London's best breakfasts and brunches
Discover the best restaurants and cafés for breakfast and brunch
Our team of experts have sought out the best breakfasts and brunches in London. Whether you're looking for coffee and pastries in a café, a posh Sunday brunch, or a mouthwateringly meaty fry-up – don't miss the most important meal of the day.
Time Out's guide to breakfasts in south London
Breads Etcetera
You can often watch the baker at work at the entrance to this slightly ‘alternative’ brasserie, kneading beautiful loaves of several kinds, from rye to spelt. It’s the wonderful breads which are the reason to visit – you can have unlimited toast (with disappointing foil-wrapped butter, and a variety of jams and savoury spreads), using the toasters placed on each table. Unlimited toast is often part of the meal deals, such as the toast topped with a pile of fried wild mushrooms with some impeccable chicken liver pâté and potted mackerel. Some other dishes can look a little naff, like the slices of fruit salad arranged over French toast that looked as if it belonged on a 1970s hostess trolley, but the fruit was fresh and the toast wholesome. The tattooed staff look a little intimidating, and their choice of music can be a bit dodgy, but on our visit were charming. Be warned it can get very busy at weekends, and even have queues.
Breakfast for two with drinks and service: around £23. See more details
- 127 Clapham High Street, SW4 7SS
- Breakfast served 10am-5pm Tue-Sat; 10am-4pm Sun.
Roast
The prime site, literally over Borough Market, offers a bird’s-eye view of the market – and respite from it. The restaurant is terribly smart and proudly British, with formidable quality produce. On the menu you’ll find smoked streaky bacon from Ayrshire, Cumberland sausages, black pudding from Ramsay of Carluke, fat grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, bubble and squeak and two eggs of your choice. But if that’s too much to stomach, try the grilled Orkney kippers with lemon and butter, or a (Scottish) tattie scone with bacon, mushrooms and a fried egg. There are off-peak two-for-one breakfast deals, making this an even more attractive place to gather your strength before hitting the market – or the markets, if you’re a City worker.
Breakfast for two with drinks and service: around £30. See more details
- The Floral Hall, Borough Market, Stoney Street, SE1 1TL
- Breakfast served 7-10.45am Mon-Fri; 8-11.30am Sat. Two-for-one breakfast deal: 7-8am Mon-Fri; 8-9am Sat.
No 67
There are many interpretations of a good breakfast, but No 67 – the café inside the South London Gallery, between Peckham and Camberwell – has got the full spectrum covered. You can feast on a massive bowl of thick, creamy porridge with syrup for £2.50; snack like a weight-conscious sparrow on Greek yoghurt, fruit and toasted granola (also £2.50); or dine like royalty on the ‘full Spanglish’ – grilled mushrooms, fried eggs, grilled chorizo slices, dense, black morcilla and own-made spicy baked beans. There’s also home-made jams and sourdough toast if you fancy something simple. Coffees, teas and juices are top notch, and the surroundings are classy, with a cool contemporary conservatory, a walled garden or the popular, cosy front bar. Easily the best breakfast for miles around.
Breakfast for two with drinks and service: around £15. See more details
- South London Gallery, (67 Peckham Road), SE5 8UH
- Breakfast served 9-11.30am Tue-Fri; 10am-5pm Sat, Sun.
Lido Café
You don’t have to go swimming at Brockwell Lido to enjoy its poolside café (an unobtrusive side door lets you through the wall from the roadside). Light, airy and relaxed, this locally run venture embraces both healthy eating and comfort-food nostalgia with heaps of fluffy scrambled eggs served on crunchy wholemeal toast, free-range bacon baps, organic porridge, fruit and granola, freshly squeezed orange juice and sticky pastries. On weekends, the menu extends to more brunchy dishes such as eggs royale, florentine or benedict as well as blueberry pancakes smothered with maple syrup. Clientele is a mixed crowd: hardy swimmers covered in goosebumps and wrapped in towels, parents and toddlers, and home workers availing themselves of the free wi-fi and strong coffee. The café is open all year, even when the lido isn’t.
Breakfast for two with service: around £15. See more details
- Brockwell Lido, (Dulwich Road), SE24 0PA
- Breakfast served 9am-noon Mon-Fri; 9am-1pm Sat, Sun.
The Table Café
This sleek café, attached to an architectural practice, is open to the public and serves excellent breakfasts and brunches. A chargrill dominates the open-plan kitchen, but those wanting something lighter or quicker than the usual cooked meals should look to the selection of fruit-yoghurt-muesli combos. Weekend brunches see the likes of buttermilk pancakes, sweetcorn fritters and The Table’s signature breakfast ‘stack’ featuring home-made baked beans, chorizo, poached eggs, hollandaise and red pepper pesto. We love this place because it looks good, the food is great, and the service consistently friendly and helpful. Quite handy for Borough Market visitors, too.
Breakfast for two with service: around £20. See more details
- 83 Southwark Street, SE1 0HX
- Breakfast served 7.30-11am Mon-Fri. Brunch served 8.30am-4pm Sat & Sun.
Village East
Want to really, really, escape the bustle of Borough Market? A 15-minute walk through the backstreets of Bermondsey will take you to Village East. Here you can have most brunch cravings satisfied, from sweetcorn fritters with a red pepper and coriander salsa, to a bacon sandwich with tomato and avocado, this is a place that takes weekend brunch seriously. Our granola was a glass of creamy joghurt and zesty raspberry compte topped with nuggets of crunchy muesli. Or you could have French toast with maple syrup and bacon or with berries, poached pineapple and vanilla syrup – though the latter was not available on our visit. There’s also a selection of breakfast cocktails for those who want to kickstart the day in style. Fans of the bloody Mary will be pleased to hear there are three variations on the menu, one of which adds an Asian twist of wasabi, ginger and coriander.
Breakfast for two with service: around £25. See more details
- 171-173 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3UW
- Brunch served 11am-5pm Sat; 11am-4pm Sun.
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