It has often been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – that’s debatable but it is irrefutably the first meal of the day. So, it’s important that you get enough nourishment to make a good start, whether you like to order a Full English or nibble on a croissant. Of course, the choice of breakfast is wide-ranging these days and Covent Garden – perhaps the busiest tourist hotspot in the UK – caters for a vast diversity of customers looking to eat their first meal of the day. So, the breakfast menu can include anything from a continental breakfast to Eggs Benedict to muesli and yoghurt.
When visiting the UK, the temptation to tackle a ‘Full English Breakfast’ – eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc – means that even the humble ‘Greasy Spoon’ café is in demand, and so many tourists join the great London worker over a cup of ‘Rosie Lee’ whilst they wait for their fry-up. But more and more Covent Garden restaurants are serving breakfast, or at least brunch; brunch is a relatively recent addition to the UK restaurant menu, even though it was an accepted meal in the UK as early as the late 19th century. The meal that is taken too late to be breakfast but too early to be lunch has become something of an accepted option, especially in such a cosmopolitan place as Covent Garden.
With that in mind, we would like to present a selection of some of the best places to get breakfast and brunch in the area.
26 Grains
Very much the healthy option, 26 Grains has been established in Neal‘s Yard for some time now and is famous for its porridges and oat bowls – the filling, guilt-free breakfast options. A must for vegetarians and vegans, the menu is full of seasonality-based dishes. But it’s a lovely place to get a savoury Egg Brioche Bun or Pumpkin Salad.
Dishoom
The Bombay-inspired café in Covent Garden, their breakfast menu is one of the most mouth-watering in the whole of London. Some recognisable dishes are given the Indian Cuisine treatment and the results are delicious. The Parsi Omelette or Bacon Naan Roll are popular choices, but the Keema Per Eedu power breakfast with a spicy chicken and fried egg combo is hard to resist.
Dalloway Terrace
This one is definitely for the ‘Bruncher’; this very British eatery is named after the Virginia Woolf novel ‘Mrs. Dalloway’. Beautifully flowery, this could easily have jumped from the pages of a book. The positive reviews for its reasonably-priced bottomless brunch that includes coffee and tea, freshly squeezed juice, delectable breakfast starters, and mains could fill a book too.
Drury 188-189
A wonderful place for breakfast and brunch, this highly-rated restaurant is very welcoming and popular for locals and tourists alike. The healthy menu explains this, with organic ingredients lovingly cooked. Organic eggs obviously figure prominently with smashed avocado and sourdough bread alongside, but this is not just a cliché hipster hang-out, it’s a top-notch café and coffee shop.
Tutton
This lovely little bistro tucked away in the middle of Covent Garden is as popular for breakfast as it is for brunch, and the same can be said for general customers and those looking to eat before taking in a West End matinee. The glittery décor suggests the glamour of Hollywood but fortunately the menu hasn’t followed that theme, with a fine traditional English Breakfast and Eggs Royale to prove it.
Balthazar
This slice of New York in a Parisian style-bistro is just a cock-stride from the Opera House in Covent Garden. Brunch at the Balthazar is perhaps more of a treat on a special occasion. They do a great Eggs Benedict, of course, but it’s dishes like Steak and Eggs or New York Pancakes with fresh fruit and maple syrup that gives it that rather special feeling. Especially with an early glass of fizz.
Bill’s
Located in St Martin’s Courtyard, Bill’s is as near as we get to a ‘greasy spoon café’ on our selected list. But it’s definitely a massive cut above that. An extensive breakfast menu includes healthy options like fruit-topped porridge and a vegan Full English, the ‘Plant Plate’. But of course, for the more indulgent customer, there is a traditional Full English and pancake stacks.
Brasserie Max
Housed in the Covent Garden Hotel, but open to all, the superb all-day restaurant Brasserie Max has elegance in its décor but also in its food. And of course, it delivers the best of a hotel breakfast – quality pastries, and lots of cooked breakfast options alongside fruit-topped porridge, fresh juices, coffees, and more. First-class breakfast.
The Black Penny
Ostensibly a coffee house, The Black Penny is one of Covent Garden’s most popular breakfast venues, a characterful café bistro set over two floors. Not exactly cheap, the breakfast menu is nevertheless a list of irresistible favourites offering a mixture of egg breakfasts, bubble and squeak, all-day breakfast baps and hashes, as well as lighter options like toasted granola and muesli. Creative, cosy and comforting.
The Delaunay
The stylish Delauney is a glamorous place to start the day, specialising in all-day Mittel European fare, and on offer for breakfast are superb Viennoiserie, cereals, fruit, eggs cooked in every way possible and British delicacies like kedgeree. The interior is as attractive as the food, making breakfast here a grand treat. Like many on the list, it’s best to phone ahead to book a table at this popular eatery; it’s an experience you don’t want to miss out on.
Covent Garden is a bigger area of London’s popular West End than you probably imagine, and every taste and budget is catered for. Whether it’s breakfast or brunch, there’s more to the choice of where to eat than the food itself; whether it’s the service, atmosphere, the décor or cost, Covent Garden has every option covered.
