Journal15th December 2022

Breakfast, brunch & lunch

There’s a meal to suit every taste just a stroll away from Bedford Corner Hotel.

When you stay at Bedford Corner Hotel you’re entering London’s literary capital, a gem in the heart of the city. We’re not just a neighbourhood of artists, actors and writers, though — we have plenty of culinary creatives to share with you as well.

Read on to discover our handpicked list of the best restaurants, cafes and eateries for breakfast, brunch and lunch.

Gail's

Conveniently located on the ground floor of Bedford Corner Hotel building, Gail’s offers hand baked breads, cakes and pastries all day, seven days a week — perfect for an early breakfast, a luxuriously lazy brunch or an afternoon pick-me-up pastry.

Gail’s bread is a masterpiece. Sourdough, traditionally made, honouring the process of grain to harvest, mill to bakery. This is slow food at its absolute best — you won’t find this on the supermarket shelves.

With values of community, real food, reducing waste and the finest ingredients, the passion from Gail’s master artisan bakers and their decades old sourdough starters comes through in every bite.

This is not a worthy, puritanical meal though. Gail’s perfectly pairs their natural ingredients, time-honoured techniques and seasonal, low waste ethics with the kind of everyday luxury that gets your day off to the very best of beginnings.

No stay at Bedford Corner Hotel is quite complete without popping in to Gail’s.

Arcade Food Hall

Need a bit of variety? Or just not quite sure what you’re in the mood for? Arcade Food Hall is just a five minute walk from Bedford Corner Hotel via Tottenham Court Road, and offers an array of cuisines which perfectly showcases what London is so famous for — being a welcoming home for each and every culture the world has to offer.

Arcade’s in house deli, Provisions, a coffee shop and bakery which transforms each evening to Provisions Late, serving Cocchi Negronis, while Viet Populaire brings Hanoi cafe culture to the heart of London, serving traditional Vietnamese coffees alongside generously filled bánh mìs, the baguettes baked daily.

Take a trip to Mexico via Mexa, an homage to co-founder Michelle Salazar de la Rocha’s homeland, serving quesadillas, tacos and seafood created from her family’s own recipes; or check out some North Indian street food at Hero, celebrating the chatpatta flavours of hot, sour, sweet, tangy, salty and smoky.

From India to Nepal with Tipan Tapan — named after the variety of small starter plates eaten before a main meal. Designed to be shared amongst friends and family, Tipan Tapan offers traditionally made dishes such as momo, naturally fermented daikon and house made chilli oil.

To the US next, for diner inspired smash burger and fried chicken joint, Manna. This is road food with a twist though, with fresh jalapeno-infused honey and smash burgers in steamed brioche buns — not quite your usual truck stop fare.

Plaza Khao Gaeng is Arcade’s flagship bookable restaurant, serving Thai “curries over rice”, while Shatta & Toum offers shawarma complemented by Middle Eastern mezze.

Staying with the streetfood feel, the BEBEK! BEBEK! menu is built around the twice-cooked crispy duck and chicken that Javanese street stalls are famous for.

If you’re in the mood for an authentic Japanese sushi experience, try Sushi Kamon for lunch or book yourself in for dinner at Omakase where master sushi chefs prepare your meal before your eyes.

Last but definitely not least is Jelladrome, serving up ‘grammable architectural trifles in flavours like Mango Colada, boozy jelly shots and nostalgic penny licks. JUst right for an after lunch treat.

View the full Arcade Food Hall menu here.

Riding House Cafe

A pleasant 10 minute walk from Bedford Corner Hotel, Riding House Cafe is open from 8 am to 10 pm. With breakfast from 08:00-11:45 Mon-Fri, lunch & dinner

12:00-15:30 on Mon-Fri and 17:30-21:30 on Monday, 17:30-22:00 on Tue-Sat, and weekend brunch 09:00-15:45 on Sat-Sun there’s always something on offer here.

Breakfast and brunch are a varied affair, incorporating expertly made essentials such as granola with Greek yoghurt, and peach porridge, alongside pea fritters and labneh, Kassler ham hollandaise and smoked cajun pepper stew.

For light bites in the afternoon, choose from braised beef shin, chicken or prawn skewers and soul burgers, with a tempting array of sweet treats, including hot brioche doughnuts with milk jam, red velvet cake and banana bread.

Caravan Fitzrovia

A 13 minute stroll from the front door of Bedford Corner Hotel, Caravan Fitzrovia offers all day dining and a varied menu of pastries and sourdough sandwiches, salads and house roasted coffees, alongside cocktails and weekend brunch.

Whether you fancy pancakes or a healthy bowl of grains, thick cut bacon and field mushrooms or the incredible seeded iron bark pumpkin loaf, you’ll find it (and a delicious array of bellinis and bloody Marys) at the Caravan.

Lantana Cafe Fitzrovia

Just five minutes from the doorstep of Bedford Corner Hotel sits Lantana Cafe, first opened by Shelagh Ryan, Michael Homan & Caitlin Ryan in 2008 to introduce to London everything they loved & missed about the thriving Australian cafe culture.

Time Out’s best new cafe in London, Lantana Cafe remains a favourite for both locals who see their visits as part of a daily ritual, and overseas visitors in need of a decent coffee and an excellent brunch.

Their menu includes peanut butter overnight oats, duck hash, and avocado poke bowl. There are vegan friendly options too, making Lantana Cafe one for the bucket list.

Where the Pancakes Are

Three minutes from Bedford Corner Hotel is Where the Pancakes Are. It’ll come as no surprise that these guys serve pancakes, and lots of them, elevating the humble pancake to a simple, yet expertly executed light snack, or a hearty meal that’ll leave you satisfied till dinner.

Choose from veggie, vegan and wheat free options, and try rose harissa shakshouka, asparagus, goats and cheddar cheese Dutch babies, or the Boulder breakfast — two vegan pancakes with smashed avo, roasted cherry tomatoes and squash, green herbs and chickpea salsa and a tahini-nigella dressing.

They’re pancakes Jim, but not as we know them.

Honey & Co

Honey & Co’s motto is “come early and come hungry” and we can’t help but agree. Based a 15 minute walk from your stay at Bedford Corner Hotel, Honey & Co serve Middle Eastern delights, brimming with zaatar and zehug to showcase authentic ingredients such as aubergine and goat’s yoghurt.

The founders of Honey & Co have also published four cookbooks, winning Sunday Times Food Book Of The Year, host podcast Honey & Co: the Food Sessions, and write a weekly recipe column for FT Weekend Magazine. So, you could say they’re pretty passionate about what they do!

Honey & Co breakfast menu offers authentic sharing mezze, shakshuka, phylas and sabich, alongside cardamom coffees and fresh mint teas.

Kaffeine

Caffeine addict? We’ve got you… Kaffeine is inspired by the cafe culture of Australia and New Zealand, and offers, many say, the best coffee for miles around.

Just seven minutes from Bedford Corner Hotel, you don’t have far to go to get your morning fix, and you can also pick up a fresh baked pastry, a fried egg or bacon brioche or an unforgettable Vegemite and Cheddar scroll.

Eggslut

Practically on our doorstep, a one minute hop, skip and jump away from Bedford Corner, is Eggslut. Serving eggs all ways, from egg salad with honey mustard aioli to gaucho — seared wagyu steak with over medium egg and chimichurri, Eggslut offers a hearty brunch or lunch that will keep you going all day.

Add a salted choc chip cookie and a cold brew coffee on the side and you’re sorted till supper.