Food Guides
How do you like your eggs in the morning? Well, that depends if you like them with a side of avocado, baked with chorizo or topped with beetroot-cured smoked salmon. With so many dining venues to choose from, we’ve teamed up with Clerkenwell Boy to round up our favourite locations for the best brunch in London's West End.
With the majority of cafés and restaurants boasting outdoor seating, Covent Garden is the perfect place to indulge in a long, lazy al fresco brunch and watch the world go by – weather depending, of course. Whether it's eggs, granola, pancakes or the best bottomless brunch London has to offer, you name it, Covent Garden has it.
The Ivy Market Grill is the little sister to the original iconic The Ivy restaurant - specialising in classic British dishes with art deco vibes.
For breakfast or brunch, make sure you try The Ivy Full English - with smoked streaky bacon, Cumberland herbed sausages, fried hen’s eggs, potato rösti, black pudding, roast plum tomatoes, grilled flat mushrooms and baked beans.
For something sweet, order the Hot Buttermilk Pancakes - served with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, plus Greek yoghurt, lemon balm and warm strawberry sauce.
Clerkenwell Boy Approved
For the perfect breakfast spot - hit up Buns & Buns in Covent Garden for their crispy fried eggs, served on toasted sourdough with mushrooms and truffles. The 3 cheese omelette and classic eggs benny is also a winner to start the day!
Brunch fans will LOVE the fluffy white bao buns here too. As you walk into the restaurant, you will see towers of bamboo steamers filled with pillowy white buns. They come to the table piping hot filled with delicious delights such as shiitake mushroom bun and bourbon pork belly bun. The brioche rolls are also extremely popular - the all-star line up includes a Lobster Roll, Chicken Curry and Tenderloin Black Pepper Beef!
Clerkenwell Boy Approved
Chez Antoinette brings a touch of French flair to the heart of Covent Garden. Start your day with breakfast in style. We love the brioche French toast and signature Croque Madame - made with ham, cheese and confit onion, sandwiched inside toasted sourdough with an egg on top!
The baked avocado and eggs on toast with smoked salmon and hollandaise is also a popular choice! Wash down with a tea, coffee or fresh orange juice whilst enjoying alfresco dining in the iconic Covent Garden Market Building.
Clerkenwell Boy Approved
Served on weekends from 10am until 3pm, Ladurée’s brunch costs £38.50 and includes fresh juice, a hot drink, a silver stand filled with croissants, jams and macarons, and then scrambled eggs on brioche toast served with avocado, smoked salmon or turkey pastrami.
If you’re after something quick, breakfast is served all week from 8am until 11.30am, with Truffle Omelette and Soft Boiled Eggs Benedict on the menu. Ladurée also has the best terrace in town – head on up and enjoy the view!
Now open, award-winning, New York restaurant and celebrity haunt RedFarm, brings playful contemporary Chinese cuisine and supercharged dim-sum to London’s Covent Garden.
→ Redfarm
Abuelo is an Australian-meets-South-American coffee house serving light, fresh, produce-led meals and a variety of single origin speciality coffees. Think amazing coffee, a warm and friendly atmosphere and if you're lucky you can even enjoy cuddles with the resident pooch, Annie!
With an Aussie all day dining approach, you really can brunch all day long to your hearts content! Try the poached eggs with labneh, avocado salsa and paprika dulce or the honey whipped masceropone with figs (which you would have seen all over Insta) and crushed pistachios on toast.
What meal are American’s renowned for? Brunch, of course. Balthazar brings a slice of downtown New York to London with their French-styled Covent Garden brasserie, serving up a whole range of brunch favourites in Balthazar’s signature style.
Le Petit Dejeuner is served weekdays from 7.30am until 11am and features a range of pastries, tartines and jams alongside eggs, New York style pancakes, and almond waffles.
For those in a rush, Petit Brunch is served on the weekend from 9am until 10am. Opt for Le Panier, a basket of freshly baked bread and mini pastries for £10, or for hungrier stomachs, there’s Eggs Royale and Balthazar’s Full English Breakfast.
But for those who like their brunch to last for as long as possible, Balthazar’s Brunch menu is available on the weekend from 10am until 4pm and offers a Balthazar twist on your favourite brunch dishes; try the Scrambled Eggs and Cornish Crab or Balthazar Steak and Egg
26 Grains dedicate themselves towards a common goal; good everyday food and drinks. Their philosophy is that food should be sourced at the highest quality, cooked when in season, and paired simply with a few complimentary ingredients, making it the perfect brunch.
Visit the the calm, cosy café to try their tasty breakfast and brunch options such as their Pear & Tumeric Porridge, or the Fried Eggs in Chilli Butter.
Serving up breakfast, brunch and dinner, The Breakfast Club offers a diverse menu for diners and vegan diners alike, available to enjoy all day long.
Famous for their full fry ups, café classics and inclusive menu options, The Breakfast Club has quickly become the place to be for a meal that feels like home. Visit the newly opened café in Seven Dials for a mouth-watering stack of their iconic pancakes, crispy bacon, club classics, and a designated vegan and vegetarian menu.
Apple Butter Café offers a warm welcome for all with its delicious menu. Cosy, yet sophisticated surroundings alongside the most Instagrammable apple tree make the Seven Dials café a must-visit.
The café serves a wide range of specialty coffee alongside gourmet sandwiches and salads, indulgent Middle-Eastern inspired desserts and daily freshly-baked cakes and pastries piled high. Enjoy the all day breakfast menu offering classics like Eggs Florentine, Shakshuka and Pancakes (with daily changing flavours), or indulge in one of the sandwiches, salads or pasta dishes.
