The 5 best places for brunch in London.
You’ve probably heard of a brunch enthusiast, or even a brunch addict, but when I say I love brunch, I mean I really, really love it. As each weekend approaches, I spend hours meticulously researching all of the London cafes and trying to come up with a formula for where does the best brunch in London.
It’s not an easy job, but someone has to do it (ha, kidding it’s the best thing ever). After living in London for the past four months properly, I’ve had time to try out over 30 cafes for brunch in London. Though just a small blip on the London brunch scene, these were all hand-picked as contenders for the best brunch in London.
Here are my absolute favourite brunch spots in London. HINT: they all offer avocado on toast.
Prufrock Café, Leather Lane (Farringdon)
If you’re looking for the absolute best cup of coffee in all of London, you can’t go past Prufrock café. They’ve got a smaller (all-day) brunch menu than most, but after trying 99% of their menu I can happily report that everything that comes out of that kitchen is damn delicious.
Special shoutout to the incredible staff that work there – they’re the kindest, most attentive café staff in the world and a really talented bunch. I love setting up my laptop and working in Prufrock; it’s got a great atmosphere and a creative flair about it.
Ozone Coffee, Central London
Run by Kiwis, Ozone Coffee often has a line out the front of people eager to get a spot for their brunch menu. Ozone Coffee comes runner up for the best coffee in London, and their beautiful coffee art is something that keeps people coming back every time.
If you can, grab a window seat on the food bar and watch the world go by. It’s the perfect spot to people watch, work or just sit back and enjoy a divine coffee. I can’t recommend their eggs benedict served on bubble & squeak enough – add a side of haloumi and it’s a foodie’s heaven.
Brickwood Café, Clapham & Balham
Probably the most well known out of the lot, Brickwood café is run by Aussies and is truly the epitome of everything beautiful about brunch. It’s a bustling café that I’ve never not had to wait for a table for, but it’s worth every minute.
My dad quoted it as “the best coffee in London”, and good ol’ Steve boy loves his coffee nearly as much as I do. You can’t go past the avocado on toast at Brickwood, especially topped with a poached egg. If you’re craving a real Aussie brunch, you can even order vegemite on toast or a timtam brownie to get you through the day.
Milk, Balham
Everything about this café screams cool. The staff are awesome, the décor is funky and everything on the menu is an Instagrammer’s dream. I love sitting outside under the heaters with a blanket over me – it’s located on the main drag in Balham and a really perfect place for people watchers (I know I’m not the only one!).
When you go to Milk in Balham, it’s kind of a must to order the pancakes on the menu. I’m not too sure how they change, but when I went there I had Buckwheat pancakes, quince, burnt rose meringue, rose cream and ginger nut crumb. THEY WERE SO HEAVENLY HOLY MOLY. SO yep, get the pancakes.
Ask for Janice, Barbican
Café by day, bar by night, Ask for Janice really is a dark horse when it comes to brunch. With the coolest interior in all of London and the cocktails to match, it’s difficult to imagine that such a successful bar could produce the brunch goods.
Ask for Janice provides a large yet boutique brunch menu that is filled with crazy combinations and delicacies. They’re not the biggest portions, but if you’re after a light brunch in the coolest café in London, head for Barbican!
This is just a small look into the best places for brunch in London, and I’ll be writing a second article in a month (because obvs testing is still taking place!). If you’ve got any suggestions I’d love to hear them in the comments below! X