Top 10: Ways to Eat Brunch in London This Bank Holiday WeekendBy Alicia Grimshaw
As the self titled brunch queens of London, we strive week after week to uncover the best, booziest and bottomless brunch spots in our fair city. From raving roast dinners to ping pong with a side of Yorkshire pudding pizzas (god bless weird concepts) – here’s where to brunch in London this weekend:
1. For a New Brunch: Wright Brothers
What: New brunch alert: Wright Brothers will be serving brunch at their Battersea branch just in time for the May Day bank holiday. Launching on Saturday (5th May) the brunch menu will be available from 11am – 2pm every weekend (also available on Monday 7th May bank holiday).
Where: Battersea Power Station, Circus West Village, London SW8 4NN
2. For a Sharing Brunch: Eastway Brasserie
What: Eastway Brasserie at the fancy Andaz London Liverpool Street has launched a new brunch featuring a sharing option, contemporary twists on culinary classics, unlimited desserts and a variety of bottomless drink options. Don’t worry, they still have avocado. And free-flowing booze.
Eat and Drink: The shared culinary banquet commences with six sharing starters, which have been designed to be enjoyed family-style, followed by a classic main brunch dish. Starters include sweet corn fritters with avocado, coriander, boiled egg and crumbled feta; red quinoa fruit salad; and gin and tonic cured salmon with avocado and dill. For mains, choose between a variety of dishes like the wild mushrooms on toast with a fried egg; fluffy chocolate pancakes topped with vanilla cream, Amaretto chocolate sauce and mixed berries; BBQ duck hash; and king prawn, crayfish and rocket linguine with chilli, garlic, red onion and parsley.
Where: Andaz London Liverpool Street, 40 Liverpool St, London EC2M 7QN
3. For a Japanese Dude Food Brunch: Kurobuta
What: If the term ‘Japanese Dude Food’ has made you screw your face up in confusion – we hear you – we wasn’t sure what it meant either. Inspired by the menus at Izakayas, informal Japanese pubs, dude food combines Asian flavours with naughty junk food – and the concept has arrived at Kurobuta. Available on Saturdays only, feast on unlimited sushi, buns, hot and cold dishes, and for another £10 you can take advantage of the unlimited wine, prosecco and Asahi beer from the self pour table.
Eat and Drink: The new menu features indulgent dishes such as Singapore fried chicken with pickled cucumber and kimchee mayo; BBQ pork belly with peanut soy in a bun; salmon sashimi pizza with truffle ponzu and wasabi tobiko and matcha Mr Whippy. A sushi section sits alongside this and contains some lighter dishes to counteract the hearty dude food, including spicy tuna rolled in tempura crunchies, and yellowtail with green chilli and coriander hosomaki.
Where: Locations here
4. For an Italian-Style Brunch: Apero
What: Apero, the stylish restaurant located beneath the Victorian cellar arches of the Ampersand Hotel, brings a flash of Mediterranean style to South Kensington with their all-new bottomless, Italian-inspired brunch – Pranzo della Nonna.
Eat and Drink: Inspired by the long family lunches that Head Chef Giovanni Ballarin remembers from his Italian upbringing, Pranzo della Nonna offers a sharing menu of Italian classics. Dishes include homemade focaccia, creamy burrata with heritage tomatoes, comforting lasagna della Nonna, baked Italian sausage with tomato, chilli and eggs and indulgent tiramisu, all enjoyed alongside free-flowing Prosecco, Aperol Spritz or Mimosas.
5. For a Gluten-Free Brunch: Beyond Bread
What: If it’s a gluten-free, all-day brunch you’re looking for, make a beeline for Beyond Bread. With outposts in Fitzrovia and Islington (complete with a swish outdoor garden), Beyond Bread is ideal for any coeliac king or queen.
Eat and Drink: If sweet dishes set your world alight, try the waffles coated in Nutella and toasted walnuts, or brioche French toast with smoked bacon and maple syrup. And for savoury options, there’s charred goat cheese on white sourdough with organic St. Ewes poached eggs, crushed walnuts, smoked paprika and rocket, The Beyond English Breakfast, and smashed avocado on seeded bread with free range and organic St. Ewes poached eggs.
Where: Locations here
6. For Bottomless Food: Gaucho
What: Gaucho’s Electro Brunch has received a boozy upgrade. The restaurant has teamed up with Chandon Rosé to host Electro Brunch Premium, a bottomless brunch now serving special Chandon Rosé as well as Porn Star Martinis and Espresso Martinis (for only a tenner more).
Eat and Drink: The Electro Brunch Premium includes all regular Electro Brunch favourites such as Dulce de Leche mixed with peanut butter spread across French toast; fried Provoleta cheese with a caramelised onion chutney and oven baked chorizo sausage with plum tomato, eggs and mushroom to name but a few. And of course, steak. It’s a Gaucho affair after all.
Where: Locations here
7. For a Musical Brunch: The Piano Works
What: Big Bank Holiday Sundays at The Piano Works are back – and now better than ever with the addition of Brunch to the Beat. The Any Given Bank Holiday Sunday all day (and all night) party at Farringdon’s party venue is back on Sunday 6th May, from 1pm-4am.
Eat and Drink: For partygoers looking to throw some food into the mix, the new introduction of Brunch to the Beat (from 1pm- 4pm) offers two menu options – Brunch Dining (£50pp), a two-course brunch featuring classic dishes with a twist, or Brunch Drinking (£35pp), with a lighter Brunch Box offering of bagels or breakfast burritos and crinkle cut fries. Both feature two hours of bottomless prosecco, Bloody Marys, or mocktails as well as unlimited soft drinks and gives you your own reserved table for the rest of the afternoon, offering the perfect spot to rest those dancing feet between requests.
For advance tickets that get you a discount on entry visit here or just turn up on the day and pay £7 entry.
Where: 113-117 Farringdon Road (Corner of Ray Street), London EC1R 3BX
8. For Ping Pong and Prosecco: Bounce Old Street
What: Fancy brunch with a slice of ping pong? Course you ruddy do. Well, good news, Bounce Old Street have traded in the avocado for something much better – carbs. Every Sunday, from 1pm-3pm, pay £29.5o and neck back bottomless prosecco, fill your tum with brunch pizza and show off your mad ping pong skills for two hours.
Eat and Drink: Expect bottomless prosecco, endless slices of classic, vegan and gluten-free pizza, brand new Yorkshire pudding pizzas (tasting is believing), bangin’ tunes by Bounce’s resident DJs and naturally, plenty of Ping Pong and Wonderball. All this is perfectly paired together Kisstory-style playlist served up by Shoreditch’s very own Hoxton Radio DJs.
Where: 241 Old St, Hoxton, London EC1V 9EY
9. For a Rooftop Brunch: Bokan
What: With a backdrop of stunning views, kick start your weekend with a bottomless brunch at Bōkan, Canary Wharf’s sky-high restaurant, bar and rooftop terrace. Head Chef Aurelie Altemaire has created a seasonal and stylish three-course menu to enjoy alongside endless prosecco for £49 per person (available across the bank holiday weekend).
Eat and Drink: Tuck into starters like braised ox cheek ravioli with carrots, petals onions and red wine sauce; line-caught cod and crushed potatoes with crunchy vegetables and little gem; and brown shrimps in a dashi broth with cavolo nero, coriander and lime. To follow, main courses feature handmade bucatini pasta with british nettles pesto, parmesan emulsion and pine nuts; Josper grilled suckling pig and new Jersey potatoes; and Bokan egg royal with crispy egg, Scottish smoked salmon and wasabi hollandaise.
Where: 40 Marsh Wall, Isle of Dogs, London E14 9TP
10. For Raving and Roast Dinners: The Star of Bethnal Green
What: On Sunday (6th May), integrating a Sunday roast tradition with an epic party vibe, The Star of Bethnal Green will be collaborating with their kitchen residents, Smokey Tails, to bring their guests a unique and distinct experience: the Ravers Roast.
Eat and Drink: Party goers, roast lovers, friends and family are invited for an afternoon of feasting upon Britons’ favourite classic roasts, with beef, chicken, pork or veggie, accompanied by the ultimate pile of crispy roast potatoes, pan gravy and a selection of vegetables. Go from carving up your roast from 1pm, to carving up the dance floor well into the evening with massive tracks from global DJs.
Where: 359 Bethnal Green Rd, London E2 6LG
