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The best part of a weekend has to be long, lingering brunch with family or friends. Here are Bon Vivant’s suggestions for the where to brunch in London. Updated Summer 2013.

Caravan, Clerkenwell

Caravan offers a weekend brunch menu to rival any in London in a relaxed and effortlessly cool setting on Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell. The New Zealand influenced restaurant has its own coffee roaster, so flat whites are very popular too.

The open plan layout and double facing glassed front make this an ideal location for enjoying a vibrant part of London.

Caravan has a second outpost on Granary Square behind King’s Cross station, Caravan King’s Cross, both of which serve some of the best coffee in London.

Balthazar London, Covent Garden

Balthazar London now offers a brunch menu to rival its sister restaurant in New York, which excelled in its weekend brunch offering.

Dishes include apple cinnamon pancakes with Canadian maple syrup, spaghetti with lobster, a large selection of ‘Les Oefs’ (Benedict, Royale, Florentine) and a hamburger with excellent crispy fries. Wash it all down with the Balthazar Bloody Mary.

Duck & Waffle, The City

On the top floor of The Heron Tower in The City, Duck & Waffle is open all day, every day, with an all day menu from 11am to 2am. From 2am until 6am the restaurant offers a separate late night menu, and breakfast is served from 6am to 11am.

Chef of the moment, Dan Doherty’s brunch menu includes the restaurant’s signature dish, Duck and Waffle, which consists of confit duck with fried duck egg and mustard maple syrup and interesting dishes such as the Foie Gras ‘All Day Breakfast’.

Hawksmoor, Shoreditch

Although more widely known for being one of London’s best steakhouses, Hawksmoor is fast becoming renowned for its Sunday brunch menu offering a mammoth Hawksmoor Full English for two people to share and roast beef with all the trimmings available on Sundays.

The Modern Pantry, Clerkenwell

Anna Hansen’s acclaimed Clerkenwell restaurant The Modern Pantry serves an excellent weekend brunch in light, bright surroundings on a beautiful square in Clerkenwell, claimed by many to offer the best brunch in London.

The restaurant also has a large terrace to make the most of the sunshine in the summer months, making The Modern Pantry one of the best alfresco restaurants in London.

Cecconi’s, Mayfair

Serving fine Italian food from the morning until the early hours, Cecconi’s is a perfect spot for breakfast, brunch or lunch and a great way to break up a day’s shopping on nearby Bond Street.

Cecconi’s is fun and glamorous, with a real buzz about the place – and Prosecco on tap in never a bad thing, especially for a Sunday brunch in London.

The Wolseley, Mayfair

The Wolseley has maintained its place as one of London’s chicest destination for brunch in London, with businessmen and fashionistas flocking there for the grand dining room and people watching.

The Wolseley is one of the classic restaurants in London for a power breakfast meeting and certainly offers some of the best brunch in London.

34 Restaurant

The new brunch menu at 34 Restaurant offers eggs with a twist – lobster, crab, grilled asparagus, black pudding, smoked salmon, chorizo and much more.

Grills include spatchcock chicken, pork belly, swordfish and steak; and brunch staples like buttermilk pancakes, pasta and Caesar salad are also available.

A Sunday roast with all the trimmings is also available for Sunday brunch.

The Delaunay, Aldwych

The Delaunay, sister restaurant to The Wolseley and Brasserie Zedel from restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, sits on the corner of Drury Lane and Aldwych.

The restaurant is open seven days a week – until midnight from Monday to Saturday and 11pm on Sunday – serving breakfast, afternoon tea, and à la carte lunch and dinner menus ‘inspired by the grand cafés of Europe’. They also serve some of the best brunch in London.

Riding House Café

The team behind the acclaimed Garrison and Village East in Bermondsey opened the Riding House Café, an all day Brasserie offering a selection of small plates to share as well as traditional main courses in Fitzrovia.

The restaurant has a great vibe and a ‘buzzy’ bar area too, making an ideal venue for Sunday brunch in London.

Pizza East, Shoreditch

Housed in the Tea Building, adjacent to Shoreditch House, Pizza East forms part of the Soho House Group, where the vibe is a cool mix of American and Italian.

While the menu focuses on pizzas, including a full English breakfast pizza, the menu does offer more traditional brunch items as well.

Dean Street Townhouse, Soho

Dean Street Townhouse serves classic British cuisine from first thing in the morning until the early hours. The weekend brunch menu offers a full range of breakfast classics as well as a traditional Sunday roast.

The pitchers of Bloody Mary are always popular too!

York & Albany

A short stroll from Regents Park you’ll find Gordon Ramsay’s York & Albany, housed in a converted coaching inn. After brunch, you can visit the adjoining deli, Nonna’s, to purchase items to take home with you, or you could even check in to one of the bedrooms in the hotel upstairs.

Lantana

This delightful coffee house is nestled down a lane in Fitzrovia. Lantana’s Australian ownership is reflected in the brunch style dishes, flat whites and relaxed atmosphere.

The cakes are particularly good and breakfast dishes always delight. Lantana offers some of the best brunch in London.

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club, just off Upper Street in Islington, offers a casual, quirky environment for a weekend brunch. Serving a range of classic brunch dishes, from pancakes to eggs Benedict, at an affordable price, the café is very popular, so expect to queue!

Fifteen London, Old Street

Fifteen London is the flagship of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen group, which aims to give opportunities to disadvantaged youngsters.

An emphasis is placed on making everything in-house and particular praise must be given to the homemade jam, which alone is a reason for visiting.

Saturday Jazz Brunch at Le Caprice

Le Caprice has launched its Saturday Jazz Brunch featuring the musical styling of Dom Pipkin. Best known for his soulful New Orleans sound, Dom has played sessions with the likes of Ray Davies and Morcheeba, and is currently the man leading the band for Paloma Faith.

Saturday Jazz Brunch happens twice a month from 12.30pm to 4pm.

Apero at The Ampersand Hotel, South Kensington

Set in the bright and airy cellar arches of The Ampersand Hotel, Apero brings a stylish and satisfyingly gentle twist to a weekend brunch.

The menu covers pretty much all the classic choices, from the Full English Breakfast, Grilled Kippers and Eggs Benedict to some slightly more adventurous alternatives such as O’Sheas Beef Onglet and Fried Egg, Beetroot Risotto or Pancakes with honeycomb butter and caramalised banana.

There’s also an excellent selection of cocktails and mocktails. The feel is relaxed, fresh and crisp; with glossy white tiles, beautiful teal and navy leather seating and dark wood finishes.

If you like your brunch with a glass (or bottle) of something bubbly, read our guide to champagne brunch in London.

If you liked this top 10 feature on the best brunch in London, why not read our guide to the most romantic restaurants in London, the best cocktail bars in London or the best alfresco restaurants in London?

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By Emyr Thomas – written in 2010

Mayfair has always been synonymous with style, glamour and decadence, and today it can also be proud of a new ‘cool’ status as Londoners embrace their British heritage, with the contemporary seamlessly sitting alongside old school grandeur.

Mayfair has its share of fabulous dining experiences, with a plethora of Michelin starred restaurants, including the legendary Le Gavroche and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, which was recently awarded its third Michelin star, making it only the second restaurant to currently hold that accolade in London.

Photo: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester

The Wolseley has maintained its place as London’s most chic destination for breakfast, with businessmen and fashionistas flocking there for the grand dining room and people watching, while Automat has firmly established itself as the place for weekend brunch and a Bloody Mary.

Serving fine Italian food from first thing in the morning until the early hours, Cecconi’s is an excellent lunch spot to break up a day’s shopping on nearby Bond Street. Cecconi’s is fun and glamorous, with a real buzz about the place – and Prosecco on tap is never a bad thing.

Scott’s, on Mount street, has been a Mayfair institution for years, and in its current guise, it is the epitome of the new Mayfair vibe. From the moment the doorman wearing a bowler hat greets and escorts you into the dining room and you see the fabulously ornate oyster bar, you know you’re in for a treat, and the food, service and ambience deliver just that. Scott’s is glamorous, exciting and a place ‘to see and be seen’.

Mount Street has transformed itself in recent years, with high-end shopping boutiques such as Christian Louboutin and Marc Jacobs effortlessly neighbouring Purdey, the prestigious gun makers and Allens, London’s oldest butcher.

The newly refurbished Connaught hotel has re-established itself at the heart of Mayfair and has elevated the hotel bar scene to new heights with two of the best bars in London. The Coburg bar is a wonderful place to relax after a day at the office or shopping, while the design and the cocktails at the Connaught bar are perfect for an upbeat glamorous evening with friends.

Photo: The Connaught Bar

On the fringes of Mayfair, at the top of the former Dickens & Jones department store on Regents Street, Aqua opened towards the end of 2009 with 250 seats spread over two restaurants, both of which have a large and impressive roof terrace, which is certain to be a popular destination in the summer.

Mayfair’s nightlife continues to thrive, with re-openings and reinventions at Molton House and Morton’s competing with a new breed of cool pubs at The Punchbowl and The Only Running Footman, all in the shadow of the iconic institutions of Annabel’s and Mark’s Club.

A place to relax, pamper and rejuvenate is essential, and Mayfair does not disappoint. The recently refurbished Dorchester Spa at The Dorchester hotel is the epitome of Art Deco glamour with a contemporary twist; after indulging in the vast array of treatments, guests can enjoy champagne and cake at the adjoining Spatisserie. The Connaught Hotel has also just opened its Aman Spa, the first stand-alone Aman spa in the world. Gentlemen are also catered for with outposts of The Refinery and Gentlemen’s Tonic and the recently launched Dunhill at Bourdon House.

With such a fine selection of venues to drink, dine and frolic, you may well need somewhere suitable to rest your weary head, and fortunately, Mayfair is home to some of the best hotels in the world. Claridge’s exudes style and luxury, the service is impeccable and the public areas are delightful. For a more hip and trendy vibe, there’s the Mayfair Hotel, the new home for any young celebrity passing through London.

The future of London’s most stylish grande dame is set to sparkle, with the re-opening of the Four Seasons Hotel and The Dorchester Collection’s new 45 Park Lane scheduled for 2010, both of which will further ignite Mayfair’s bar and restaurant scene. The chic and fabulous will surely follow; I, for one, will be joining them.

Bon Vivant

Bon Vivant is the bespoke, highly personalised concierge service that advises on and arranges every travel, lifestyle and leisure need. Members have access to exclusive treatment, complimentary benefits and discounts at top hotels, restaurants, members’ clubs, exclusive nightclubs and a range of lifestyle services as well as access to VIP and sold out events.

For further information about our concierge services, visit our website at www.bonvivant.co.uk or call 020 7278 0642.

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The Best Brunch in London

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