Best Breakfast and Brunch Places in River Lea

"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."

"It may sit just two floors above flashy Sushisamba, but the vibe at Duck & Waffle is far more relaxed (although it still boasts the same enviable views). Open 24/7, Duck & Waffle deals in upmarket comfort food, which means you can enjoy the likes of bacon-wrapped dates, a warm savoury doughnut filled with ox cheek, and of course, the eponymous dish, which sees waffles topped with confit duck leg and a glossy-yolked fried egg."

"It’s on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower, making it one of the highest bars in London and Europe, for that matter."

"The finest days – weekend ones or otherwise – begin at The Wolseley. The Piccadilly restaurant is the stuff of London breakfast legend: impeccable service, quietly superb food and an elegant room with an atmosphere that is at once grand and intimate, particular but unfussy. Among a menu of classics to suit all mornings, signature serves include omelette Arnold Bennett with haddock and hollandaise, and a rich portion of fried haggis with duck eggs and whisky sauce."

"It may be large and bustling rather than intimate, but this exquisite high-octane brasserie from makes for a mighty impressive date place nonetheless. Steak tartare, oysters, shellfish and schnitzels are among the highlights — some of which are more classic aphrodisiacs than others. 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, thewolseley.com"

"For a classic brunch at one of London’s most renowned dining institutions What to eat?. Pancakes, with berries or bacon. If you’re in London and looking for a bit of a fancy breakfast experience, then look no further than The Wolsely."

"Breakfast Clubs are gradually spreading across London, and for good reason!. The clue’s in the name… these guys serve breakfast all day long and high on most customer’s lists are their tasty savoury and sweet American-style pancakes. With a range of options, you can top your pancakes with The All American: eggs, sausage, home-style fried potatoes, streaky bacon and maple syrup, or treat your sweet tooth with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream."

"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."

"Your all-day brunch dreams have been answered at this chain, with dishes like pancakes, bacon and eggs, oatmeal, and everything in between. There are plenty of low-cost dishes that'll keep you full all day. And yes, they also have cocktails."

"Restaurants Crêperies Southwark. Your kids don’t have to wait till Shrove Tuesday comes around for their pancake fix – thanks to this bright, buzzy venue squeezed into one corner of Flat Iron Square. Sweet and savoury buttermilk varieties abound, from 1,000 baby greens to banana with praline and marshmallow."

"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."

"Owner Peter Dore-Smith, originally from Melbourne used to manage hospitality at Lords Cricket Ground. A lover of coffee, he opened this Fitzrovia spot in 2009. The coffee from London roasters Square Mile is always great, but Kaffeine is in the hospitality business rather than the coffee business."

"With its two West End shops, Kaffeine has become a staple of the London coffee scene – and being an Australian/New Zealand operation, knows a thing or two about flat whites. It also runs courses in "latte art" and other essential coffee-making skills."

"Abbot's Kitchen is a great place to enjoy lunch and refreshments throughout the day. Our ethos is to use nothing but the finest quality ingredients from local suppliers and to provide exceptional service. Whether you join us for a good meal, or relax over hot cup of coffee with friends, the Abbot's Kitchen has something to suit everyone."

"Restaurants British Southwark. Jammed onto the side of an architectural practice in Southwark, this serene Aussie-style café-restaurant is something of a quiet classic in this part of town. Come the weekend, the standard breakfast menu (lots of eggs and avocado, as you’d expect) expands into brunch territory with a host of sizeable salads and burgers, waffles, pancakes and favourites such as sweetcorn fritters."

"56 - 58 Essex Road London, N1 8LRItalophiles have yet another reason to visit Islington this summer as new restaurant Latteria opens its doors for dinner following stellar reviews for its breakfast and lunch offering. Inspired by the historic dairy stores and trattorias-turned-restaurants of Milan (where it got its name) the menu is a melting pot of regional Italian cooking: from the ‘pinsa’ style crispy dough of its Roman pizzas, to the traditional Milanese risotto infused with saffron. Highlights include the ever-popular cacio e pepe, served with thick cylinders of maccheroni pasta rather than the usual bucatini or spaghetti, and cheesier and peppery than most versions; the salty, fresh-tasting crab spaghetti with its hint of lemon oil, and the beef tagliata, whose rich rare slices of steak are perfectly complimented by the rocket and parmesan on top."

"OK, now we know this next suggestion for the best desserts in London, isn’t a restaurant or cafes – but if you’re looking for an amazing dessert on-the-go, then I don’t think you can top Ben’s Cookies for deliciousness and price. Yummy, gooey, tasty cookies that dreams are made of."

"Bakers Mathew and Andrew met while working in Melbourne and decided to return to London to set up their own business. Chewy Cookie is all about quality, ethically sourced cookies. The doughs are aged for 24 hours before baking (and we can attest to how great they taste)."

"If cookies stuffed with the likes of butterscotch cookie dough, peanut butter and chocolate ganache isn’t enough to entice you, perhaps the fact that they’re made by ex-Claridge’s pastry chef Kimberly Lin is. Available for delivery nationwide, the vegan cookies come in five core flavours, alongside a sixth rotating seasonal option. Kimberley has spent the past year perfecting her recipes, using the best produce available such as Valrhona chocolate to ensure the utmost quality."

"Floozie Cookie founder, pastry chef Kimberly Lin, has a CV that includes Claridge’s, The Savoy and Dominique Ansel Bakery. She’s made a name for herself with Floozie which specialises in vegan stuffed cookies. Options might include Pecan Pie - butterscotch cookie dough, topped with toasted pecans and stuffed with date caramel."

"A soft-and-crisp, pecan-studded butterscotch cookie with a filling of date caramel, it’s creamy in the centre, warming – not sugary sweet – and completely vegan too. 5 James St, London WC2E 8BH. Open for take-away and nationwide delivery."

"The National Gallery is the first place to go if you want to see work by some of the most famous artists from history. Nearly seven hundred years of work from the world’s greatest artists can be found here, including Leonardo, Van Gogh, Monet, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Vermeer, Rubens – seriously we could go on for a while. A wander from the The Wilton Diptych in the 14th century galleries to Pablo Picasso’s early works is both an intensely pleasant afternoon and a pretty consummate art history lesson."

"Day 1: Arrive in London, Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, the London EyeDay 2: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Whitehall, Covent GardenDay 3: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sky GardenDay 4: National Gallery, Greenwich, Prime Meridian, Up at the O2Day 5: British Museum, Portobello Road Market, Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrod’s"

"Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Turner, Renoir and Van Gogh—a roll call of Western European masters await you at London’s National Gallery. Boasting more than 2,000 paintings from the 13th to the 19th century, the overwhelming collection is yours to discover free of charge. And if you’re hungry for more art, stop by the National Portrait Gallery next door."

"Also known as the Temple of Mithras, this museum is centered around the remains of an ancient Roman temple in the City of London, left from the days of Roman rule, and is one of the lesser-known free museums in the capital. Named as one of the UK’s most significant archaeological sites, the museum showcases the ancient temple and a selection of interesting Roman artefacts found during excavations, including fragments of writing-tablets which feature the first known reference to London and the earliest hand-written document in Britain."

"One of London’s quirkier and lesser-known spots is literally a blend of old and new. The London Mithraeum is a museum centred around the ruins of a Roman Temple and is located, rather oddly, underneath the shiny glass Bloomberg Buildings in the middle of the city. A visit to the Mithraeum is not just looking at old artefacts, but a full on sensory experience."

"Year Built: c.240 CE Location: Modern-day Walbrook Purpose:  Temple/sanctuary Still Standing:  No – only partial ruins remain. photo source: Wikimedia Commons. The Temple of Mithras is one of the few remnants leftover from the Roman Empire’s time in the area and is one of the oldest buildings ever discovered in London."

"Can you truly understand a culture without knowing what makes its people laugh?. The Museum of Comedy is on a mission to acquaint us all with the ingredients that, when combined, make up the British sense of humour, one Ronnie at a time. More reference library then proper museum, it's a repository of seemingly every book, DVD, VHS and LP that could possibly make you laugh - literally hours and hours of non-stop silliness."

"The Museum of Comedy in London is housed in the crypt of St George's Church. The space was initially converted to be an art gallery before the Museum of Comedy moved in. The museum's collection highlights British comedic history with posters, props, outfits, costumes, films, scripts, and photographs."