Gone are the days when eating healthy seemed boring or bland – London’s food scene is bursting with restaurants offering healthy breakfasts that are as colourful as they are craveable. There’s everything from plant-based plates to porridge bowls and Australian cafés bringing balance to your brunch – variety enough to suit everyone’s needs. Here’s a list of my favourite spots in London for a healthy breakfast or lunch…
Greenspeares
Sustainably sourcing ingredients and making menus inspired by the British seasons, Greenspeares guarantees plates that are friendly for the planet and yourself. Expect breakfast staples boosted with healthy additions, such as eggs benedict covered in cashew almond hollandaise sauce and shakshuka with baked aubergine and green tahini. Don’t miss the downstairs area – it’ a great place to sit with roof windows pouring in the sunshine.
Address: 23 Walton St, London SW3 2HX
Dropshot
Within walking distance from Wimbledon tennis, Dropshot dedicates dishes to all aspects of the game. The Grass Court, the Grand Slam and the Racquet are all edible and beautifully served (excuse the pun), because here it means you’ll be getting a stack of asparagus and halloumi, chickpea fritters with yoghurt or baked eggs in seasonal veggies. The whole menu focuses on vegetarian and vegan-friendly food (besides the odd bacon bap), so Dropshot is perfectly suitable for any diet.
Address: 281 Wimbledon Park Rd, London SW19 6NW
Redemption
From cold-pressed organic juices to spritzers powered by plants, Redemption puts just as much effort into drinks as the dishes from morning until night. Food is fully plant-based, with standout options including creamy mushrooms on toast made with more mushrooms than you could possibly think of, sweet potatoes decked with a dollop of chipotle mayonnaise, and build-your-own Buddha bowls depending on whichever vegetables are in season.
Angie’s Little Food Shop
From supplying offices with food platters to serving the same colourful recipes in a cozy nook in Chiswick, Angie’s Little Food Shop is on a mission to reach the whole of London with wholesome ingredients. Dishes might look simple and small, but flavours are massive and stay in your mind hours after finishing, such as the super thick sweetcorn fritter with sliced avocado and warming roasted tomatoes.
Address: 114 Chiswick High Rd, London W4 1PU
Hally’s
Bringing the Californian sunshine to Parsons Green, Hally’s has all the coastal clichés: whitewashed interiors, a relaxed vibe bordering on too cool, and trendy breakfast dishes. Think cornbread made with sun-blushed tomato and quinoa, or a goodness bowl loaded with greens and gloriously big risotto balls – filling and full of flavour.
Address: 60 New King’s Rd, London SW6 4LS
Aprés Food Co.
Aprés Food Co. takes pride in serving dishes free from gluten and refined sugar, as well as swapping so-called superfoods like goji berries for homemade comfort food that anyone would approve of – celiac or not. Warming favourites include the vegetarian cooked breakfast (served with Aprés very own gluten-free bread and ketchup), pre-soaked porridge bowls (with your choice of toppings), and sweet potato hash cakes (stacked with avocado and greens to kick-start your day)
Address: 72 St John St, London EC1M 4DT
Urban Pantry
A charming Chiswick café honoured with countless awards, Urban Pantry proves Aussies and kiwis know how to do breakfast best. The menu changes with the seasons but some staples are always there, such as crispy corn fritters served with juicy cherry tomatoes and chilli jam, which balances sweet with spice all in one beautifully-plated breakfast, and big brekkies that come in four varieties from vegan to vegetarian and the ever-popular Urban P-Brekkie that packs every morning essential into one meal. Award-winning and always busy for good reason.
Address: 15 Devonshire Rd, London W4 2EU
White Mulberries
Best known for banana bread drizzled with indulgent sauces, White Mulberries might not be the first place that springs to mind when thinking of a healthy breakfast. But there’s a stand-out selection of toasts combining avocado with tomato lentils, harissa hummus or the usual sunny side eggs, which can be served on leafy greens if you prefer, while bowls range from granola and acai to heart-warming soups and porridge. Spoiled for choice.
Address: St Katharine Docks, London E1W 1AT
The Good Life Eatery
The clue is in the name, The Good Life Eatery focuses on fresh food making you feel good. So good, this fast-casual-style spot has gone from setting up shop on Sloane Avenue to opening up four more locations across London, all with the same all-day, delicious menu of bowls, salads, sandwiches and so much more. My favourites are the vegan hillbilly chilli (3-bean chipotle chilli with coconut yogurt and sweet potatoes) and the goodness bowl (have fun dipping your falafels and vegetables in turmeric dressing, sweet potato mash and lemon tahini).
Address: 1 St John’s Wood High St, London NW8 7NG (favourite location)
26 Grains
Inspired by Copenhagen cafés and the heart-warming concept of hygge (a term used for creating coziness), 26 grains’ power move is porridge. Chef and founder Alex Hely-Hutchinson challenges traditional toppings (say goodbye to berries), loading bowls with tahini, cacao and banana or cardamom-spiced yoghurt with rhubarb compote. Options change with the seasons, and if porridge isn’t your thing, 26 grains also serves up sourdough toasts spread with whipped ricotta, fruits and homemade jams.
Address: 1 Neal’s Yard, London WC2H 9DP
Friends of Ours
Health reaches new heights at Friends of Ours; this small Aussie café literally serves up half a broccoli for breakfast. Charred like steak, sitting on a bed of hummus, surrounded by swirls of harissa tahini and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds – this dish is brimming with refreshing flavours. Other options are just as innovative, including a Japanese Buddha bowl with cauliflower rice, miso aubergine and edamame beans, or French toast reimagined with coconut crumb-covered brioche alongside gin-spiked strawberries, rhubarb and custard. Healthy for your soul.
Address: 61 Pitfield St, London N1 6BU
Lantana
A little bit of Australia in London, Lantana’s colourful dishes are served with chill vibes and sinful bits for balance. Courgette and kale bread is topped with either chorizo or halloumi; corn fritters come stacked with spinach, smashed avocado and lemon-infused crème fraîche, and weekend brunch sees the arrival of The Big Bubble: bubble and squeak cakes plated with poached eggs, mushrooms and whatever your diet requires (Cumberland sausage or halloumi). Lantana does an excellent job at satisfying bellies of both veggies and meat-eaters.
Address: 2 Oliver’s Yard, London EC1Y 1HQ (favourite location)
The Farmer’s Mistress
Healthy food that feels indulgent, The Farmer’s Mistress takes fresh produce to create a breakfast menu of dreams. Plates are generous and packed with vegetables, from maple-roasted carrots to crispy kale and broccoli fritters, often served alongside the Farmer’s Mistress famous Bloody Mary beans. Tastes as good as it sounds.
Address: 300 Battersea Park Rd, London SW11 3BU
The Mae Deli
With best-selling cookbooks, an app providing new recipes each week and products popping up in shops, (Deliciously) Ella is the queen of making vegetables cool. At her deli just off Oxford Street, you can build your own salad bowl or choose from Ella’s most-loved creations, ranging from creamy porridge with fruit compote to Tuscan bean stew and cauliflower dahl. Be warned, the snacks staring at you – fudgy almond balls and oat bars – are addictive.
Address: 21 Seymour Pl, London W1H 5BH
Avobar
A destination dedicated to all things avocado, Avobar might be made with millennials in mind but their flower-flecked dishes are more than just Instagrammable. The Covent Garden café creates inventive dishes such as avo bun burgers (a sweet potato patty sandwiched between sliced avocado), eggs benny with avodaise (hollandaise avo-style), and the obligatory breakfast item of avocado toast; this time not on bread, but a slab of sweet potato. Spread with coconut labneh, it’s creamy, soft and soul satisfying.
Address: 24 Henrietta St, London WC2E 8ND
Farmacy
Promoting a plant-based lifestyle, Farmacy puts as many greens on your plate as in the interior. Filled with light and hanging plants, this beautiful Notting Hill makes every cuisine veggie proof, from Mexican bowls with chipotle ‘sour cream’ to pad Thai with tofu and pie packed with a mushroom and artichoke filling. Here, your full English consists of roasted cherry tomatoes, baked beans (homemade, of course), seasonal greens and two perfect potato rostis swirled with truffle cream. It’s just as hearty as the real deal.
Address: 74-76 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5SH
The Attendant
Spreads in several ways, it’s no wonder The Attendant’s toasts have a special “Hall Of Fame” section on the menu. Start with avocado smash, which gets elevated with beetroot hummus, toasted seeds and a sweet chilli dressing. On your second visit, try the green pea mash mixed with lemon mascarpone (balance). And if you’re only here once, Attendant allows you to design your own dish: take two slices of toasts with your choice of toppings.
Address: 74 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3JL (favourite location)
