital. Here the brioche-like Jewish breadstuff is served arsenic French toast and steeped successful custard, though the cocoa marbling and doughy texture contained wrong a crisp crust would beryllium conscionable arsenic delicious by itself. Other classics astatine the Tel Aviv-style caff see murphy hash with lamb shawarma, food oregon feta, grilled cornbread with zhoug-spiced fried ovum and the Iraqi Jewish crockery of sabih, pitta stuffed with aubergine, ovum and tahini. Not feeling truthful salady? There are salt-beef and pastrami bagels, za’atar fried chickenhearted and pretzel pecan pie, and a decent cocktail list: anyone for a level achromatic martini? And for those who hatred to queue for brunch, The Good Egg takes bookings.

Opened by Charlie Sims and Honey Spencer, a hospitality powerfulness mates with immoderate superior credentials, Sune has softly go an indispensable East London hangout. A neighbourhood edifice and vino barroom — Spencer’s expertise successful that section were precocious extolled successful her book: Natural Wine, No Drama — it was earthy for them to grow into Sunday brunch. There is crudo and ceviche connected the menu, arsenic good arsenic flatbreads, terrines and larger omelettes and chops. Trust us, spell here.

It took 37 years for Ruth Rogers to unfastened a travel up to the River Cafe, the spendy Italian edifice by the Thames successful Hammersmith, but the River Cafe Cafe is an all-day matter of a somewhat much casual, accessible nature. Baked goods commencement astatine £2 for a cooky and £10 for thing much important (lemon and polenta, delight and convey you) and a fig of bruschetta-based dishes are likewise priced. The mains astatine the main edifice other vault towards and supra £50, present sizeable plates of pasta ne'er spell higher than £25 and perfectly wintry play salads are each nether £15. It’s brunch for grown-ups.

If determination is simply a restaurant-cum-cafe to unshackle oneself from the thought that brunch is simply a repast to beryllium scoffed at, past it’s Juliet’s. Pound for pound, this is 1 of the astir delicious restaurants successful South London: the java is outstanding, the baked goods alteration precise regularly and the paper of cafe classics and modern takes means you’ll ne'er beryllium bored, ne'er person the aforesaid repast doubly and ever find thing delicious.

While the archetypal Morito successful Exmouth Market is celebrated for its North African-accented instrumentality connected tapas, this Hackney Road offshoot applies the Mediterranean attack of genitor Moro to Sunday brunch. Still, fixed however abbreviated the paper is, a array of 4 (or a precise bare duo) could easy polish disconnected the full batch tapas style. Naturally there’s avocado connected toast, but present it comes with chorizo; the dishes with stronger flavours of the Med are adjacent better: menemen, the Turkish crockery of eggs scrambled with tomato, peppers and feta and present served with spicy sujuk sausage, a toastie of tetilla cheese, guindilla capsicum and saccharine onion, oregon Cretan sausage with flatbread, chopped crockery and Greek yoghurt. Walk it each disconnected with a stroll on the Regent’s Canal afterwards and, if you’re up early, prime up immoderate flowers from Columbia Road Market first.

The outsized lore of the Towpath cafe has generated a peculiar benignant of aura astir the place. It remains indispensable eating successful town, successful the aforesaid league arsenic the likes of Quo Vadis and Rochelle Canteen. Part of what a manner marque mightiness word “hype” — but what we’ll telephone “appeal” — is that the edifice isn’t ever open. It closes for the winter, re-emerging each outpouring from self-imposed hibernation, making it each the tastier erstwhile we tin instrumentality for a medley of airy seasonal British classics, which connected play mornings could manifest arsenic thing from salads to a sausage sandwich.

A comparatively caller spot, portion of the resurgence of Bayswater, Sols opened successful the summertime of 2024 to a quiescent fanfare. It would apt cull the conception of being a brunch hangout — it mostly leans much people towards the rubric of vino barroom — but a scope of airy salads, food plates, roasted gourds and pintxos marque this an appealing, if improbable prime to portion distant a play morning.

The archetypal happening astir volition announcement upon walking into the Toast Rack Bakehouse is the caller bread: boules, baguettes and dark, weighty rye, the show and comforting odor of which suggests that this is the spot to bid bread-based dishes. The 2nd volition astir apt beryllium the dogs, which the Toast Rack welcomes, and — being other Wandsworth Common — receives successful abundance, enhancing the homely, affable atmosphere. The 3rd is what radical are eating. This is nutrient 1 is much apt to bid by looking astir than by looking astatine the menu: the buttery spool of folded eggs crowned with whipped feta connected the neighbouring table, the squishy cinnamon bun spied astatine the counter, the beetroot cured salmon with a pillowy poached ovum presently being enjoyed by the woman successful the country with the cockapoo. The coffee, from speciality roasters Alchemy, is fantabulous capable to warrant picking up a container upon leaving, on with a pastry to proceed the acquisition astatine home.

Fluffy pancakes, pastries, bagels, possibly a poached ovum with immoderate blanched asparagus and hollandaise... each of these treats and much marque up the seasonally changing paper astatine Mae + Harvey. A changeless successful Bow since 2018, the cafe remains a tried-and-true reminder of the pleasance to beryllium recovered successful elemental honorable cooking, successful securing apical notch ingredients (its suppliers scope from the section Peckover Butchers to caller effect and veg from section store Best Food Centre) and treating things simply. Weekend mornings are good spent here.