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$ | Bethnal Green |
It's all Cockney banter and full English breakfasts at this tiny family-run café and onetime gangsters' lair near Brick Lane and Columbia Road markets. The atmosphere may be rowdy, but it's all good-natured, with greasy fry-ups (think eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, toast, tomatoes, fried mushrooms, black pudding, and cabbage and mash) served alongside homemade Italian dishes like lasagna and cannelloni and British classics like pies and roast dinners, all courtesy of matriarch Mama Maria. With the ornate food-paneling (installed in 1946 by local carpenter and regular customer Achille Capocci) as a backdrop, a visit to E. Pellicci feels a little like a wonderful performance of East End life being staged for your benefit.
332 Bethnal Green Rd., London, Greater London, E2 0AG, England
Known For
- Full cast of East End Cockney characters
- Copious full English breakfasts and builder's brew tea
- Cash-only cheap dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Aug. No dinner, Reservations not accepted
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$ | Dalston |
This bakery, which supplies bread to many of East London's top eateries, has a friendly café and deli on-site, where you can sample some of the tastiest toasted sandwiches in the city. The shop also stocks a concise range of elegant household items.
Mentmore Terr., London, Greater London, E8 3PH, England
Known For
- House-milled flour
- Secret courtyard garden in back
- Fantastic daylong sourdough-making classes that sell out months in advance
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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$ | Soho |
Once frequented by the likes of Virginia Woolf and Karl Marx, locals still cherish this quirky 1871 French pâtisserie, vintage tea parlor, and occasional pop-up art space, where nothing seems to have changed since the 1920s. Colorful pastries, tarts, croissants, and sweet cakes are well loved and expertly baked on-site. You can choose from the gooey chocolate and fruit éclairs, Saint-Honoré and Black Forest gateaux, marzipan figs, and flaky almond croissants. Still run by Soho legend Michele Wade, Maison Bertaux also hosts a cheery retro afternoon tea service, which comes with savories like Dijon slice or broccoli quiche.
28 Greek St., London, Greater London, W1D 5DQ, England
Known For
- Mesmerizing vintage French pâtisserie window display and interiors
- Retro afternoon Tea
- Old-fashioned collection of creamy French pastries
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$ | Westminster |
Located next door to the London Coliseum (home of English National Opera), this hip café serves some of the best sandwiches, salads, and coffee in the neighborhood. In the evening (it’s open until 9 pm, Tuesday through Saturday), there’s more of a wine-bar vibe.
31 St. Martin's La., London, Greater London, WC2N 4ER, England
Known For
- Friendly staff that doesn't rush you
- Industrial chic decor
- Good-quality wines available by the glass
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$ | City of London | Café
In St. Mary-le-Bow's Norman crypt, this café is packed with City workers weekdays 7:30–2:30 for a menu covering breakfasts, scrumptious light lunches, and delicious cakes. It's also open for dinner Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Cheapside, London, Greater London, EC2V 6AU, England
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$ | Mayfair |
This successful chain serves up delicious juices and smoothies, as well as sandwiches, soups, and wraps.
1 Curzon St., London, Greater London, W1J 5HD, England
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekends
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$ | South Bank | Café
This is a cluster of small shops specializing in jewelry, art, clothing, and ceramics by designer-manufacturers, with an adjoining cluster of informal restaurants and cafés, most with outdoor seating. A project of the Coin Street Community Builders, a social enterprise group, it bustles with activity. The same group converted the nearby Oxo Tower Wharf, an art deco warehouse with three levels of designer studios that also serve as retail outlets. The Oxo Tower Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie, a pricey restaurant operated by the swish department store Harvey Nichols, occupies the top floor, and you can see the same spectacular views from an adjacent free public viewing area (open daily).
56 Upper Ground, London, Greater London, SE1 9NH, England
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Free
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$ | Hampstead |
Family-friendly and tucked away on a pretty mews, Ginger & White is a delightful fusion of a continental-style café and traditional British "caff"—all bound up with a modern, sophisticated Hampstead vibe. Specialties include homemade peanut butter and cakes, farm-sourced free-range eggs, rare-breed bacon, and specialty espresso. It can get crowded on weekends.
4A–5A Perrins Ct., London, Greater London, NW3 1QS, England
Known For
- Family- and dog-friendly atmosphere
- Weekend crowds
- Excellent coffee
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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$ | St. James's | Café
Overlooking The Mall, this café and bar offers a tasty, reasonably priced lunch and dinner menu, with coffees and snacks available throughout the day. Like the venue itself, it's open 11–11.
The Mall, London, Greater London, SW1Y 5AH, England
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$ | Notting Hill |
Located on the northern stretch of Portobello Road, this quintessential neighborhood café specializes in delicious coffee, cakes, breakfast, and brunch, all served up on classic English crockery. Grab one of the window seats and watch Notting Hill wander by.
339 Portobello Rd., London, Greater London, W10 5SA, England
Known For
- Chill, welcoming vibe
- Great vegan and gluten-free options
- Build-your-own breakfasts and brunches
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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$ | Soho |
This eccentric French pâtisserie (London's oldest) has been around since 1871. Not the finest coffee around, but a nice range of teas and glasses of wine, plus fab French cakes, tarts, and savory quiches more than make up for that.
28 Greek St., London, Greater London, WID 5DQ, England
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$ | Islington |
This Islington institution is a foodie's heaven. With the accent on North African and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, the inventive, tasty, and healthy veg-centric dishes, along with fresh salads, flaky pastries, and artisan cakes, make this deli-bakery-café worth an hour of anyone's time. Go home with a knockout chocolate meringue or a plum-and-quince tart, and pick up Ottolenghi's outstanding Israeli- and Palestinian-inspired cookbook, Jerusalem, on the way out.
287 Upper St., London, Greater London, N1 2TZ, England
Known For
- Zingy veg-centric Middle Eastern salad combos
- Fabulous meringue-filled window displays
- Weekend brunches
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$ | Marylebone |
As the name suggests, The Monocle Café isn't quite a restaurant, but thanks to its sheer weight of personality, it still lends itself as an important Marylebone food stop. Salads, bagels, open sandwiches, and breakfasts represent a diverse menu of international bites that can always be accompanied by something from the drink menu, whether that's artisan coffee or something stronger like the yuzu gin and tonic. As one would expect from Monocle magazine's very own drinking and dining spot, both the interior and exterior are impeccably tasteful, making for the ideal place to pause and soak up the Marylebone neighborhood.
18 Chiltern St., London, Greater London, W1U 7QA, England
Known For
- Serious intellectual credentials (it's run by Monocle magazine)
- Excellent snacks and takeaway treats
- In-house pop-up shop
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$$ | Kew |
This most traditional of old English tearooms is named for a kind of cheese tart invented near here in Tudor times. Legend has it that Henry VIII loved them so much he had the recipe kept under armed guard; this place has specialized in the authentic royal recipe for more than 120 years now and still bakes the maids by hand on the premises. Full afternoon tea is served all day. During busy periods, the tearoom may impose a minimum spend per person.
288 Kew Rd., London, Greater London, TW9 3DU, England
Known For
- Traditional baking techniques that date back over centuries
- Excellent full English breakfast
- Nostalgic mock-Tudor decor rebuilt following bomb damage during WWII
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$ | Greenwich |
Healthy snacks and lunches are served at this bright café next to the Royal Observatory. Homemade soups and sandwiches are good for a quick refuel, or try one of the delicious stone-baked pizzas for something more substantial. Check out the fancy weather vane on the roof of this quirky octagonal building, which depicts Lord Nelson looking through his telescope.
Charlton Way, London, Greater London, SE10 8QY, England
Known For
- Family-friendly atmosphere
- Large garden seating area
- Ideal location at the top of Greenwich Park
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$ | Mayfair | Café
With its walls covered in Gilbert Spencer murals, the Royal Academy's café is almost as beautiful as the art hanging in the galleries. The accent is on variety, with hearty dishes like fish pie, cold cuts, and upscale salads and sandwiches. It's open daily 10:30–5:30.
Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, Greater London, W1J 0BD, England
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$ | City of London |
This friendly coffee shop at St. Katharine Docks serves outstanding breakfasts (with fresh juices and baked goods) plus homemade soups, cakes, and light bites for lunch. In an area too readily associated with chains, this charming independent eatery is a breath of fresh air, particularly for long, leisurely brunches when the sun is shining.
D3 Ivory House, London, Greater London, E1W 1AT, England
Known For
- Delicious breakfast bowls
- Charming waterside location
- Weekend brunch