Where is a great place in central London to have full English breakfast and to take friends from new York?

Answer 1

If money no object then Claridges do a jaw dropping one

Answer 2

My favourite place in London to go for brekkie is a place called Kalendar on Swain's Lane. This is up in north london in Highgate. It's very British and away from the tourist trail and the food is amazing. There is a great menu and they also do a great selection of juices etc.

The best thing about this place is that it's 5 mins walk from Hampstead Heath - a beautiful place - and you can work off you breakfast by taking a stoll up Parliament Hill - a high vantage point with excellent views over the whole city.

http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/reviews/8121.html

Answer 3

Smith of Smithfields - Zone 1, Farringdon/Barbican.

Here you have a lovely atmosphere (especially for weekend brunch), in a fantastic Grade II listed building, with lots of choices - from porridge, fruit & smoothies to butties, fry-ups, corned beef hash, pancakes, waffles, Welsh rarebit... need I go on?

They open from 7am - I think this is the best place to take visitors because:
1) the vast menu range will have something to suit everyone,
2) you get decent cooking (it's also a proper restaurant),
3) they use decent ingredients (when I go to a greasy spoons, I always wonder about what's in their sausages),
4) you don't have the added expense of eating at a posh hotel - a breakfast cooked to order should not cost £13 when most of us have the required skill to produce one. I mean, it's NOT technically hard and you KNOW there are great brekkies out there for <£5!

Their menu is here: http://www.smithsofsmithfield.co.uk/menu_ground/menus.htm

Answer 4

If your friends are from New York why would you want to take them to have a full English breakfast?
American breakfast are very different from English breakfast and I would say 98% of the Americans find English breakfast not very appetising at all. My best advise, for breakfast, is go to a your favourite cafe or restaurant where you are familiar with the food and have enjoyed dining there. Never go to restaurant you have not visited before especially with friends who have different perspectives of what breakfast should be like. Also keep in my seeking advise from others on food is like playing Russian Roulette, everyone has different likes and dislikes, what you might think is great food others might think is lousy, especially when its ethnic related.
good luck

Answer 5

Go to
Browns Hotel
Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London W1S 4BP, England
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
The setting and the service are first class and it does one of the best, digestable full english breakfasts in London.
Browns is also delightful as it has an interesting and long history so your friends will enjoy the english cultural aspect of their visit.
Enjoy your breakfast and don't forget that on top of the bacon, eggs, mushrooms, kidneys, etc one should also have a kipper; the FEB is a meal consisting of many courses

Answer 6

QE2 Hospital in Woolwich do a marvellous self service breakfast up til about 11.30am. Pile on the mushrooms. Get there by a boat trip from Central London, then cab.

Answer 7

Any of the Jd Wetherspoons pubs ,3 in city of LONDON,1 in clarkenwell,1 in docklands,2 in LONDON 1 near fleet street, 1 tower bridge, 3 in the west end i could go on and on, but what pub can you go to at 9 am and have a good ENGLISH breakfast and a nice pint of BRITISH ales ENJOY

Answer 8

Steer well clear of all the fancy restaurants and hotels - just take a few walks along any of the busy streets and watch out for the proverbial "greasy spoon" cafe. If you find one that's empty, keep walking. If it's crowded and busy, put it on your list, because THAT'S where you'll get the traditional F.E.B. - even if it's run by Greeks or Italians. Best results are likely to be found on the older parts of town - around Aldgate East station for instance, or along Borough High Street or even around Shepherds Bush. Have one for me when you find one !

Answer 9

How rich are you?? If you are on a seriously good budget, then the most exclusive place is The Connaught which is being run by one of Gordon Ramsey's prodigies. It serves amazing breakfast. Make sure to book. It comes to around £40 per head.
If you want somewhere cheap then go to Leon on Great Marlborough Street. Comes to around £15 per head.

Answer 10

You have to visit the Wolseley. It is located next to the Ritz Hotel and offers a fine specimin of English and European food including a Full English. Just check out their menu's online for further info. Link supplied for the restaurant.

Many Regards and happy eating.

Answer 11

I would either take them to one of the posh hotels (Savoy, Ritz, Mandarin Oriental - there are thousands) or, if they are a bit racier, take them to a traditional "greasy spoon" cafe.

A greasy spoon is a wonderful place - cheap, cheerful and most definitely working class, you can get a full fry up with a mug of tea for under a fiver. There are lots of greasy spoons in and around london and everyone has their own favourite - I am a huge fan of Ann's Cafe on Northfield Avenue (but i suspect that's a bit far out for you).

There's an excellent explanation of greasy spoons on wikipedia and if you're staying in a good hotel in London I'm sure the concierge will be able to recommend a favourite.