Whether an early weekday breakfast meeting or lazy weekend brunch, here’s our pick of the best places to kick-start your day at King’s Cross.
Caravan
At the heart of Granary Square, this warehouse-style restaurant has a buzzy atmosphere and a cool, laid-back vibe. There are no reservations at the weekend, so if it’s busy, leave your name and go for a stroll along the canal, they’ll text you when your table is ready. Or take a seat at the bar and enjoy a Bloody Mary or a coffee – some of the best in London.
Menu-wise, as well as the ever-popular Caravan fry, there are some really interesting flavour combinations to sample. Ask for small plates to share – you’ll want to try everything!
Breakfast is served Mon – Fri from 8am, with the last seating at 11.15am. Brunch is served Sat – Sun, 9am – 4pm.
Granary Square Brasserie
Next door, you’ll find Granary Square Brasserie. If you like your eggs served with killer tunes, then this is the brunch for you. DJs take to the decks, with the likes of Jez Pereira, Miss Mavrik and Beau providing the perfect soundtrack to your lazy weekend morning.
Menu-wise, there are some seriously good classics, such as Eggs Benedict and hot buttermilk pancakes. Pair with a delicious cocktail and chill out to the laidback beats. If the weather’s agreeable then the terrace is hard to beat.
Breakfast is served Mon – Fri from 8 – 11.15am and Sat, Sun & Bank Holidays from 9 – 10.45am. Brunch is served Sat, Sun & Bank Holidays from 11am – 3.45pm.
Lina Stores
Lina Stores first opened as a delicatessen in the heart of Soho in 1944, serving up freshly filled ravoli, great slabs of salami, cheeses, olives, pillowy soft foccacia, and sweet cannoli. Now, they’ve arrived on Stable Street, with a restaurant, bar, and deli, with the same focus on serving great fresh authentically Italian produce.
Breakfast ranges from simple ‘Pane Tostato’ (toasted sourdough) and granola, to a range of exquisite focaccia breakfast sandwiches, with pork belly, Tuscan sausage, eggs and provolone on the menu. Both the restaurant and the deli have a daily selection of cakes and pastries available too.
Breakfast is served Mon – Fri from 8 – 11.15am and Sat – Sun from 9 – 11.15am.
Morty & Bob’s
Brunch at Morty and Bob’s is as good a reason as any to get out of bed at the weekend. This easy-going Coal Drops Yard venue is the home of the East London sandwich maestros – famed for turning the humble grilled cheese into something sublime.
As well as the exceptional grilled cheese sandwiches, this popular spot offers brunch favourites such as hash browns and wild mushrooms on toast with rocket and hazelnut pesto and a spiced fried egg. Drinks-wise, there’s a selection of cold press juices, excellent coffee, as well as a boozy cocktail menu if you fancy something a little stronger.
Breakfast is served Mon – Sun from 10am.
Dishoom
If you have strolled around King’s Cross, you can’t fail to have noticed the queue of diners lining up to get their fill of Irani-inspired deliciousness at Dishoom.
The hearty breakfast menu features spicy scrambled eggs, chilli cheesy toast, and great steaming bowls of porridge – all tasty options. But the real crowd-pleaser is the naan rolls. Each is freshly baked in the tandoor oven and brushed with cream cheese, chilli tomato jam and fresh herbs. To this, you can add lashings of smoked salty bacon, thick black pepper sausages and runny, saffron-yellow eggs. Firey, salty and brilliantly sweet – it’s little wonder it is the unofficial best bacon butty at King’s Cross. Finish your meal with a warming glass of chai and head home happy.
Breakfast is served Mon – Fri from 8am and Sat – Sun from 9am.
Coal Office
With the killer combination of head chef Assaf Granit and acclaimed designer Tom Dixon this is no ordinary weekend brunch spot. Come hungry and feast on Middle Eastern favourites including Kubalah, a Jewish pull-apart bread, and some spicy, punchy Shakshuka Adama. Meat lovers must try the Shikshukit 3.0 – a melt-in-the-mouth lamb and beef kebab served with a whole host of delicious dipping sauces.
In true Tom Dixon style, the interior has a chic, urban-industrial feel. Take to the outdoor terrace when the weather is fine, for uninterrupted views of Coal Drops Yard and Granary Square.
Brunch is served Sat – Sun, 12 – 3pm.
The Lighterman
Bright and airy, the glass-sided Lighterman sits over three floors, facing Granary Square on one side, and the canal on the other. You’ll find pretty much any breakfast dish you can imagine on The Lighterman’s menu – you may want to leave your indecisive friend at home!
Choose from granola, eggs, kedgeree, and avo toast, or there’s waffles, with a ton of tasty toppings. Combine these classics with some more adventurous small and bigger plates. The Brekkie Flatbreads are also a popular choice – choose from savoury or sweet.
Brunch is served Sat – Sun from 10am.
Vinoteca
Standing proudly at the foot of King’s Boulevard is elegant Vinoteca. Perhaps not an obvious choice for breakfast, being primarily a wine bar, Vinoteca belies appearances to offer a lovely traditional menu with an emphasis on locally sourced produce.
The weekend brunch menu is a real treat. There is a selection of baked goods as well as delicious brunch favourites. Plus, the King’s Cross Vinoteca is the first branch to offer a breakfast wine selection. Ask the charming staff for recommendations for low alcohol wines, champagne and moscato to pair with your meal.
Breakfast is served from 7.30 – 10am.
Vermuteria
This characterful little nook right at the heart of Coal Drops Yard is the creation of designer, Michael Sodeau, and chef Anthony Demetre.
The charming all-day café is inspired by bars and eateries along the grand tour cycling routes of Italy, Spain and France. The breakfast menu at Vermuteria features poached eggs on sourdough, homemade granola and natural yoghurt, and a selection of fresh pastries.
Breakfast is served Sat – Sun, 11am – Midday.
Granger & Co
Granger & Co is the third London restaurant venture for Australian chef, Bill Granger. And if anyone knows how to serve up a mean brunch, it’s Bill. The Times described his scrambled eggs as the best in the world, while the New York Times said they were, ‘as light as the breath of an angel’.
As well as eggs, you’ll find Bill’s ‘classics’ packed with unusual ingredients and vibrant flavour: lightly sweet ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter, delicate jasmine tea-smoked salmon, and sweet corn fritters with roast tomato, spinach and bacon. Add a freshly pressed juice, tea or Bloody Mary, and dive in.
Breakfast is served Mon – Fri from 8am – 12pm and Sat – Sun from 9am – 12pm.
German Gymnasium
Recently voted the most beautiful restaurant in the world, the Grand Café is a favourite spot for both weekday breakfasts and leisurely weekend brunches. Midweek, dishes including light options of chia pots, energising smoothies, and runny poached eggs on toast, but for a real treat, head straight for the GG Specials.
At weekends, the brunch menu stars signature breakfast dishes alongside European and German classics, with everything from oysters to salads, and a choice of German sausage dishes such as Kaserkrainer or smoked Schinkenknacker.
Breakfast is served Mon – Fri from 8 – 11.30am and Sat – Sun from 10am – 4pm.
Drake & Morgan
Drake & Morgan’s brunch options are well worth clearing your Sunday for, as the cocktails here are as much a part of Sunday brunch as Eggs Benedict.
As well as traditional breakfast dishes such as eggs florentine, waffles, and avocado on sourdough toast, you can also order a full starter, mains and dessert, including a Sunday roast. Brunchers can also opt to share a number of small plates or charcuterie from the deli.
Arabica
Borough Market’s Levantine restaurant Arabica has opened a sister restaurant in King’s Cross, with inspiration stretching across Lebanon, Istanbul, and Tel Aviv.
On the ground floor corner of the newly-opened Aga Khan Centre, the new digs are a buzzy colourful space, with an outside terrace facing onto Lewis Cubitt Park. They serve an all day menu that consists of tasty small bites, a selection of meze piled high with hummus, halloumi and falafel, and charcoal-cooked mains. And don’t miss out on a middle-eastern dessert. A perfect way to start the day.
Porte Noire
Want to start your day with the level of elegance and sophistication normally reserved for late night dining? Porte Noire is the answer to your dreams, a chic wine bar and restaurant serving a European brasserie-style menu.
Alongside eggs and elevated classics like avocado salsa on charcoal bread, you’ll find delicacies like duck liver parfait and steak tartare. There’s a great selection of sparkling wines and cocktails to pair with your brunch too, of course.
Sons + Daughters
The team behind award-winning East London restaurant Pidgin bring you Sons + Daughters, a casual-but-chic posh sandwich spot in Coal Drops Yard.
There is no better way to start the day than with a freshly made sandwich, packed with the best ingredients. They have a number of options to satisfy all tastes, including vegan, vegetarian, fish and meat fillings to choose from. To drink, there are coffees, ‘good and proper’ teas, and a selection of cold drinks, including milkshakes made with their own soft serve. Take a seat in the restaurant, or if you’re in a hurry, hit up the Sons + Daughters GO van, which sits above the restaurant in Granary Square.
Open Mon – Sun from 10am.
Spiritland
At Spiritland on Stable Street the breakfast line up is stellar: start your day with warming shakshuka with poached eggs, indulgent buttermilk pancakes with date butter, French toast with poached apricots, a supremely healthy chia pot with blueberries, or, that Millenial classic: avocado toast.
It’s never to early for a cheeky cocktail here either. Why not wash your eggs down with a Bloody Mary made with kimchi-spiced vodka, a refreshing Gin and Basil Rickey or an Espresso Martini made with PX Cask Rum infused with fig, coffee and caramel? All of which are sure to banish any lingering morning sleepiness!
Notes
This is the perfect breakfast spot for London’s coffee connoisseurs. Located on the busy Pancras Square, this bright and bustling café is serious about its coffee – beans are roasted daily in its East London roastery.
Notes also offers a range of delicious dishes to start your day. From poached eggs and cured salmon to smashed avocado on fresh sourdough, or pancakes with bacon.
Brunch served until 4pm.
hicce
hicce only serve brunch one day of the week, Sundays. But those Sundays are worth savouring, with a menu that’s a little more special than most.
Pancakes get a next-level upgrade with maple syrup, rum, banana, bacon, chocolate, and cream – an unlikely but exquisite combination. Also on the brunch menu, you’ll find cheese and charcuterie boards, alongside bar nibbles, and a selection of yummy desserts to top it all off.
Brunch is served on Sunday from 12 – 5pm.