Best brunch spots in South London
Brunch, the meal for those who like slow mornings, or have woken too late to call it breakfast or just like an excuse to try a new dining spot.
Many of my weekends are centred around what's for brunch – banana pancakes stacked high with a berry compote or a dish I can splash in hot sauce.
More often than not, brunch is also an occasion to leave the dungeon that is the flat’s sofa bed and try somewhere new. These are the best South London brunch spots to remedy any cravings you may have.
Kudu
Kudu is the first of three restaurants founded by Amy and Patrick, it offers a menu of modern European cooking with a South African twist, borrowing flavours and techniques from their homeland.
Menus are shaped by the seasons, and the brunch offering is no different. Served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, I’d recommend the Jug O Mary to start because there is no better way to shake a sore head than tomato juice with a kick.
You can expect flavour sensations like French toast babka with orange mascarpone and kumquat preserve or African carrot, ras el hanout, goats curd and rooibos pickled carrot. Interest is officially piqued.
Peckham, SE15 | kuducollective.com
Daddy Bao
Daddy, I love bao buns (editor’s note: there was a debate to keep this sentence in or not and it was a 50/50 split) – and I love any brunch menu that features salt and pepper fries. South London’s Daddy Bao slings brunch dishes out every weekend.
The bao menu boasts Taiwanese sausage benedict with a gochujang hollandaise (spicy), shitake mushroom with miso (umami), crispy chicken and Szechuan maple butter (sweet) – and all (delicious).
You can also make it boozy with the ever-changing bottomless cocktail of the week costing £19.50 for one hour. Four cocktails, one every 15 minutes, if you do the math, that’s great value for money.
Tooting, SW17 | daddybao.co.uk
The Laundry
From a “kitchen that never sleeps”, Brixton’s The Laundry takes inspiration from European bistros, as well as the Kiwi influences from its owners – the flavours of which you can see mirrored in its brunch offering.
From chimichurri toppings to Turkish-style eggs, a full English, toasted banana bread and pomodorini ragù, several corners amalgamate in this one South London spot.
Pair your brunch with a colourful drink from the juice bar because one green juice cancels out drinking five pints down the local – or carry on any merriment through to brunch with The Laundry’s breakfast cocktails.
Brixton, SW9 | thelaundrybrixton.com
Lolo
Spanish chef José Pizarro recently opened his third spot in SE1, Lolo. The name is a nod to José’s middle name, Manuel, adding a personal feeling to the space, like visiting friends. It also marks his first location for morning-to-night dining – joining his Bermondsey Street neighbours José Tapas Bar and Pizarro restaurant.
Lolo’s all-day menu features personal favourites and new recipes created with José’s friends and suppliers across the UK and Spain, reflecting his love for both countries.
At Lolo, that homely feel comes into play more with its focus on communal dining, with sharing plates designed to be passed around among the table at any time of day. The standouts on the brunch menu have to be the various types of eggs on offer: lazy omelettes, devilled or baked – as the song goes, how do you like yours in the morning?
Bermondsey, SE1 | josepizarro.com
Milk
This is a brunch spot where you're going to want to buy the merch, a “been there, got the t-shirt” location where style and substance merge, both equally as important as the other.
And you can dine here guilt-free with its focus on sustainable stockists, many of them local as well – like fruit and veg from Mick, Balham’s longest-serving market grocer, and Natoora in Bermondsey or Bread Bread in Brixton.
At the weekend they limit the menu to add a focus on pancakes, so if you like ‘em stacked up, head to Milk.
Balham, SW12 | milk.london
Rye Lane Bagels
I’m hoping you agree that bagels can definitely be a brunch dish. This takeaway-only spot on Rye Lane, which also gives this bagel place its name, often has a queue. But once you see how overflowingly stuffed these bagels are with your chosen filling, you’ll know the wait has been worthwhile.
The prices are all angel numbers, grab a smoked salmon with capers for £5.55. The numbers represent change and transformation, which is pretty apt as the bagel will likely change your life.
You can also go sweet with peanut butter and banana, or try one of founder Abhi’s creations, like butter chicken or prawn mayo in a bagel. Genius.
Peckham, SE15 | ryelanebagels.com
The Watergate
Do I need to say much else than buttermilk fried chicken on crumpets with jalapeños and siracha hollandaise? OK, how about chilli beans, burrata, tomato, fried egg and gremolata atop some sourdough? Maybe this final dish will hook you in: coconut bread, lemon curd cream cheese and strawberries.
The Watergate is not to be gatekept, this SE8 location offers a concise and delicious menu for brunch o’clock and also specialises in cocktails. Nothing like making your morning espresso a martini to get the heart pumping.
Deptford, SE8 | thewatergate.co.uk
Café Tamra
Having lived around the corner from this brunch spot on Northcote Road, it used to be my regular “I know a great place we can go”. Bringing fusion flavours to Clapham, you’ll find Turkish eggs, Spanish chorizo, and French toast.
My go-to dish is always the Tricolore Brunch – mashed avocado, grilled Lebanese halloumi, poached eggs, Mexican salsa, all on toasted homemade sourdough. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve enjoyed this over a flat white with friends, and always with a side of mini hash browns to share. Trust me.
Clapham Junction, SW12 | cafetamra.co.uk
Utter Waffle
Like waffles? You utter believe it I’ve got the best place for you to try. Located in Herne Hill, this dedicated restaurant specialises in, you guessed it, waffles. You can take them stuffed with goat’s cheese, served with dippy eggs, topped with fried chicken or try something new in Utter Waffle’s Croiffle – a waffle treated like a croissant. Innovative.
They also do a complete vegan menu, a 90-minute bottomless brunch offer, and the whole menu is gluten-free by design. Tick, tick, tick.
With a second spot in Balham, you’ll find dishes exclusive to each restaurant – even more reason to try both.
Herne Hill, SE24 | utterwaffle.co.uk
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