Three long, nail biting months since the beginning of our national lockdown, cafes and restaurants across London are starting to open up shop once again after an uncertain period of closure. Inhabitants of this once buzzing capital have emerged from the sheltered safety of their homes, eyes blinking in the harsh sunlight as they try to process the freedom of actually being able to go out and spend money again.
As one of these local Londoners, suddenly having a whole city of opportunity available is exciting if not a little overwhelming. For that reason, I’ve directed my intentions into one, streamlined category: breakfast.
After many weeks of day-dreaming, browsing menus and saving pictures on social media, I am able to present you with my official, post-lockdown, breakfast bucket list.
Brunch at Circolo Popolare
Popular Italian restaurant Circolo Popolare burst onto the London foodie scene last year, joining its Shoreditch sibling Gloria Trattoria in runaway restaurant success. Alongside its cheese wheel carbonara and towering slices of lemon meringue pie, Circolo offers some larger than life brunch dishes, serving classics in its signature gaudy style, such as Jet Set French Toast. Catch me there post-lockdown sipping on cocktails, gobbling up Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes and pretending I’m on holiday in Capri.
Opening: July 4th
Chiltern Firehouse – Pancakes
Never has a stack of pancakes looked so exquisite and perfectly formed, as those served at Chiltern Firehouse. For too long I have drooled over Instagram snaps of its thick, spongy pancake towers, berry coulis trickling down the edges and fluffy whipped cream dolloped on top.
Opening: TBC
Ole and Steen – Cinnamon Roll
As a notorious cinnamon fiend, for me, a cinnamon roll is about as close as it gets to breakfast heaven. With that in mind, I have been on the hunt for London’s best buns since moving to the capital, and Ole and Steen’s juicy, layered creation is top of my list of ‘must eats’.
Opening: Open now
Bob’s Lobster – Lobster Eggs Benedict
Now a seafood restaurant doesn’t immediately scream breakfast, but I’ve got my eye very firmly on Bob Lobster’s decadent take on Eggs Benedict. Fresh lobster claws, crowned with a poached egg and smothered in hollandaise sauce, feels like the indulgent treat I need and deserve at the end of all this.
Opening: TBC
Lantana Cafe
This trio of cafes spread across Fitzrovia, London Bridge and Shoreditch offers a fresh, Aussie-style brunch experience and an edgy vegetarian menu that includes every on-trend wellness ingredient, from kimchi to quinoa. I am very much looking forward to tucking into wild mushrooms on sourdough with white bean hummus, while sipping on a green juice, feeling very smug and accomplished.
Opening: July 4th