Best Breakfast and Brunch Places in Forest Hill

"Duck and Waffle is a luxury and internationally-renowned British restaurant located on the 40th floor of one of London’s tallest buildings – the Heron Tower – with floor-to-ceiling windows offering breathtaking panoramic views out across the city. It is also the highest 24 hour restaurant in London, serving everything from breakfast and brunch to late-night dinner, midnight snacks and cocktails. Duck & Waffle’s menu consists of modern British and European cuisine, with different dishes available depending on the time of day but all featuring one main item; the restaurant’s signature crispy duck leg confit served on a waffle with a fried duck egg and mustard maple syrup."

"A sour, hesitant welcome by a pompous ground-floor doorman made for a bad start to my visit to Duck & Waffle on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower. Once in situ service is still somewhat inconsistent - I found it slow at times, over-attentive at others - but overall the vibe here is relaxed and informal. The destination is more moderately priced than Sushisamba below, the clientele more diverse and the offering more accessible."

"Prior to London being plunged into lockdown, Duck & Waffle was serving its popular brunch menu seven days a week. The menu’s back, but is currently only available between 7am and 5pm on Saturday and Sundays. Which gives you plenty of time to sample some of the destination restaurant’s signature dishes."

"Starting your day at The Wolseley, a London institution, will set you up for the week. Housed in a former bank, the setting is grand and yet there's lots of buzz as regulars book their favourite booths. If you're feeling virtuous, order the Wolseley Green Juice (a blend of kale, spinach, celery, cucumber & ginger)."

"Restaurants Brasseries Piccadilly"

"Locations: Chelsea, Kings Cross, Clerkenwell and Notting Hill. Bill Granger’s relaxed, cool and seemingly effortless café and restaurant empire is known and loved for its brunch dishes, particularly the scrambled eggs and ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter. Here, these dishes are joined by the likes of stone bass tiradito with shaved fennel and soused onion, or sticky chilly belly pork with spring onion salad; influences on the menu range from Honolulu to Seoul."

"Queues out the door at all Granger & Co’s restaurants can be seen of a brunch time, as Londoners flock to try Bill Granger’s bright and breezy dishes – he is, after all, the man credited with the avocado toast's gobsmacking popularity. Tuck a Fresh Aussie, featuring jasmine tea hot smoked salmon, poached eggs, furikake and avocado, or for a sweet something, order the famed ricotta hotcakes, topped with slices of banana and a good drenching of honeycomb butter."

"Tucked away a couple of minutes from the station, Granger & Co’s King’s Cross branch brings a slice of Australian sunshine to the heart of London. Inside its chic, 1970s-inspired interiors customers are treated to a sumptuous menu, which offers favourites like poached eggs and avocado on sourdough toast alongside signature dishes. For those looking for a special start, the buckwheat bowl, complete with sunflower sprouts and goat’s milk, is a must-try."

"Restaurants Diners Spitalfields. Available to order online. Breakfast naturally takes centre stage at this cluttered, ersatz homage to John Hughes’s cult ‘youth’ movie, although this Club runs right through from brunch to dinner, with pancakes rolled out and stacked up in mind-boggling quantities."

"For cosy vibes and some of the best American pancakes in central London What to eat?. Pancakes and berries with whipped cream and syrup. As you’d expect from a café called The Breakfast Club (named in honour of the classic 1980’s movie) these guys know how to deliver the goods when it comes to a good morning feed."

"The queue that snakes outside the doors of The Breakfast Club is a good indicator of how great the food is here. When you get inside, there’s a modern, rustic vibe, with the café’s own merchandise for sale on the walls and photos of previous customers at their tables. The menu is fun and varied."

"7 - 9 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1RG Why should you care?. After success at London Bridge and with their lockdown deliveries, Where The Pancakes Are has opened a new restaurant in Fitzrovia, filled with all the sweet and savoury pancakes (and Dutch Babies) you could ever want."

"Restaurants Crêperies Southwark. Minimalist and airy (with an outdoor terrace), this independent little pancake spot in Flat Iron Square does one thing: pancakes. But boy, does it do them well."

"From your savoury to your sweet, your classic to you're weird, epic and mega. There's even choices for vegans, veggies and those riding the gluten-free wave with the 3 in 1 batter. The hardest part is choosing which topping you're digging."

"Not only is Lima Michelin-starred, but it also boasts sleek interiors and contemporary furnishings to revel in while feasting on authentic Peruvian plates. To top it off, their cocktails are absolutely sublime, served from the stylish underground bar."

"Restaurants Japanese Holborn. Just like everything else it does, Roka offers a slick and perfectly presented brunch offering, with a scarily tempting option to add unlimited wine. The Han Setto menu kicks off with ten sharing dishes (think chicken and sesame gyoza, prawn and vegetable tempura etc.) ahead of your chosen main (perhaps salmon teriyaki or glazed baby back ribs with cashews), while the finale is a stunning dessert platter."

"Based on the original restaurant in Hawaii's North Shore, Kua 'Aina serves a range of scrumptous burgers, marinated chicken and exclusively imported Hawaiian Beers."

"Located in Brixton and Shoreditch, Halo Burger has made a name for itself using Beyond Burger patties to create a vast range of irresistible vegan burgers. On the menu, you can find the epic Halo Burger with 2 Beyond patties, 2 slices of cheese, caramelised onion, lettuce, tomato, gherkins and signature sauce. Other notable mentions include the Smoky Carolina BBQ Burger, and The Flameburger which is definitely not for the faint-hearted!"

"Popular plant-based burger bar Halo Burger (currently in Pop Brixton) have opened their second restaurant in Shoreditch and they're the first in the country to be launching with Beyond Meat's 4.0 patty."

"Not for the faint of heart, Maxwell’s Freakshakes (£8.95) are among the most legendary London desserts. From a salted caramel concoction layered with whipped cream, marshmallows and a hefty doughnut to seasonal numbers that have seen unicorn, Pokemon and even Spice Girls themes, they’re as indulgent as they are Instagrammable. Line 'em up: the best kinda trio."

"39 James St, Marylebone, London W1U 1DL Why should you care?. Curry and rice are primarily the order of the day at the latest London outpost of this huge Japanese curry chain."

"Restaurants Global Moorgate. It’s American dude food with attitude at this deliberately scruffy City hangout, which comes courtesy of London’s BBQ king Neil Rankin (Pitt Cue, Temper etc). Neon signage flashes and a punk soundtrack plays as punters sit at diner-style booths and hoover up dishes from a deliciously meaty, US-style menu – think pulled pork and kimchi hash, pancakes topped with fried chicken… and lots of good eggs."

"Feast on pancakes topped with fried chicken, banana and maple syrup. City Point, 1 Ropemaker Street, City, London, EC2Y 9AW. Tube: Moorgate Station"

"Restaurants Global Moorgate"

"A short walk from Paddington tube station, Smith's Bar & Grill is one of the best outdoor restaurants in West London. Join them on the terrace for a slick Christmas offering, complete with roast turkey and pudding with brandy custard."

"The Breakfast Club have put together some of London's wildest pancake options this year as they stack with everything from Cornflake ice-cream to ham, egg and chips. From Angel, London Bridge and Battersea to "top secret pancake mix" delivery to your door, they've got you covered."

"Another of the Shard’s elevated eateries, dimly lit, sophisticated Hutong on the building’s 33rd floor serves what our waitress described as “spicy and numbing” Sichuan food. In practice that means an extensive range of dim sum and dumplings, alongside roasted Peking duck, crispy oysters and braised beef ribs in lotus leaf. The highlight of our meal, unquestionably, was the sichuan-style deep-fried lobster mixed with a potent blend of chilli, black beans and dried garlic, while cocktails (most at £16) are innovative and enjoyable, too - is there any other London cocktail counter where ingredients such as squid ink, pancakes and Peking duck are intermixed with the expected mixers and spirits?"

"Restaurants Contemporary Asian London Bridge. Like the original Hutong in Hong Kong, this offshoot halfway up the Shard is a glitzy rendezvous with amazing views, ersatz Old Beijing decor and a Sichuan-Northern Chinese menu. Tuned-in service and high prices come with the territory, but Hutong is a City date restaurant par excellence serving carefully rendered, offbeat food that’s guaranteed to jangle and soothe curious palates."

"Restaurants Contemporary Asian London Bridge. Like the original Hutong in Hong Kong, this London offshoot is a glitzy, high-end Chinese with magnificent views. It has the same northern Chinese menu, the same plate glass surrounds and the same ersatz Old Beijing decor."