London’s Best Brunch Spots for a Slow Weekend
Brunch is practically a sport in London, and a slow weekend one is one of the city’s great pleasures. Whether you want something lively or something calm, there’s a table with your name on it.
Lively or laid-back
Some brunch spots come with bottomless drinks and a party atmosphere. Others are all quiet corners and good coffee. Pick your mood and plan accordingly.
Go where the locals go
The best brunches are often in the neighbourhoods rather than the tourist centre. East London and the southern suburbs are full of gems. If you’re after more ideas, our piece on a romantic spot for two is worth a look.
Finding your spot
New brunch places open constantly across the city. Keeping an eye on Lamplit London is a good way to find the ones worth setting an alarm for on a Sunday.
What to actually order
London brunch menus have moved well past the standard eggs and avocado combination, though you’ll still find it everywhere if that’s what you’re after. Shakshuka has become a fixture on most menus now, as has a decent take on a full English for anyone wanting something heartier. The more interesting spots tend to run a rotating specials board, which is usually where the kitchen’s actual creativity shows up rather than on the printed menu. Asking what’s on the specials before you order from the main list is rarely a bad move.
Bottomless brunch deals are worth reading the fine print on. Most run for a strict ninety minutes or two hours, and a chunk of that gets eaten up by service if the venue is busy, so arriving right when your slot starts rather than fifteen minutes late genuinely makes a difference to how many rounds you actually get through. Weekday brunch, where it exists, tends to be far calmer and better value than the Saturday or Sunday scramble.
Timing your booking
The best tables at popular weekend brunch spots go within days of booking opening, particularly for anywhere with a bottomless deal attached. If you’ve got a specific place in mind for a Saturday, try to book by the Monday before. Walk-ins are still possible at quieter spots or on weekdays, but for anywhere genuinely popular on a weekend, turning up without a reservation usually means a wait of thirty minutes or more, even for a table for two.
Making a morning of it
The best brunches aren’t really about the food alone, they’re about what happens either side of it. A slow walk through a nearby park afterwards, or a browse round a Sunday market if there’s one close by, turns a single meal into a proper morning out. Columbia Road flower market and Broadway Market both sit near a cluster of decent brunch spots, so pairing the two makes a lot of sense if you’ve got a free Sunday and no fixed plans beyond eating well.
Coffee culture has genuinely caught up with the food side of brunch too. It’s no longer an afterthought, so it’s worth choosing somewhere that roasts its own or sources from a known local roaster rather than settling for whatever’s fastest.
You might also enjoy our guide to The Best Restaurants in London: Where to Eat if you are still planning your itinerary.
