The most important rule of brunch is that there is no judgement allowed. It’s a lawless place where you can eat shakshuka at 3pm after spending a reckless amount of time in bed, or have fried chicken and maple syrup at 11am, or even admit that you don’t even really like avocados. Brunch can also, however, get a bit repetitive. Especially if eating halal means you’re having to alternate between eggs florentine and an omelette. These spots all serve exciting, delicious, and most importantly halal options. From meat-heavy mana’eesh, to hot chicken sandwiches and a halal full english, these are some of the best halal brunch spots around the city.
THE SPOTS
When you commit to brunch at Dobar, you commit to waiting in a queue. Whether it’s 10 minutes or half an hour really depends on how early you get there. But just know that there is always a wait at this walk-in only cafe on Green Lanes. It's a casual, rustic spot with exposed brick walls, and the kind of cosy tables you'd happily spend a couple of hours sat at—if the food didn't arrive so promptly, and get eaten even faster. Whether it’s the hearty full English that arrives in a skillet pan, or the fluffy french toast covered in Nutella and fruit, this is the right way to start a Saturday. Or a Tuesday, or a Wednesday. Or any day for that matter. If this was our local, we’d likely be here at least once a week.
We’ve got a conspiracy theory involving brunch lines being social experiments, but that’s not important. What’s important is the fact that this cosy, cushion-filled cafe in Whitechapel serves a halal full English breakfast all day. When it hits lunchtime at Grounded, you can also get things like saucy brisket, mac and cheese, and tangy buffalo wings. We love rocking up and mixing the eggy breakfast dishes with the more heavy sticky beef rib numbers for a ‘balanced diet’. It’s ideal when you’re with that friend who winces at the words ‘let’s go for brunch’, because you can drink a coffee, eat six chicken wings, and have a scrambled egg in the space of 90 minutes.
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The phrase ‘this is nice, isn’t it’ is guaranteed to be said by at least one member of your group if you head to Beam on Westbourne Grove. Maybe they’re referring to the hanging lights or the exposed brick. Maybe it’s the spaciousness of it all. Or maybe it’s the brunch menu that includes shakshuka, a halal full English, and Nutella-filled doughnuts. We’ll tell you—it’s all of the above. This spot is walk-in only and open until 5pm every day, so plan accordingly.
This family-run bakery and restaurant in north Acton has been around for years. While the menu has enough range to keep most people happy, with Lebanese classics like shish taouk and batata harra, what makes it worth going out of your way is the bakery section of the menu. Their clay-oven baked mana’eesh are some of the best you’ll find in London. These flatbreads, topped with things like za’atar, spinach, or sujuk and cheese are all delicious—they’re crispy, fluffy, and perfectly baked. Our go-to order is a couple of lahm bi ajeen and spinach mana’eesh, all with additional cheese. Because… cheese. When served in a tray surrounded by labneh, foul modames, and falafel, it’s a complete Levantine breakfast spread, at an excellent price.
All-day restaurant Beit El Zaytoun makes some seriously good Middle Eastern brunch. Located in Harlesden, just off the canal, the semi-outdoor area is a good place to be when the sun is out and you're in the mood for hummus. With a brunch menu filled with things like meat and cheese mana’eesh, halloumi, and zait w zaatar, it’s the perfect scenic spot to spend a couple of hours nibbling away at some falafel and tahini.
This cafe in Camden knows better than to pick a side on the whole ‘war on avocados’ thing. It’s got a menu that respects all the classic eggy breakfast stuff, as well as offering things like creole chicken waffles, hot salt beef sandwiches, and—deep breath—curly fries. The food at Lumi is pretty tasty, with halal chicken and beef options, and with none of the brunch dishes exceeding the £16 mark, it’s a solid option around the area.
Shepherd’s Bush isn’t lacking options when it comes to halal Lebanese restaurants and bakeries. But if you’re only going to try one, it should be Zeit & Zaatar. This little spot on Uxbridge Road has been specialising in manakeesh for over a decade, and it shows. They’ve got all the classics like za’atar and labneh and halloumi, as well as some Z&Z specialties like basterma with cheese and cheese and honey. You can’t go wrong with a classic lahm beajin or spinach, and you should always ask for some cheese on them. What’s more, most of them are within the £3 to £5 range.
Sometimes brunches all just merge into one big foggy memory of fried eggs. So if you’re tired of turning up to brunch every Saturday only to discover another menu that appears to be holding a social experiment called How Many Ways Can You Smash An Avocado, then we’d like to introduce you to The Apple Blue Patisserie. Although this cute little Balham spot has still got those avocado bases covered, it’s also home to dutch babies. It’s essentially an XXL vehicle for fried chicken that is part pancake and part yorkshire pudding, and we promise this maple syrup-topped carb-fest will avoid any brunch deja vu. The iced Korean coffee is also a real winner.
Starting your day with a peanut butter and banana-heavy french toast just because you can is what life is all about, because making that decision will lead you to places like Popina. This little Mayfair spot has scrambled eggs and all the other usual culprits on the menu, but there are some exciting alternatives that you should get involved in, from their house special ranchos with lime guacamole to the green shakshuka and raclette cheese melt. The french toast section—yes, a whole section—includes a Nutella marshmallow melt that sounds just as good as it tastes.
Although the coffee at this Hackney cafe is good and their homemade pastries, cakes, and cookies quite irresistible (we’re looking at you, salted caramel brownies), it’s the weekend when you want to be eating at Bake Street. Their fried chicken sandwiches are McDz-like in the best possible way. Soft buns, crisp pounded chicken, and completely inhaleable in under a minute. Gone in 60 seconds. Flavours, be it a Nashville-inspired hot chicken or a silky sweet and spiced makhani fried chicken, are above and beyond anything fast food-related, though. Don’t ignore the tacos either. Or the biryani if it’s on.
When you come for brunch at this two-floor American restaurant in Covent Garden for brunch, sit in the upstairs dining room. It’s got high ceilings, an open and airy feel, and round tables with white tablecloths that will make it hard for your friend to reach over for a bite of your wagyu steak. Which, by the way, is halal, as are all of the wagyu beef options on the menu. Get one of their hefty burgers (it's perfectly acceptable to eat a burger for brunch) and leave enough stomach space for the chocolate-filled, brioche french toast. This is our favourite french toast in the city. We’d steer clear of the classic egg dishes that start at £16 for an omelette, because… it’s just an omelette.
In an area filled with excellent brunch options, this North African cafe on Balham high street is one that will have you googling house prices in SW12. A cosy little spot that’s often packed on the weekend, this is the place to come for an excellent halal full English. Just about everything on the menu that includes their roasted seasoned potatoes is a winner and, as well as the tasty brunch options, they serve chermoula chicken burgers and pastas from 11am. If you’re torn between the buttermilk pancakes or another hot chocolate with marshmallows, get the Moroccan msemen for dessert, and thank us later.
The theme at this Victoria bakery is ‘international baking’, which means you’ll find a selection of breads from around the world. Bagels, monkey bread, focaccia, ka’ak, and more, served plain and stuffed with things like halloumi and roasted tomatoes, or pastrami and pickles. The most important thing about this place is the excellent flatbread you’ll find on their clay oven menu. Topped with delicious combinations like merguez and garlic aioli, or burrata and honey, these breads are what make this spot worth going out of your way for. And it's all halal.
