London’s best breakfasts and brunches

Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you might as well spoil yourself. From breakfast meetings to weekend brunch, Square Meal has 10 mouthwatering suggestions for where to spend your morning – and 10 good reasons to get out of bed. Read on for a list of London’s best breakfasts and brunches.

Bloom, Fulham

Bloom both looks and feels the part, with a front terrace bursting with flowers and a menu of fresh, seasonal options, from carrot-and-blueberry ‘flowerpot muffins’ to ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter. There’s enough to satisfy sweet tooths as well as those more inclined towards savoury offering – plus a terrace for sunny mornings.

The Breakfast Club, various locations

This kitsch 1980s’ mini-chain has become an institution in each of the London areas it has put down roots so far, including Islington, Hoxton, Soho, and the latest incarnation in Spitalfields (pictured, right). Choose from the pun-laden menu of ‘eggulars’ such as The Full Monty English breakfast or fluffy pancakes with vanilla cream and berries. Whatever you order, it will arrive with sunny-side-up service.

Dean Street Townhouse, Soho

The folks at Dean Street Townhouse take their morning meals seriously: breakfast is served during the week while brunch takes precedence at weekends. You can go as simple or as sophisticated as you like here, with choices ranging from a sausage sandwich or crumpets with preserves to ham-hock hash with fried duck egg or eggs Royale.

Kopapa, Covent Garden

Peter Gordon’s favourite meal of the day is breakfast, and it certainly shows in the energising kickstarters at his fusion temple Kopapa. Look out for the signature cilbir, a Turkish invigorator involving whipped yoghurt & olive oil with poached eggs & chilli butter, or indulge in one of the many fresh-fruit smoothies. 

Lantana, Fitzrovia

This ‘wonderfully quirky’ Antipodean café manages to tread the line between bustling and laid back. The menu is such a pleasure to read you’ll struggle to choose just one thing – good bets are the Spanish-style baked eggs with chorizo, mushrooms, spinach and spicy tomato sauce, and the sweetcorn fritters with bacon, rocket, roasted tomatoes, chilli jam and crème fraîche.

The Modern Pantry, Clerkenwell (pictured, left)

Anna Hansen’s Modern Pantry made waves when it popped up at Meza earlier in 2011. But its heart lies in Clerkenwell, where the bright and uncluttered dining room welcomes regulars for elderflower, fresh mint and Earl Grey iced tea, saintly Bircher muesli, or the signature sugar-cured New-Caledonian prawn omelette, with spring onions, coriander, smoked chilli and sambal.

Ottolenghi, Islington (pictured, below right)

It’s the little touches that keep fans of Yotam Ottolenghi’s Middle-Eastern fusion food coming back for brekkie, such as a toaster for each table and a chic but family-friendly environment. Treat yourself to buffalo-mozzarella-and-potato tortilla with red-pepper salsa, or cinnamon French toast with Greek yoghurt and berry-and-muscat compote. There are also branches in Notting Hill, Kensington and Knightsbridge.

Roast, Borough

Perfect for a business breakfast, this class-act restaurant serves gutsy British favourites such as smoked-streaky-bacon-and-fried-egg butties and grilled Orkney kippers with lemon and butter, as well as more refined dishes. The kitchen also turns out health-boosting smoothies to start your morning, plus quirky offerings such as ‘granuesli’ with tea-steeped prunes and yoghurt. 

Tom’s Kitchen, Chelsea

Readers report that Tom Aikens’ casual Chelsea brasserie is ‘great for that weekend hangover’. The kitchen throws everything diners’ way, from Bucks Fizz and Virgin Marys to homemade granola, pastries, fresh fruit, eggs any-way – and even a choice between ‘American-style’ (sweet) and ‘English-style’ (savoury) breakfasts. A fab way to get the weekend going.

The Wolseley, Mayfair

Whether you’re eating together for business or pleasure, breakfast at The Wolseley will send you out into the world ready to face anything. Try the house fishcake with a poached egg, get stuck into the French toast with blueberries, or push the boat out with a caviar omelette.