Best brunch in London – My Top 5

I love brunch. I mean, I really, really love brunch. Really. How do I write ‘going out for brunch in London brings more meaning to my life’ without coming across on the wrong side of sane? I’m not sure I can, which is probably fair considering I’ve listed brunch as an actual hobby on my CV.

Some weekends I even treat myself to three or four brunches which requires some serious scheduling and meal time planning. But I’m from Melbourne. Brunch is kinda our thing.

I was thinking about what to blog about this week and it occurred to me that I’ve never shared a list of favourite brunch spots. I’ve given you all my coffee advice, written about a couple of them in more detail (here and here), but never an actual list. Which is very unlike me.

So, my Top 5 list of where to find the best brunch in London.

Disclaimer: This list heavily skewed to East London because a) that’s where I live; b) that’s where all the amazing brunch spots are; and c) I’m pretty lazy and who really wants to go further than a mile on a Saturday morning by choice?!  

In no particular order, we have…

1. Friends of Ours

Whenever someone asks for a recommendation for brunch in London, this aussie-style, independent café just off Old Street always springs to mind.

Their menu changes seasonally and one look at their Instagram account will have you droooooling. The coffee is ace too (though be warned they don’t serve soy milk, almond only).

• Address: 61 PITFIELD STREET, HOXTON, LONDON N1 6BU
• Closest tube: Old Street, Hoxton
• Website: http://www.friendsofourscafe.com/

2. Pavilion

The ultimate brunch in London’s summer, this mostly-outdoor cafe is in the middle of Victoria Park and has views for dayssss. Sit down with a coffee outside, order a Sri Lankan string hopper or a more traditional poached egg/avo/dukkah combo, and watch all the joggers go by. Inevitably making you feel bad for inhaling your delicious meal within minutes. Run it all off tomorrow, I say.

10/10 for dog and duck watching.

• Address: Victoria Park, London E9 7DE
• Closest tube: Bethnal Green or Mile End tube then bus 277, 425
• Website: I couldn’t find one! But you can find the menu here

3. Dishoom

Sometimes I wake up and the only thing that could possibly make me happy is an incredibly delicious egg naan roll dipped in the world’s best chilli tomato jam. On those days I head straight for Dishoom.

This Bombay cafe is traditionally really popular for dinner (think enormous queues down the road) but actually I prefer it for its brunch. If you’re anything like me and get stressed out by too many good options on the menu, it’s probably best to go in a group of 4. That way you can order one of everything and share.

If you have to queue then I can guarantee you that it’s worth the wait, though I find that going before 10am seems to be best for avoiding that. Plus, the breakfast menu is only served until midday on weekends, so no lie-ins allowed!

• Address: There are a few scattered around London. Covent Garden, Shoreditch, Kings Cross and Carnaby.
• Closest Tube: In order as above: Leicester Square or Covent Garden // Shoreditch High Street // Kings Cross // Oxford Circus
• Website: http://www.dishoom.com/

4. Ozone

An oldie but a goodie, Ozone has been a staple brunch highlight for me since I first arrived in this country. In fact, it was potentially the first place I went to for brunch in London. No wait, first I tried the Breakfast Club and was so insanely disappointed that it sent me into a spiralled panic of ‘where the hell have I just moved to that I can’t find a decent brunch at a cafe called “The Breakfast Club” with a 1 hour queue out front!!!’. Or something like that.

Anyway.

Ozone is run by Kiwis, so you know it’s gonna be good. They roast their own coffee in-house (you can watch it go ’round in circles in a really satisfying way) and their brunch menu covers everything you’d expect from a good antipodean brunch selection.

10/10 for Instagrammable location.

• Address: 11 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4AQ
• Tube: Old Street
• Website: http://ozonecoffee.co.uk/

5. Franze & Evans

I Instagram from this cafe at least once a month. I love this place because it’s in a super convenient location, making it easy to roll out of bed and straight into brunch. But mostly I just love the Huevos Rancheros! I must say that it’s not the most consistent – sometimes the Huevos Rancheros come out super crispy and other times quite soggy, the avocado ripeness is also questionable some months, but MY GOD is it delicious!

The coffee is good, the service is great, the cakes are hard to look at without lunging directly at them.

• Address: 101 Redchurch Street, London, E2 7DL
• Closest tube: Shoreditch High Street, Liverpool Street
• Website: http://www.franzeevans.com/

Plus a few others

Turns out a top 5 is incredibly hard because there are so many good places to brunch in London, so I’d also like to make a nod to:

• Poco – Perfect for a brunch followed by a stroll along Broadway market on Saturdays
• Bad Egg – They do a mean bottomless brunch for £35. Just sayin’.
• Beany Green – These guys have a few venues around London, just avoid the Liverpool Street one in winter because it’s mostly outdoor seating, with little-to-no heating
• Caravan – Another classic. The Kings X branch is too busy for me these days and service has gone downhill as a result, but they’ve opened one up in Bankside which is pretty chill on weekends
• Sunday – I’ve stopped going to this hidden cafe, tucked behind Caledonian Road, because of the long queues but this was always a favourite and that queue isn’t there for nothing. It’s delicious.