12 Of The Best Breakfasts In London
45 Jermyn St
This beautiful restaurant from the team behind Fortnum & Mason is a popular breakfast destination for team meetings and in-the-know tourists alike. Set around the corner from the famous department store, this stylish spot features cosy burnt-orange booths and sociable bar-top tables. Start the day right with a healthy juice (we like the ‘ABC’ – that’s apple, beetroot and carrot) before turning to something a little more indulgent: we’re massive fans of the Marmite crumpets topped with a fried duck egg, and the ‘Scrambling Prawns’, served with a side of sourdough toast.
45 Jermyn Street, St James's, SW1Y 6JD
Visit 45JermynSt.com
Hawksmoor
If you’re heading to a reservation at Hawksmoor, it would be criminal not to order steak. This mantra extends to breakfast: the ‘Hawksmoor Breakfast’, designed to be shared between two, features smoked bacon chop, sausages (made with pork, beef and mutton), black pudding, short-rib bubble and squeak, grilled bone marrow, trotter baked beans, fried eggs, grilled mushrooms, roast tomatoes, HP gravy and – as if you needed it – unlimited toast. Those with smaller appetites should opt for a 200g fillet, served with eggs and hash browns.
Various locations
Visit TheHawksmoor.com
Dishoom
Dishoom’s most famous breakfast item is its filled naan bread, and rightly so. Each naan is freshly baked – by hand, and to order – in the tandoor oven, before being crammed with cream cheese, chilli tomato jam, smoked streaky bacon and two free-range fried eggs. Its other morning dishes are just as delicious: we like the team’s organic porridge oats cooked with milk, banana and sweet medjool dates; paired with a breakfast lassi.
Various locations
Visit Dishoom.com
The Wolseley
The late AA Gill’s favourite restaurant, this Piccadilly institution is a hit with media types when it comes to securing a breakfast reservation. Set in a grand art deco room, breakfast here includes freshly baked items from its Viennoiserie (think butter or almond croissants), plus classic dishes such as caramelised pink grapefruit; creamed porridge oats with apricot compote; and eggs benedict. Our must-order item has to be ‘The Wolseley’ fishcake, topped with a poached egg.
160 Piccadilly, St James's, W1J 9EB
Visit TheWolseley.com
St John Bread & Wine
Given St John’s reputation as the pioneer of nose-to-tail dining in the capital, it comes as no surprise that the team’s Shoreditch site serves up the likes of blood cake, fried egg and brown sauce; devilled kidneys on toast; and scotch woodcock for breakfast. Don’t fret, there are veggie-friendly options too – think bircher muesli with poached pears or freshly baked doughnuts – but for a true St John experience, opt for the bacon sandwich, regularly voted the best in town.
94-96 Commercial Street, Shoreditch, E1 6LZ
Visit StJohnRestaurant.com
Kettner’s Townhouse
A Soho mainstay since the 1800s, this year Kettner’s threw open its doors to the public and members alike following a year-long Soho House makeover. Complete with two bars, a dining room and 33 boutique bedrooms, its breakfast isn’t just available for hotel guests. The French-leaning menus offer up the likes of cured trout and scrambled eggs on rye toast; smoked haddock kedgeree with a poached egg; and almond bread topped with banana and flax seeds. We like to order a matcha shake – matcha tea, pistachio, cashew, vanilla, coconut oil, dates and Himalayan salt.
29 Romilly Street, Soho, W1D 5HP
Visit KettnersTownhouse.com
Balthazar London
This French-focused brasserie made its way over from New York back in 2013. Now its Covent Garden home offers a plethora of sensational breakfast dishes. Highlights include ‘Lobster Royale’ served with smoked salmon and an English muffin; crab scrambled egg with toasted sourdough and crème fraiche; and quinoa salad served with a poached egg, Tabasco tomatoes, spinach, avocado and crispy bacon. Balthazar’s Boulangerie next door serves homemade artisan breads and pastries to take away or have delivered for the ultimate a breakfast-in-bed experience.
4-6 Russell Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 5HZ
Visit BalthazarLondon.com
Sexy Fish
This Berkeley Square celebrity haunt focuses on Asian fusion food. A popular late-night bar (A-listers can often be spotting at the decks) the restaurant also does a decent turn in Sunday morning breakfasts to aid with hangovers big and small. We like the boiled eggs with asparagus soldiers; or the black charcoal muffin, topped with a poached egg and yuzu hollandaise. Those wanting to make a meal of it can opt for the set menu, which includes everything from bloody mary ceviche to green tea waffles served with cheesecake and soft-serve ice cream.
Berkeley Square, Mayfair, W1J 6BR
Visit SexyFish.com
Farm Girl Café
With cafes in Chelsea, Notting Hill and Soho, Farm Girl offers a bright, casual spot for health-conscious breakfasts and smoothies. Kick things off with one of the team’s extensive selection of coffees (anyone for a ‘Liquid Gold Latte’?) and a fresh watermelon juice, before choosing between the likes of turmeric birchers (oats soaked with turmeric, honey, cinnamon, sesame seeds and almond milk topped with candied nuts and strawberries) or buckwheat pancakes with amber maple syrup, topped with mixed berries and coconut shavings.
Various locations
Visit TheFarmGirl.co.uk
The Modern Pantry
A Clerkenwell mainstay from veteran chef Anna Hansen, The Modern Pantry offers a beautiful-yet-informal space to start the day. When it comes to breakfast, we love the team’s £19.50 set menu, where you can order the likes of chia seed and oat bircher muesli with rhubarb and pink peppercorn compote, candied almond and linseed; followed by sugar-cured New Caledonian prawn omelette with green chilli, spring onion, coriander, smoked chilli sambal and toast; all served with pressed juice and coffee. In the summer, the spacious outdoor terrace on sunny St John's Square is the place to head for coffee.
47-48 St John's Square, Clerkenwell, EC1V 4JJ
Visit TheModernPantry.co.uk
Duck & Waffle
The best bit about this sky-high restaurant isn’t the views – although they’re a massive draw – but the fact it’s open 24 hours (perfect for early starts or late finishes). Served from 6-10:45am, the breakfast menu features the restaurant’s eponymous dish: confit duck leg atop a waffle, served with a fried duck egg and mustard maple syrup. Those with a sweet tooth can substitute the duck for caramelised figs, malted fudge, pistachio butter and plum jam – just ask for the ‘Autumnal Elvis’.
110 Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street, EC2N 4AY
Visit DuckAndWaffle.com
Aquavit London
This Michelin-starred Swedish restaurant might serve copious amounts of its eponymous spirit by night, but when it comes to early morning gatherings, its Nordic menu will see you right with its omega-3-rich offerings: think smoked eel benedict, grilled kipper with poached eggs and smoked salmon with eggs and avocado. Those after a true Swedish experience should opt for the ‘Aquavit Breakfast’ – eggs of your choice, blood pudding, bacon, raggmunk (potato pancakes), sausage and mushrooms, or the ‘Nordic Breakfast’ – crisp rye bread, boiled eggs, smoked cod’s roe and avocado.
St James's Market, St James's, SW1Y 4QQ
Visit AquavitRestaurants.com
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