From grand Mayfair mornings to Michelin-starred tasting menus and bold East London brunches
London does breakfast like it does everything else: with range, attitude and a suspiciously high ability to make you spend £18 before 9am. Here are 10 places that are actually worth setting an alarm for: from old-guard Mayfair perfection to a Michelin-starred tasting menu that turns your morning into an event.
Claridge’s
This is pretty well the perfection of an English breakfast. The room is grand without being intimidating, the service glides, and everything on the plate is executed with quiet confidence. The sausage is deeply flavoured, the bacon properly sweet-cured, and the scrambled eggs are exactly as you ask for them. Beyond the full English, there’s oat porridge (or a chia and linseed alternative), French toast, buttermilk pancakes with indulgent toppings, and a beautifully composed fruit salad. The tea blend is excellent, marmalades are made in-house, and the entire experience feels faintly cinematic. It’s breakfast as ritual, and it’s done flawlessly.
Full English or continental? Full English, no question.
How much? Full English £40; lighter dishes from £11
When? Mon–Sun, 8–10am
Brook Street, W1K 4HR, claridges.co.uk
Dishoom
Everyone’s favourite Indian café chain comes with one drawback: queues. Weekday mornings are your best bet. Inspired by Bombay’s Parsi cafés, breakfast here revolves around eggs, spice and comfort. The bacon naan roll is legendary; smoky bacon, cream cheese, tomato-chilli jam and coriander wrapped in warm naan; and the sausage version is equally compelling. There are vegan options, too, and the house chai, served milky and sweet, is reason enough to show up.
Full English or continental? Neither — naan rolls are the move.
How much? Bacon naan roll from £9.50; keema per eddu £15.90
When? Mon–Fri 8–11.45am; Sat–Sun 9–11.45am
Various locations, dishoom.com
The Delaunay
Sometimes you crave simplicity: a soft white roll, properly crisp bacon and a strong pot of tea. The Delaunay does exactly that, and does it better than almost anyone. The bacon roll is the star: generous, crispy, perfectly proportioned. The setting channels old European café culture, but the breakfast is refreshingly straightforward. It’s unfussy, elegant and consistently excellent.
Full English or continental? Continental
How much? Crispy bacon roll £10.50
When? Mon–Fri 7–11.30am; Sun 8–11.30am
55 Aldwych, WC2B 4BB, thedelaunay.com
The Wolseley
A sister to The Delaunay but grander in scale, The Wolseley remains one of London’s most dependable breakfast institutions. The porridge is famously good, devilled kidneys are unapologetically old-school, and the kedgeree is rich and satisfying. The full English is substantial without being heavy, and grilled kippers with mustard butter are a rare treat. The setting ; all high ceilings and marble; makes even a simple cup of coffee feel like an occasion.
Full English or continental? Traditional, always.
How much? The English £24.50; lighter dishes from £3.95
When? Mon–Fri 7–11.30am; Sat–Sun 8–11.30am
160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, thewolseley.com
Hide
There’s something quietly luxurious about eating breakfast in a Michelin-starred restaurant. Hide’s airy upstairs dining room overlooks Green Park, and the atmosphere is calm, polished and discreet. Yes, you can order a full English, but the smarter choice is the seasonal fruit plates, elegant pastries or dishes with cheffy twists; honey mango with Thai basil, croissants infused with unexpected flavours. It’s refined without being fussy.
Full English or continental? Go for the more inventive dishes.
How much? Full English £28; fruit plates from £12; viennoiserie from £6
When? Mon–Fri 7–11am; Sat–Sun 9–11.30am
85 Piccadilly, W1J 7NB, hide.co.uk
45 Jermyn St
Fortnum & Mason’s restaurant is one of those places you return to again and again. In summer, the outdoor tables are ideal; inside, it’s classic St James’s charm. The breakfast menu reads like a greatest-hits of British morning food: Orkney kippers, Welsh rarebit (with or without bacon), kedgeree, and a reliably excellent full English. Even the humble bacon sandwich feels elevated. It’s dependable, polished and quietly indulgent.
Full English or continental? British classics — kedgeree or kippers if you’re feeling traditional.
How much? Full English £22.50; kipper £16.50; bacon sandwich £9.50
When? Mon–Fri 7.30–11am; Sat–Sun 8–11am
45 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6DN, 45jermynst.com
Honey & Co Bloomsbury
Channel Tel Aviv’s sunny breakfast culture at this chic Middle Eastern café. The “Big Breakfast” is designed to share and arrives as a joyful spread of breads, dips and mezze, followed by vibrant egg dishes like shakshuka or sabicha. Alternatively, warm fig, orange and walnut loaf with butter and marmalade is reason enough to visit. The atmosphere is bright, friendly and deliciously unhurried.
Full English or continental? Neither; go Middle Eastern and share generously.
How much? Big Breakfast £27.50; egg dishes £17.50; pastries from £4.80
When? Mon–Fri 8–11.30am; Sat 9–11.30am
54 Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1N 3LW, honeyandco.co.uk
BAFTA 195 Piccadilly
Yes, you can walk into BAFTA for breakfast. The light-filled room beneath a glass-edged ceiling feels suitably grand, yet welcoming. Chef Anton Manganaro has been cooking here for nearly two decades, and the menu leans classic: a robust fried breakfast (don’t skip the bubble and squeak), sausage and duck egg muffins, or well-spiced kedgeree. It’s quietly glamorous, without any sense of pretension.
Full English or continental? Full English.
How much? Around £20 for a generous breakfast
When? Daily 8–10am
195 Piccadilly, W1J 9LN, bafta.org
Pavyllon London
Breakfast, but make it Michelin-starred and five courses long. Pavyllon London has launched the capital’s first breakfast tasting menu in a Michelin-starred restaurant, and it’s unapologetically elevated. The £70 experience begins with an “amuse-juice”, moves through seasonal pastries and signature dishes such as Turkish eggs or tiramisu pancakes, and concludes with decadent French toast served family-style. There’s an optional drinks pairing of pressed juices, rare teas and seasonal mocktails. It’s theatrical, refined and a genuine morning splurge.
Full English or continental? Neither; it is a tasting menu.
How much? £70 per person
When? Weekends only
Hamilton Place, W1J 7DR, pavyllonlondon.com
UBA, Shoreditch
Weekends in East London deserve more than avocado toast. UBA’s brunch offering is bold and flavour-packed, inspired by Asian street markets. Expect small plates such as yuzu sesame edamame, Korean crispy fried chicken and salmon hirata buns, followed by mains like stir-fry egg noodles or donburi bowls topped with a perfectly cooked onsen egg. The vibe is sociable and relaxed, and there’s the option to add 90 minutes of free-flowing cocktails, wine or prosecco. It’s not a quiet breakfast; it’s a lively, flavour-driven start to the weekend.
Full English or continental? Neither; Pan-Asian brunch.
How much? One small plate plus one main £25; add free-flowing drinks +£40
When? Sat–Sun 12–4pm
61–67 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HU, ubarestaurant.com
