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Breakfast is the highlight of any high-end hotel stay. It offers a chance to break free from the shackles of puritanical porridge and instead gorge yourself on pastries, pancakes, poached eggs and yoghurt so delicious you’ll be convinced it’s cream.
Many approach the morning meal at a luxury hotel as a kind of last supper affair: making multiple trips to the buffet or ordering rounds of hash browns and maybe some French toast “for the table.” All of this can make moving by 10am impossible. And London’s five-star hotels are more than happy to please with menus that entice but can prove gasp-inducing, depending on whether the cost is included in the room rate, which is becoming increasingly rare.
Recently, however, some have made their offer more accessible (relatively speaking), opening internal pastry shops and cafés, because who wouldn’t let themselves be tempted by a takeaway croissant and cappuccino from Claridge’s?
From caviar-topped omelettes to £22 stuffed croissants, here are London’s most extravagant hotel breakfasts.
Cédric Grolet at the Berkeley, Knightsbridge
Walk past the Berkeley on a weekend morning and you’ll see a queue snaking along the street. Everyone is there to get their hands on a £6 takeaway croissant from famed Parisian baker Cédric Grolet, who opened his first London patisserie at the five-star Knightsbridge last year. Also on offer are £8 flat whites and £20 hazelnut biscuits, all of which sell out every day.
Avoid the queues by reserving a table in the cafe, where a £50 per person breakfast includes three mini pastries, a nice platter of razor-sharp cut fruit and your choice of a thin slice of perfectly caramelised French toast or a fluffy waffle in the shape of a flower. Jars of vanilla-scented chantilly cream and sharp jam accompany and also on the table is fresh juice and a rather hot drink from Instagram. Excessive? Perhaps. But you’re unlikely to find a better patisserie on this side of the Channel.
Claridge, Mayfair
With Claridge’s synonymous with luxury, it’s no surprise that there are myriad paths to an indulgent breakfast in the hotel’s fabulous Foyer, with its original Art Deco mirrors. The £22 breakfast croissant, filled with bacon, fried egg, spinach and gruyere may raise a few eyebrows but is undoubtedly an upgrade from the Pret a Manger version. Arguably representing better value is the £45 English breakfast, which includes cooked favorites, plus pastries, toast, coffee and juice, all served on candy-striped plates. For those on a tighter budget, the hotel’s new ArtSpace Café offers gorgeous pastries from £5. Although some may be tempted by the £28 seafood cocktail crêpe.
Savoy, Covent Garden
When you have breakfast at the Savoy, there’s really only one dish to order: the Arnold Bennett omelette, invented at the hotel in 1929 by chef Jean Baptiste Virlogeu in honor of the author who was staying at the time. The creamy, cheesy and smoked fish creation has never left the menu and these days costs £27. However, if that’s not an indulgent enough way to start the day, you can top yours off with half a lobster tail or some caviar – or both – for an additional £16.
The Ritz, St James’s
When it comes to glitzy breakfast spreads, of course the Ritz reigns supreme. In fact you could spend £750 before 9 if you order the full continental breakfast followed by scrambled eggs or an omelette topped with 50g of healthy Beluga caviar. In this context, spending £92 on the Perigord truffle alternative seems almost teetotal. The unadorned option, meanwhile, comes in at £53, although ordering a £22 glass of champagne might prove too tempting. Remember that smart casual dress is required in all restaurants and bars, so you shouldn’t go to breakfast in a T-shirt or trainers.
The Lanesborough, Knightsbridge
Breakfast at the Lanesborough is served in the hotel’s indefatigable Grill restaurant, which also offers a full lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. That doesn’t mean your morning meal shouldn’t be delayed – be sure to bring along one of the plush velvet sofas to really settle in and enjoy the Regency-style interior. At £34, the truffled scrambled eggs are a suitably extravagant start, as are the smoked salmon blinis (£26). Detox juices (£11) and poached eggs with cherry tomatoes and cabbage (£16) are available, but it’s best to stick with a glass of champagne (£19) for the full Bridgerton fantasy.
The London landmark, Marylebone
A list of London’s tastiest breakfasts wouldn’t be complete without an exceptionally sized buffet. And grande dame the Landmark’s is arguably the most impressive in the capital, with many trestle tables and requiring multiple trips to wade through eggs Benedict, cakes and mezze platters. Its setting isn’t dowdy either, taking place in the Winter Garden, an eight-story-high glass atrium. Note that the full spread is only offered at weekends and is only open to hotel guests, although a smaller continental selection is available during the week along with à la carte cooked options (for £44).
Pan Pacific London, the city
Those bored with Eggs Benedict should head for the Singapore-imported Pan Pacific breakfast spread. The buffet (£36) at Straits Kitchen includes donuts and hot Asian dishes such as rice congee, while stalwarts of pastries, charcuterie and cooked English breakfasts are also present. Attractive à la carte options include Kaya Toast (£16 or £5 buffet supplement), a classic Singaporean dish consisting of two slices of toast with coconut jam and butter, here served with soy sauce and soft-boiled eggs. And if you find yourself craving that Benedict, try the lobster version for £28 (or £10 buffet supplement).
The Connaught, Mayfair
Prepare for premium prices at Connaught’s Jean-Georges restaurant, with its version of truffled scrambled eggs priced at £40. Well, this is the very heart of Mayfair. More stunning may be the simple side of baked beans for £9 or the bowl of berries for £23. Even a humble bowl of muesli and yoghurt costs £17 (with an £8 surcharge for berries) . No need to fret, however, as the hotel has also embraced the trend of having its own patisserie with delicious take-away treats. And compared to others, his £3.25 Danish that changes daily seems quite a bargain.
Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, Knightsbridge
Between Heston Blumenthal’s two-Michelin-starred dinner and £64 Wagyu beef sandwiches at Japanese izakaya-style Aubrey, there are plenty of top-notch dining experiences to be had at Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park. Why not start the day with a round of Beluga caviar (20g) served with blinis, avocado puree and chive hollandaise – yours for £265. For something heartier, but healthier for the bank account, try the brisket beef hash – slow cooked beef served with caramelized onion, pepper and a fried egg on a potato hash brown (£23).
Corinthia, Charing Cross
Can a bacon sandwich ever be worth £17? Corinthia certainly thinks so, with its hotly priced maple-cured pork-stuffed roll setting you pennies from £20. Pair it with a spiced Bloody Mary (£20) and a side of hash brown (£5) for a hangover (and wallet) morning. The more obviously premium items include an Arnold Bennett lobster omelette (£30) and slices of Forman’s smoked salmon, but simple classics are sometimes hard to beat.
