Brunch and Soho. Soho and brunch. Bro-ho. Sunch…
Rather strangely for a place where the bedraggled and the hungover so often congregate, these words don’t actually feel like the most natural of bedfellows. Perhaps it’s the fact that brunch is more of a neighbourhood thing, and not many of us are lucky/cursed enough to live in Soho.
Maybe it’s that dining in Soho is more synonymous with high jinx, debauchery and, you know, nightlife. Or, maybe it’s that, by the time everyone can stomach food in this neck of the woods, it’s time for lunch…
…Anyway, these are all just sweeping statements in service of an introduction. In reality, there are plenty of great places to enjoy brunch in Soho, whatever your stripes, likes and appetites. Here are just a few of them; our favourite brunches in Soho, London.
Bar Italia, Frith Street
Ideal for espresso, Esportazione and early morning eating…
We start our brunch crawl of Soho at one of the neighbourhood’s most beloved ol’ girls, Bar Italia. Sitting pretty on Frith Street since 1949 and soaking up Soho’s revellers for just as long, Bar Italia is open daily from 7am to 5am, allowing you to get ‘brunch’ at the beginning or end of the day/night, however the mood takes you.
It’s where all the broken people go, sure, but it’s also where plenty of well put together folk do their thing. Either way, if you’re looking for the ultimate Italian breakfast, of a pastry, double espresso and a ciggy, this is your spot.
For something a little heftier, Bar Italia also does ciabatta rolls with Italian sausage or bacon. Lovely stuff, and for just £4.20, an absolute steal in this part of town. In this city. In this country…
When: Breakfast is available from 7am daily
Website: baritaliasoho.co.uk
Address: 22 Frith St, London W1D 4RF
Read: The best places for pasta in Soho
Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, Kingly Court
Ideal for a soul-nourishing Syrian vegetarian breakfast…
For something decidedly more nourishing, both for stomach and soul, head to Imad’s Syrian Kitchen in that wretched old place, Kingly Court.
More than just a restaurant; Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is a testament to resilience and passion. Helmed by Syrian restaurateur Imad Alarnab, who fled Damascus in 2015 amid the ravages of war, this kitchen is a love letter to Syrian cuisine and the country itself.
With a journey that saw him cooking for fellow refugees across Europe before settling in London, Imad’s story adds heartfelt seasoning to every dish served, with the warmhearted man working the room every time we’ve eaten here.
It’s the kind of hug you want from your brunch, setting you up for the day in some style. And that’s before you’ve even tried the glorious fatteh from the all-vegetarian breakfast offering here, which runs from Monday to Saturday from 8:30am to 11:30am. Rich and, erm, fatteh, fried shards of flatbread are layered with spiced chickpeas and a tahini-spiked yoghurt, the whole thing then topped with melted ghee. Woof. Equally good is a gold-standard shaksuka, here topped with dill fronds for a bit of added intrigue and elegance.
If you prefer to start your day with something sweet, the riaayiq asal has got your name on. This deceptively simple dish sees flaky cheese-filled filo pastry baked until golden before being drizzled with honey. It is fantastic.
Though Imad might chastise you for having coffee so early in the day and point you in the direction of his beloved mint tea, we can’t resist a stiff, viscous Syrian coffee here, blessed with the unmistakable perfume of cardamom. Together with the dining room’s unstoppable flow of natural light, the deal is very much sealed, whatever the day chooses to throw at you. On hotter days, the Damascus ice tea, made with hibiscus, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, and agave, is a revelation.
And if you do insist on your brunch being meat based, then on Sundays the brunch menu at Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is a little different, with the usual breakfast menu supplemented by a few classics from the broader menu.
When: Breakfast is served Monday to Saturday, from 8:30am to 11:30am. A broader brunch menu is served on Sundays
Website: imadssyriankitchen.co.uk
Address: 2.5, Top Floor, Kingly Ct, Carnaby St, Carnaby, London W1B 5PW
Temper Soho, Broadwick Street
Ideal for a smoky, carnivore-baiting spread…
It’s probably clear by now that brunch in Soho doesn’t need to only be about bacon, eggs and a builder’s. The area caters to all tastes and budgets, and at our next spot for a fine Soho brunch, the proposition is very different to either vegetarian Syrian food or an espresso and Esportazione.
Temper Soho is a one-of-a-kind barbecue restaurant tucked in beneath Broadwick Street in a vast basement space, its grungy, below street-level surrounds apropos with the mise en scene of live fire cooking and the nose-to-tail ethos of the restaurant and its founder, Neil Rankin.
Brunch here is a reassuringly raucous affair, both on the plate and in the room. Available from midday to 3:30pm every Saturday, it’s an all-in for £45 affair. This figure, a bargain in today’s economy, gets you a brunch platter of epic, carnivorous proportions, stacked with coal-roasted belted Galloway beef, smoked beef sausages and pork burnt ends.
And that’s just the meat! Potatoes with gochujang butter, fried eggs, charred peppers, pickled chillies, paratha and chimichurri…it’s all there, it’s all very extra, and it’s all likely to make tackling those stairs back up to Broadwick Street feel like you’re climbing a mountain. And that’s before you factor in the one and a half hours of free flow lagers, wine, prosecco and margaritas that’s also included in that £45. Come up for air, it’s smokey down here.
When: Brunch is served from midday to 3:30pm every Saturday
Website: temperrestaurant.com
Address: 25 Broadwick St, London W1F 0DF
Dishoom Carnaby, Kingly Street
Ideal for going beyond bacon naan…
Does Dishoom even need introducing anymore? We’re all au fait with the mission statement, of paying homage to the storied Irani cafés of old Bombay. Since its inception in Covent Garden in the heady days of 2010, we’ve all demurred over the house black dal (before noticing even better versions in other places across town).
And we’ve all, at one time or another, smashed back a bacon naan roll and erroneously declared it the best bacon sarnie in London.
Served from 8am to 11.45am on weekdays and from 9am to 11.45am on weekends, it’s become Dishoom’s most famous dish. Featuring (not even sure why we’re doing this) crisp, smoked streaky bacon wrapped in a fresh naan, accompanied by chilli tomato jam and cream cheese, it’s as good as it ever was, but the bacon naan roll (£9.50, incidentally) isn’t the only brunch dish on offer at the Carnaby branch of Dishoom.
There’s also Kejriwal, an enjoyable dish of two perfectly fried eggs (no snotty white here) sitting on chilli cheese toast, or a Parsi three egg omelette that uses diced green chilli to pleasing effect.
For the sugar heads, the Irani café staple bun maksa is satisfying in its simplicity; buttered brioche soldiers are served alongside steaming, spicy chai, the former to be dipped in the latter. Or, date and banana porridge, this one bottomless and re-uppable, also hits the spot.
But for us, the best brunch dish at Dishoom isn’t anything sweet, nor is it egg related. It’s not the country-conquering bacon naan roll, either. The killer dish here, without question, is the keema per eedu. Here, spiced minced chicken, salty and heady as hell, is studded with lovely little nuggets of diced chicken liver. Plonked on the plate unceremoniously, because we don’t need anyone tweezering our brunch, it’s topped with two fried eggs. The obligatory accompanying buns are there to be filled. Love this one – yours for £15.90.
It’s a salty beast, as we said, but a lovely little mango and fennel lassi or the signature masala chai will soothe and cleanse you. The sins of last night though? They’re never getting cleansed…
When: Brunch is served from 8am to 11.45am on weekdays and from 9am to 11.45am on weekends
Website: dishoom.com
Address: 22 Kingly St, Carnaby, London W1B 5QP
Balans No 34, Old Compton Street
Ideal for a fry-up steeped in traditional but not too much oil…
Steeped in history and still packing plenty of charm, Balans Soho No.34 is an iconic spot in Soho with a legacy dating back to 1987. Initially known as The Old Compton Café, this quaint corner eatery set out to offer delicious food around the clock, quickly becoming a local favourite in a neighbourhood that used to be London’s 24 hour party hub.
Those days have long gone since London’s night tsar keeps clocking off early, but a decent, wholesome brunch at Balans remains, sprawling from 8am to 5pm each day. We’ve taken a while to introduce a proper Full English to our rundown of the best brunches in Soho, but a fine one is served here – no fuss, no frippery, just a damn good version that sees you right and isn’t offensively greasy, too.
The famous French toast is a must-try, too with caramelised banana, warm maple butter and pecans. For something a little less conventional, fried chicken pancakes with spicy Korean honey and kimchi salsa is a fine dish indeed, and one to put the hairs on your chest and the burn in your heart early doors. Pair it with a couple of pert Breakfast Martinis, pray you’ve packed some Gaviscon, and watch Soho slowly open up. Heaven.
When: Open from 8am daily, brunch is served until 5pm
Website: balans.co.uk
Address: 60-62 Old Compton St, London W1D 4UG
Kapara, St James Court
Ideal for alfresco late brunching in the heart of Soho…
Just a short hop from Tottenham Court Road Station, Kapara occupies an enviable position, with a large terrace that manages to be slap bang in the middle of the action but also far enough removed from the road the offer a bit of intimacy.
A restaurant based around a playful, Middle Eastern-inspired theme, there’s a sense of fun and theatre about the peach-hued, curvaceous furnishings. That’s carried through to the outdoor space, where throbbing music and the soundtrack of lively chatter interweave and entangle.
The brunch menu is all killer no filler, with a round of six or so mezze (none of which top £7) followed by larger plates that are priced fairly in the mid teens. From the former section of the menu, the hummus ‘katan’ is particularly good, a gorgeous muddle of long-braised aubergine and tomato, both collapsing and sweet, that’s given piquancy by a good dusting of sumac. You can add slow-braised lamb and make it a more fulfilling affair.
It’s from the larger plates that things get more recognisably ‘brunchy’; go for the harissa and hake, whose prosaic billing belies the fact that it’s an expertly conceived cousin of the fish finger sandwich. For £19, it’s on the premium end of the brunch experience, but for a spot on the gorgeous terrace in the sun, ideally clutching an on-brand Watermelon Spritz that’s the same shade as the decor, it’s worth those extra few coins.
As well as Kapara’s excellent brunch, the restaurant does a set lunch deal that’s hard to top in this part of town; for just £25, you get two courses and a side, with the likes of light, enlivening ceviche of black bream, scotch bonnet and nectarines, or crispy chicken thighs in an orange & harissa glaze featuring on the menu.
When: Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am
Website: kapara.co.uk
Address: 14 Greek St, James Court, London W1D 4AL
Kolamba, Kingly Street
Ideal for Sri Lankan cheese toasties…
With a menu inspired by husband and wife team Eroshan and Aushi Meewella’s cherished childhood dishes from Colombo, Kolamba offers a bold, invigorating brunch that’s just the ticket the morning after the night before.
Another spot on Kingly Street (brunch crawl anyone?), the brunch at Kolamba is a weekend only affair, stretching from 10am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays, the menu sprawling further still with a 25-strong selection of dishes that’s sure to satisfy even the most fickle members of the squad.
Though there are traditional Sri Lankan curries (the molasses-brown beef jaggery curry is so good) and okra fries to enjoy here (which at 10am feels like a treat), the finest brunch dish at Kolamba is, for us, also the most outwardly inauthentic. The Red Leicester and Seeni Sambol Toastie is god’s work on a cumbersome morning – it’s salty and spicy, and its caramelised onion relish tees up the umami-rich melted cheese just beautifully. Though it might be a little early for a beer, a cold one feels pretty much obligatory alongside it.
Whichever way you play it, end with the kiribath with uni miris; a traditional dish of rice cooked in coconut milk with a spicy chilli-onion relish. It’s the ultimate indulgent weekend delight.
When: Brunch is served at the weekend, from 10am to 4pm
Website: kolamba.co.uk
Address: 21 Kingly St, Carnaby, London W1B 5QA
Lina Stores Delicatessen, Brewer Street
Ideal for a satisfying Italian breakfast from a Soho doyenne…
When it comes to brekkie in Soho, there’s no place quite like Lina Stores Delicatessen on Brewer Street. Established in 1944 by the indomitable Lina (not a single publication knows her surname) from Genova, this iconic spot – the original of a burgeoning army – has been serving the best of Italian deli bits to Londoners for nearly 80 years.
Today, the kitchen is headed by the talented Masha Rener, an experienced chef from Umbria who’s passionate about Italian produce, and it’s that sourcing that makes the breakfasts at the inaugural Brewer Street branch so satisfying.
The paninis are the most substantial breakfast item at Lina, with a rundown of 10 all using the excellent house focaccia, and all priced at £7.95. Our go-to order is the Tuscan sausage, salty and fennel spiked, melting Scamorza cheese, and fried egg number, which is as generous a breakfast as you’ll find in Soho for under a tenner.
Even better, and a rare find in London, is Lina’s parigina, a typical Neapolitan street food that sees a square of pizza dough topped with, here, spinach and ricotta (£4.50) before that’s then topped with puff pastry. Sounds odd, tastes bloody excellent with a coffee.
Also excellent with a coffee, if you feel your sweet tooth needs satisfying, there’s a fine range of dolci, the moist, fragrant orange and almond cake feeling sufficiently breakfasty, we think. Enjoy it all standing at the counter, in typical Italian style, or take a seat at one of the outdoor tables if it’s warm and pleasant.
When: Open for breakfast from 10am daily, except Sundays, when things get going an hour later, at 11am
Website: linastores.co.uk
Address: 18 Brewer St, London W1F 0SG
Far East Bakery, Chinatown
Ideal for a wholesome Chinese breakfast to put a spring onion in your step…
Chinatown’s earliest riser, Far East Bakery has the breakfast needs of Gerard Street taken care of with its dumplings, soups, bakes and other Chinese breakfast dishes.
Serving breakfast from 9am to 5pm (can we even call that ‘brunch’?!), this bakery keeps the menu clear and concise, with the soup dumplings an obvious highlight. For £11.80, the pork, prawn and chive wonton soup is a winner, though if we’re feeling fancy we might add a few pan-fried bao to our order, which arrive with whimsical, doily-like fried edges.
Best of all, though, is a simple bowl of salted bean curd that wobbles like a pannacotta when you nudge it. It’s dressed simply with peanuts and pickles. It’s all you need; a glorious antithesis to the fry–up or stack of pancakes that will lay you low for the whole day. This bowl of nourishment, priced keenly at just £5.80, will give you a welcome spring in your step.
We haven’t tried the sweet rice wine with egg yet, but we certainly plan to.
When: Open from 9am daily
Website: fareast1962.co.uk
Address: 13 Gerrard St, London W1D 5PS
Mildred’s, Lexington Street
Ideal for a vegan breakfast that’s had some thought go into it…
We realise that we haven’t covered the explicitly vegetarian side of Soho brunching yet, so we’ll end at Mildred’s on Lexington Street, where all your plant-based breakfast needs are taken care of.
Co-founded by Jane Muir and Diane Thomas in 1988, this (at least, then) pioneering eatery boasts a storied history of serving vegetarian, and now fully plant-based, cuisine. The restaurant’s name pays homage to Mildred Cooke, the historical figure tied to Stamford, yet the vibe here is anything but antiquated.
With a brunch menu of global dishes, from grilled Roman artichokes with hemp Caesar salad (good stuff) to southern fried seitan burgers (less so), there’s plenty of thought and effort gone into these dishes, making a welcome change from the usual avocado on toast that the vegetarians get sidelined with.
Please note that the OG Lexington Street branch of Mildred’s is closed for refurbishment until mid October, but you can still enjoy their brunch dishes over at their temporary home, Madame Mildreds, on Poland Street.
When: Open for brunch from 9am daily
Website: mildreds.com
Address: 45 Lexington St, Carnaby, London W1F 9AN
Alongside that there Mildred’s, check out where else to eat great vegan food in Soho. We hope you find what you’re looking for!