Instagram Diary: 10 London Brunches You Need to Try in April 2017By Alicia Grimshaw

Looking for the best brunches in London? We’ve got it down. If there’s one thing we love more than plotting to overthrow the patriarchy, it’s doing it over brunch. Eggs, avocado, pastries, coffee, we want the works. Here’s 10 London brunch dishes we’ve absolutely loved recently, and think it’s about time you try whilst planning your own revolution:

Best Brunches in London: April 2017 Guide

1. For a Blow Out Brunch: CUT at 45 Park Lane

Order: Salt beef hash cake, poached organic eggs, leeks and Béarnaise sauce (£21)

The Lowdown: Brunch at CUT at 45 Park Lane is such a treat – one of the best brunches in London for sure. It’s the kind of place where your fresh Zara shirt would go down well. Here the clientele are as clean looking as the interiors. It’s slightly more expensive than your standard London brunch hangout. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Brunch here is a celebration, and when there’s Wolfgang Puck and Executive Chef David McIntyre at the helm you expect nothing less. The salt beef hash is a spin on the classic eggs Benny. We love the meat-tastic salt beef hash cake, and it makes any English muffin taste inferior.

Where: 45 Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 1PN

2. For a North London Brunch: Le Peche Mignon

Order: Croque Madame (£6.50)

The Lowdown: We first stumbled across this independent French cafe a few weekends ago, and we’ve been back a fair few times. We’re holding out hope that one day we’ll go in and order our ‘usual’. Our usual being their epic Croque Madame. Melted cheese and ham are sandwiched between a blanket of thick dough, and then topped with more cheese. Because everything tastes better with cheese. Finished with a fried egg for yolky fun – it’s outrageously good. The cafe isn’t the largest – there’s a communal table and a few window seats. Not a place you can kick back for a few hours, but an ideal spot for a quick bite. And their soya lattes are particularly smashing.

Where: 6 Ronalds Rd, Highbury East, London N5 1XH

3. For an Italian Brunch: Margot

Order: Poached eggs on tomato and avocado bruschetta with crispy pancetta (£11)

The Lowdown: One of the best brunches in London for something quirky – Margot has seriously upped the brunch game in Covent Garden. Since it’s arrival on the London foodie scene last year, they’ve caused quite a stir with their pasta beauties. It’s only recently they’ve introduced a new weekend brunch menu – and like a moth to a flame, we couldn’t keep away. Naturally, we kept things classic and ordered the avocado on toast. For £11 it’s not the cheapest avo dish around, but it certainly passed the taste test. We’re big fans of the Italian twist on this brunch favourite.

Where: 45 Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2B 5AA

4. For a Sweet Brunch: Ottolenghi Spitalfields

Order: Dutch pancake (£9.50)

The Lowdown: Ottolenghi Spitalfields gets our brunch needs. There’s enough savoury and sweet dishes to please the AT team. Of course, their shakshuka is the stuff of legends, and is easily one of the best baked egg dishes in the capital. But the arrival of their new Dutch pancake had us practically sprinting to this East London hangout. What you’re presented with is a skillet of pure heaven; a light pancake base topped with flaked almonds, Iranian pistachios and stewed rhubarb. Man, we love Yotam Ottolenghi and his kitchen wizards.

Where: 50 Artillery Lane, London E1 7LJ

Best Brunches in London: April 2017 Guide

5. For a Kiwi Brunch: The Bach

Order: Sweetcorn fritter stack with smashed avocado, Bach tomato and chilli jam, garlic aioli and bacon (£10.90)

The Lowdown: We’re the queens of menu hacking; we like to add on sides, switch breads, have dairy-free milks in our coffees, and swap ingredients. To some establishments, we’re a nightmare. At The Bach, however, our strange dietary requests are celebrated like a child’s first steps. Sweetcorn fritters seem to be spreading onto London’s menus like some kind of breakfast rash. A dish that can often be laced with oils and over fried corn, The Bach’s fritters are anything but. It’s rich, flavoursome and extremely satisfying. If you opt for the fritters, sling on a side of halloumi. You just can’t pick between bacon or halloumi.

Where: 98 Hoxton Street Hoxton, London N1 6SG

6. For a Simple Brunch: Vinoteca

Order: Avocado, barrel-aged feta and chilli oil on sourdough toast (£7.50)

The Lowdown: We’re total suckers for restaurant vibes; one of the best brunches in London for a big group, we say. If a venue has good lighting, trendy interiors, (read: distressed oak furniture, framed black and white photos, industrial-look lights, pastel walls or leather booths), a hint of candle-lit cool and delicious nibbles, we’re sold. And Vinoteca has exactly that. The King’s Cross branch has just launched a new brunch menu – and us being curious souls, we had to check it out. You can’t go wrong with avocado on toast, and Vinoteca’s was damn fine. Good chunks of avo pimped up with chilli and feta. Our tip: swap the sourdough for rye bread. We dig the slighty sour, tart taste.

Where: Pancras Square, 3 King’s Blvd, Kings Cross, London N1C 4BU

7. For a Traditional Brunch: Caravan King’s Cross 

Order: Caravan fry (£10.50)

The Lowdown: Something weird happened a few weeks ago, and we’re still coming to terms with our new revelation. Due to Camden being rather shoddy on the breakfast front, we find ourselves at Caravan King’s Cross rather a lot. We know what we like: baked eggs with merguez sausage and flatbread. However, we threw the rulebook out of the window and ordered something different, the Caravan fry. And we’re glad we did because this fry up was smashing. Oven roasted tomatoes, thick cooked bacon, poached eggs and sourdough. So simple, yet so delicious. If you’re feeling like you want to splash the cash, you can add on a side of smashed avocado for £4. Paying £4 for some avocado is daylight robbery, mind.

Where: Granary Square, 1 Granary Square, Kings Cross, London N1C 4AA

Best Brunches in London: April 2017 Guide

8. For a Light Brunch: Hubbard and Bell 

Order: Coconut yogurt with granola, cranberry and banana  (£7)

The Lowdown: Hubbard and Bell within the Hoxton Hotel is a fantastic central London brunch spot. It’s also great for the freelancer crowd – plenty of plug points, fast wifi and superb coffee (try their soya cappuccino). Even if you’re not working, drop by for a seriously good brunch. Their buttermilk pancakes are incredible if you can stomach batter and maple syrup pre 9am. If you can’t, we’d recommend this coconut yogurt beauty. Light, and really, really tasty. We waxed lyrical about it for a good 20 minutes. It’s also suitable for vegans and gluten-free too.

Where: 199-206 High Holborn, London WC1V 7BD

9. For a Sky High Brunch: TĪNG at the Shangri-La Hotel

Order: Our smaller version of Shangri-La’s fry up (£18)

The Lowdown: You can’t beat brekkie with a side of some of the best views in London. One of the best brunches in London when you really want to impress. If you’re not coming for the views (which, really, you should be), come for the sensational breakfast. TĪNG housed in the Shangri-La Hotel is open to non-residents, and they really go to town with their morning offering. Before ordering your breakfast course, have a dabble at the counter – you can eat breakfasts from around the world without leaving the capital. There’s dim sum, Middle Eastern mezzes and plenty of jams and preserves. We tend to have no chill when there’s freshly baked almond croissants (we ate two and took some for the road). Fyi, we hacked the fry up apart, but you can have yours with sausage, hash brown and black pudding if you fancy.

Where: The Shard, 31 St Thomas St, London SE1 9QU

10. For a New Brunch: Over Under

Order: Sweet potato fritter with a fried egg and feta (£7.50)

The Lowdown: We rarely find ourselves around Earls Court. In fact, if we’re not buying grand ornaments at the Ideal Home Show – we never go. That has all changed thanks to new brunch haunt Over Under coming into town – one of the best brunches in London if you want to go off the beaten track. For a small cafe the food at Over Under certainly packs a punch. When we rocked up they were serving their daily special which was sweet potato fritter with fried egg and feta. It was a great choice – yolk egg, creamy feta and flavoursome sweet potato. Their brunch is simple, but totally perfect. Totally worth the punt across town, trust us.

Where: 181A Earls Ct Rd, Kensington, London SW5 9RB