Smoking Goat
64 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JJ
So technically this is a breakfast menu, but as it goes on until 12, we’re counting it in as an early brunch. From Thursday to Sunday, Smoking Goat opens its doors early (well, at 10am), offering an indulgent menu of roti (all made in house to the head chef’s family recipe) served with fried egg and smoked meat (or fried aubergine for the veggies, which is just as good). Make sure you order a side of curried eggs, and don’t forget a few watermelon juices to cool down after the spice hit.
Tea Room
24 Greek St, Soho, W1D 4DZ
Tea Room is a hidden gem located underneath one of UJ’s fave working lunch spots – Bun House. On Saturdays and Sundays from 11-5pm, they serve up a Hong Kong style brunch inspired by the founders’ childhoods – think french toast with cheese and peanut butter (make sure to share this one, we could only manage a few bites), pumpkin congee and satay beef noodles, all washed down with their Ma Li – a reworked Bloody Mary in a trio of different flavours.
The Good Egg Soho
Ground Floor, Kingly Court, Kingly Street, Soho, W1B 5PW
Another venue that’s dangerously close to UJHQ, The Good Egg’s Israeli style brunch has made its way over from Stokey to Soho, offering it every day – not just on weekends. Order the Jerusalem breakfast if you want to try a bit of everything, or go carby with one of their famed bagels, brisket hash or a reuben pitta. There’s just one thing you have to remember: leave some room for that babka.
Arepa and Co
254 Paradise Row, Bethnal Green, E2
If you’re an east London resident, you’ll probably already be acquainted with Arepa and Co’s Venezuelan brunches. The good news is, opening at the end of March is a second location in Paradise Row for you to get your perico (Venezuelan scrambled eggs) on. Choose from one of their hearty breakfast plates, packed with black beans, plantains and eggs, a stack of corn pancakes, or something lighter, like arepas with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Brunch is served until 11.30am on weekdays and 4pm on weekends at the Dalston site if you can’t wait for the new one to open.
Kudu
119 Queen’s Rd, Peckham SE15 2EZ
And if you’re going with someone who still wants brunch classics, but you want to try something new, head for Kudu in Peckham. Chef/owner Patrick Williams worked with Robin Gill at Paradise Garage and Manor, and now he’s turned his hands to creating modern European dishes with a South African twist. You can find the usual favourites on their weekend brunch menu, like scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and waffles with duck eggs, but why not branch out and go for the Boerewors sausage with egg, romesco, white beans, and chimichurri?
Lifestyle: Lists
Top 5: Brunches with a Difference
For when you’re bored of avo on toast
