London mornings
Best Brunch and Bakeries in London
A saveable guide to London bakeries, pastry counters, brunch rooms and coffee stops for slow weekends, museum days and pretty neighbourhood walks.
Best bakeries for pastries and bread
For mornings when you want proper bread, a pastry worth crossing town for, and coffee before the day properly starts.
Jolene
Jolene is one of London’s most loved bakery-restaurant names. The pastries are excellent, the bread is serious and the whole thing feels quietly stylish. Good for a pastry stop or a longer breakfast depending on the location.
Pophams
Pophams is famous for its creative laminated pastries. It is a very good choice when you want something more memorable than a standard croissant and coffee.
The Dusty Knuckle
The Dusty Knuckle is a bakery with real substance: bread, pastries and excellent sandwiches. It is especially useful for a late breakfast that becomes lunch.
E5 Bakehouse
E5 Bakehouse is a good East London stop for sourdough, pastries and a slower neighbourhood morning. Combine it with London Fields or a canal walk.
Fortitude Bakehouse
Fortitude is small but worth saving for a Bloomsbury morning. It is a good pre-museum or pre-bookshop stop if you are around Russell Square.
Best for beautiful pastries
Pretty, central, saveable pastry stops for a soft London morning or a small treat between museums and shops.
Arôme Bakery
Arôme is famous for its honey butter toast, but it is also just a very useful central bakery. Expect queues at busy times.
Bageriet
Bageriet is tiny and charming, a good stop for cinnamon buns and Swedish pastries near Covent Garden.
Layla
Layla is a lovely Notting Hill bakery to save for a slow morning. Go early if you want the best pastry choice.
Best for brunch plates
Places for a more complete sit-down breakfast: eggs, pancakes, good coffee and enough food to make lunch optional.
Sunday in Brooklyn
Sunday in Brooklyn is an easy brunch choice if you want something generous, American-influenced and social. It is not a quiet hidden gem, but it works.
Pavilion
Pavilion is especially good when paired with a park walk. Save it for mornings where the plan is coffee, bread, green space and not rushing.
Kaffeine
Kaffeine is more coffee shop than long brunch, but it is one of those dependable central places that can rescue a morning near Oxford Street or Fitzrovia.
Ottolenghi
Ottolenghi is famous for a reason: the counters are beautiful, the food is colourful and it is a safe choice when you want breakfast or lunch that feels special without becoming complicated. Go early for bakeries. The best pastries sell out, and London bakery queues are very real on weekends. If you want brunch with seats, book where possible. If you want the most relaxed version, choose a bakery first and build the walk around it. Related guides: London · Food & Drink
London breakfast changes quickly: new bakeries open, opening hours move and weekend queues can be very real. Use this as a starting list, then check the place before you go and book brunch if the restaurant takes reservations.
