There’s a famous quote; “To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day”. That’s no longer the case, but when I’m out the country for a long period of time, the meal I miss the most is an full English breakfast. I also love places that are trapped in time and greasy spoon cafes with their aging decor often tick that box perfectly. Nobody in London has visited more greasy spoons than I have. Here’s a list of my top places to go for a fry up in London.
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1-25 / 26-50 / 51-75 / 76-100 / 101-125
1. The Ritz Cafe
📍Hammersmith. The Ritz Cafe a British Turkish run cafe in on the border of Hammersmith and Chiswick. Inside it looks the part with classic fixed bucket seating. In my opinion these guys cook a near perfect breakfast every time. Breakfasts start at £8.90 and all come with tea, ‘The Ritz Mega’ is £11.90, or you can build your own. The fry-up itself is similar to Regency Cafe but you won’t have to queue for it. Expect a good quality sausage, crispy bacon and glossy eggs with runny yolks. The owner is friendly, service is good, and there’s always a buzzing atmosphere. Last visit 24/01/2025. Watch the reel here.
2. Regency Cafe
📍Westminster. One of the most well-known greasy spoons in London. Famously featured in the films ‘Brighton Rock’ and ‘Layer Cake’. It has a beautiful art deco front, fixed brown seating and faded posters of Muhammad Ali and Tottenham FC. More or less every aspect of the fry-up is on point – good sausage, crispy bacon, crispy hash browns, eggs cooked perfectly. They also serve a very decent fish & chips on a Friday. Since COVID they no longer put sauces on the table which is a little annoying. There’s now a sauce station where you need to pump it onto your breakfast yourself. I’ve seen people bringing their own now and respect the move. The cafe changes hands earlier this year but everything has been kept very much the same. Except big queues at lunch and on weekends. Last visit 20/09/2025. Watch the reel here.
3. Billingsgate Cafe
📍Poplar. Visiting Billingsgate Cafe is a bit of an experience. It’s open from 03:00am-08:00am-ish Monday to Saturday. If you’re not driving it’s a bit awkward to get to. I usually walk from Canary Wharf which takes a good fifteen minutes along a busy road. You can’t Lime bike it as there is nowhere to park. It’s all worth it though as the breakfast is absolutely quality. Last time I visited it was £13 for one sausage, three bacon, beans, two hashbrowns, mushrooms, two eggs, five scallops in garlic butter, two toast and one fried slice under the eggs. I have heard the price has gone up a fair bit since my last visit though. They also serve a very popular scallop and bacon roll too.
4. Beppe’s Cafe
📍Farringdon. Smithfield Meat Market has a number of greasy spoons surrounding it but in my opinion Beppe’s Cafe is the best. This family run British Italian caf dates all the way back to 1932. It’s slightly chaotic in service and appearance and music is often played on a high volume. There are a few things they do that I normally wouldn’t like (for example tea in a glass and cherry tomatoes instead of an over-cooked charred half) but you can expect good quality sausages, everything to be cooked right and friendly service too.
5. E Pellici
📍Bethnal Green. E Pellici (est 1900) is a proper East End institution. It’s known for being a popular hangout of the Kray Twins back in the day. It’s an absolutely stunning caf inside and out, specifically the classic wood paneling. The owners are right characters and you can expect a warm welcome every visit. The place used to have a great mix of locals and tourists although that probably leans a lot more towards tourists in recent years. You can often expect a big line coming out the door, especially on weekends (I’d advise avoiding it on weekends all together). As for the fry up you can expect a good quality sausage, golden mushrooms and big portions. The only problem is with great popularity, prices have increased. You can expect to pay around £17 for a full English once tea added, making it one of the most expensive greasy spoons in London. The pasta dishes are also very popular here as well as a chicken escalope ciabatta sandwich which comes topped with bolognese and cheese.
6. Electric Cafe
📍Tulse Hill. This has got to be one of the most beautiful shopfronts for a greasy spoon cafe anywhere. The Electric Cafe was established around 1905 and it’s been run by a lovely British Greek Cypriot family for over forty years now. As well as the dates signage outside, inside it feels completely trapped in time too. The fry-up itself is good, they serve a proper sausage, and the portions are big for the price.
7. Terry’s Cafe
📍Southwark. Terry’s is a family run cafe in Southwark. Terry is no longer around but it’s run by his son Austin. This greasy spoon is another contender for one of the most famous cafes in the city and now a popular tourist destination. You can quickly see why – the whole place is an ode to Great Britain. Some of the memorabilia inside is incredible. As for the breakfast – Terry’s serve one of the best sausages out of any cafe in the city. The bacon is a little under-done for me and they don’t get the fat crispy the way I like it but everything else is perfect. It’s a little pricy for a breakfast but it’s more of a slower sit-down and enjoy yourself spots and food is good quality. They’re also one of the few cafes on this list that serve beer.
8. The River Cafe
📍Putney Bridge. With 1960s decor in perfect condition, River Cafe near Putney Bridge doesn’t age. It’s been used many times for a Chelsea FC photo shoot. The cafe is run by a lovely old Italian couple. Last time I went it was £11.60 for a Full-English (with tea, juice, toast + added black pudding). The sausage is a bit of a let down but the breakfast is cooked with love.
9. Dino’s Cafe
📍Leyton. Where to get a full English, chicken korma or Christmas dinner between 02:30-10:30am? It’s @dinoscafe_e10 of course. Located at the back of New Spitalfields Market so you don’t have much reason to be here unless you’re dealing in fruit & veg… or chasing the high of eating a Christmas dinner for breakfast. As you can see the fry-up on point.
10. Astral Cafe
📍Pimlico. Two eggs, bacon, sausage, homemade chips, beans, black pudding, two toast, & tea for £8.70. This place couldn’t be in a more unfortunate location being just a stones throne away from London’s iconic Regency Cafe, but that said, the place was packed. The sausage here is massive and good quality, the homemade chips are great too, and so are the prices. The bacon was little under-done but other than that a solid breakfast.
11. The Hole in the Wall Cafe
📍Barnet. The Hole In The Wall Cafe, Barnet. This caf is an absolute gem. Although the current owner has “only” been here for forty ears, the place dates all the way back to circa 1935 making it Barnet’s oldest cafe. I went for a set 1 and added black pudding. The total came to £10. Everything was cooked well (I asked for the bacon well done), especially the egg. The sausage, which came from Smithfield Market was 10/10 – I think it’s the same they have at Beppe’s. On top of that, they also serve pie & mash with liquor which comes from Goddard’s of Greenwich. The only downside to the caf is all the Gooner memorabilia on the walls.
12. Max Cafe
Lovely dated decor inside. I’m a big fan of the speckled blue tables especially. The full English is £10 and comes with tea & toast (I had to add black pudding – £1.50). The sausage is decent quality, the bacon was cooked nice and crispy, the tomato was cooked perfectly too. The only letdown was the mushrooms which were slightly underdone. Max seems well liked by regulars. A quality greasy spoon.
13. Mary’s Cafe
📍Camberwell. An institution in Camberwell since 1965. You can always spot a breakfast at Mary’s from the distinct bright yellow tables. The breakfast is good and plates come loaded.
14. Breakout Cafe
📍Pentonville. Opposite Pentonville Prison. The first place you’d come after release. A pretty solid fry-up – great Cumberland sausage, crispy bacon, no runny beans, golden mushroom, crispy hash browns. The only let down for me was the egg (I hate it when it’s done this way) and the amount of beans. All this with tea & toast = £12.60. Horrible flag flying outside.
15. Cosy Cafe
📍Newham. This is the first caf I’ve been to that’s located on a completely residential street. I went for the Cosy Breakfast for £6.50 which came with 1 sausage, 2 bacon, 1 egg, beans, bubble and a fried slice. After adding black pudding and tea the total came to £8.80. Positives; proper caf, great atmosphere, friendly service, great price, nice bubble. Negatives; cheap sausage (although I found out after that I could have upgraded it to a proper sausage), bacon could be a little more crispy. Watch the reel here.
16. Darcy’s Cafe
📍Hillingdon. In my opinion ‘Darcy’s Big Boy’ is pretty much the perfect fry-up. Two sausage, two bacon, two eggs, two black pudding, beans, mushrooms, tomato, tea and toast for £13.90. Positives; basically everything. Negatives; the shape of the plate and it being all the way out in Hillingdon. Last visit 26/08/25. Watch the reel here.
17. Ma Bakers
📍Dagenham East. Ok, it’s technically a bakery that doubles as caf. There’s only three tables so it’s likely you’ll share your table with strangers. Positives: Basically everything. Negatives: no black pudding, hashbrowns weren’t that crispy. This place is an absolute gem. Last visit 20/01/2026. Watch the reel here.
18. Half Moon Cafe
📍Hammersmith. £9.20 for two sausage, two bacon, two hash browns, beans, mushrooms, two eggs, toast & tea. I had to add black pudding for £1 extra. This is only a few doors down from a Portuguese greasy spoon, Cafe Barca, which is also very good. Everything was cooked right but they lose points on the cheap quality sausage. Breakfast here start at only £6.20 which is a great deal. This might be the first Indian-owned cafe out of the 70 I’ve visited so far.
19. Riccardo’s Cafe
📍Liverpool Street. Five minutes walk from Liverpool Street Station. Egg, bacon, sausage, chips, beans, black pudding, tea & toast for only £9. Everything cooked perfectly, decent sausage. Hell of deal in this part of town. Love the signage out front and yellow fixed seating like a 90s McDonald’s too.
20. Chunnel Bar
📍Waterloo. Did you know that ‘Chunnel’ is the nickname for the Channel Tunnel? From 1994 when it opened until 2007, the Eurostar used to run from Waterloo instead of Kings Cross, which how this cafe got its name. Despite the disappointing recent update of the shopfront (it was beautiful before), the breakfast was very good. The sausages are high quality from a butchers in Smithfield Market, the black pudding was standout, and everything was cooked well. The breakfast was around £14.50 with toast, and two teas (something I’ve not seen before). This is the second cafe on Lower Marsh (the other being Marie’s Cafe – a Thai run greasy-spoon). Chunnel Bar is run by a nice Armenian couple who have owned the place for a year and a half, after previously owning another cafe. The lady serving me explained to me “a good breakfast is all about a good sausage”, which I’d have to agree – it make’s all the difference.
21. Andrew’s Cafe
📍Holborn. The Full English is around £11.80 once you add black pudding (tea and toast included, black pudding not included). I had to request one of the classic white plates because for some reason they’ve introduced these new ugly coloured plates into rotation (I’ve seen a few cafs doing this now and it never looks good). Good egg, good sausage, bacon nice & crispy. Black pudding a little on thin side and over-cooked, hashbrowns a little under-done too. Still a solid fry-up and always a buzzing atmosphere with local workers whenever I’m in here, any day of the week.
22. Rise & Dine Cafe
📍Lambeth. This cafe was only 5 months old when I visited. The prices are low and much of the crowd was still working class. I went for the Big Brekkie for £11.99 which came with two eggs, two smoked bacon, two sausage, beans, tomato, mushroom, chips or hash browns & sliced bread. Positives: good quality sausage (and two of them!), great price for the quality, beautiful eggs, good amount of beans, great vibe and friendly owner. Negatives: No black pudding on the menu (however they have since added it) and plate a little small. Last visit 20/08/2025. Watch the reel here.
23. Kennington Lane Cafe
📍Vauxhall. Family-run for thirty years, super friendly owner/staff, full of builders. This breakfast will set you back £11 with tea and toast. The sausage was good quality, although maybe slightly overcooked and I could have done with some more beans, but overall it was good fry-up. If you’re eating-in then it’s table service, and if there’s a spare seat on your table the waitress might join you for a chat. Up there with my top South London cafs.
24. Arches Cafe
📍Bethnal Green. Arches Cafe is under ten minutes walk from E Pellicci so a great option if you don’t want to queue. The owner is born and raised in Mile End but now lives in Essex. It’s £13.50 for the Full English which comes with sausage, two bacon, egg, tomato, mushrooms, beans, tea and toast – no potato item and I had to add black pudding. It’s all about the sausage here which comes from a farm shop near where the owner lives. Everything was cooked well. The egg wasn’t pretty but was still runny. Last visit 01/07/2025.
25. George’s Cafe
📍Leytonstone. George’s Cafe (est 1983) is a British-Italian run greasy spoon in Leyton . Before anybody wants to moan about chips with an English breakfast these are home-made and ten out of ten. The Special Breakfast is £8.80 and comes with two sausage, two bacon, chips, beans, egg, a fried slice and tea. I added black pudding and the total came to £10. Positives; home-made chips, bacon nice and crispy, a beautiful looking egg, well priced. Negatives; cheap sausage, black pudding a little underdone. Last visit 4/08/2025. Watch the reel here.
James Dimitri 