It’s no secret that I’m somewhat experienced in the bottomless brunch arena. The long time Manhattan tradition of a boozy weekend brunch finally made its way across the pond a fair few years ago now and it has snowballed with magnificent effect. From high end hotels to pop ups and even your local boozer, there are bottomless deals on everywhere you look. Not that I’m complaining, I would spend every weekend at a different boozy brunch if I were able to. The introduction of the lesser known Bottomless Roast and Bottomless Dinner indicates the trend has no chance of slowing down, so it’s high time for an easy look guide at the best of the best in London’s bottomless.
South Place Chop House
An old favourite of mine, South Place Chop House in South Place Hotel is one of the original stalwarts of London’s bottomless brunch scene. With an ever changing menu you’ll never be too bored for a repeat visit, which is ideal as this brunch is perfect for big groups celebrating as well as being classy enough to take your parents to. There’s plenty of variety between breakfast and lunch dishes, some seriously good desserts to get stuck into (shout out to the salted caramel chocolate pot) and the staff are generous with the boozy top ups. The restaurant has evolved to offer a bottomless roast on Sundays, and remains at the top of my list to try immediately if not sooner. If their brunch is anything to go by, I imagine their roast will be one of the best in town, and with the menu boasting three roast meats to choose from as well as pie and fish and chips, I think I might be right.
Price: Brunch: 2 courses for £22.50 or 3 for £27.50. Roast: 2 courses for £25, 3 for £30. Go bottomless for £18
Bottomless drinks: Brunch: Prosecco, bellinis and mimosas; Roast: red, white and rose wine
Duration: Whilst you dine (take your time over those three courses why don’t you)
When: Every Saturday and Sunday between 12 and 5pm
Address: South Place Hotel, 3 South Pl, London EC2M 2AF
TOP TIP: Great for initiating the parents into the bottomless brunch scene
The Botanist
My favourite place for a boozy brunch in London. From the brilliant menu and the beautiful decor to the fantastic service and live music: The Botanist has it all. Pride of place in the buzzy Broadgate Circle near Liverpool Street, The Botanist throws its doors open in the summer but remains cosy in the winter with copper accents, leather booths, dark wood and soft mood lighting. Favourite dishes on their seasonal menu include the macaroni cheese croquettes with truffle mayo; shrimp and bacon croquettes and the huge chicken schnitzel. For a twist on the traditional eggs Benedict, order the soft shell crab benny with jalapeno hollandaise, and if you’re a fan of Sticky Toffee Pudding, the one at The Botanist is a great contender, served with sounds-odd-but-is-strangely-good cornflake ice cream. All this, plus you’re allowed two drinks on the go at any one time. Bottomless brunch perfection.
Price: 2 courses for £20 or 3 for £25. Add £15 for bottomless for 2 hours
Bottomless drinks: Prosecco, Bloody Mary’s, bellinis, mimosa and red, white or rose wine
Duration: 2 hours
When: Every Saturday between 11.30am and 4.30pm
Address: Broadgate Circle, London EC2M 2QS
TOP TIP: The Botanist also do a Bottomless Dinner from 6pm every Saturday with live music. The perfect way to kick off a big night out
Gaucho
Gaucho’s Electro Brunch is not only a winner on the bottomless brunch front, but is available up and down the country, so not just one for those in that there London. Small plates are the name of the game at Gaucho, and come unlimited as do the drinks – you just need to finish the dish you’re on before ordering the next. Fried Provoleta cheese with caramleised onion chutney is the perfect small plate, whilst the peanut butter dulce de leche served with mini croissants at the start of brunch is utterly beautiful. Mini avocado on toasts and Eggs Benedict round off the traditional brunch dishes, and Gaucho’s Bloody Marys are one of the best I’ve ever had. Aperol Spritz as a bottomless is a novelty, though a little watered down compared to those you may order elsewhere. Not many brunches allow you to order as much steak as you want though, do they? Great for a more special affair.
Price: £49.95 for all food and drink
Bottomless drinks: Prosecco, Bloody Mary’s, Aperol Spritz, Pilsener Lager and non alcoholic fresh juices
Duration: 2 hours
When: Every Saturday between 11am and 4pm
Address: Multiple locations in London, plus Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds
TOP TIP: Ask for extra peanut butter dulce de leche because it may just be one of the best things on God’s green earth.
Grind
Famous for their espresso martinis and fun neon signage, before long Grind will be as well known for their £13 bottomless bubbles. With a range of small plates, classic brunch dishes and even a flat iron steak for a tenner, you can’t go far wrong at one of Grind’s restaurants for brunch. Endless prosecco is served in old fashioned coupes whilst you dine, and those marble table tops make a brunch at Grind seriously Instagrammable. Special mention to the chorizo and smoked cheese croquettes, as well as the bacon, which is astonishingly crispy – just the way it should be.
Price: Plates priced individually, bottomless prosecco £13
Bottomless drinks: Prosecco
Duration: 90 mins
When: Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 5pm
Address: London Grind, 2 London Bridge, London SE1 9RA; Clerkenwell Grind, 2-4 Old St, London EC1V 9AA; Exmouth Market Grind, 8-10 Exmouth Market London EC1R 4QA; Covent Garden Grind, 42 Maiden Lane, London, WC2E 7LJ
TOP TIP: At £13pp for bottomless prosecco, this is one of London’s cheapest ways to get boozed up through brunch – perfect just before pay day.
Oxbo Bankside
We’re starting to get greedy and seek out all you can eat as well as all you can drink: enter the bottomless buffet at Oxbo Bankside. With towering buffet stations of salads, sushi, charcuterie, cheese boards and a huge array of bite sized cakes, tarts, cookies and jars on jars of penny sweets, this is a brunch that is sure to have something for everyone. And all of this is before you’ve ordered a main! On Saturdays the table is served three hot sharing dishes for everyone to tuck into and on Sundays you can choose between roast beef, chicken, cod or vegetarian dhal. The beef was superb on my visit and a decent roast in its own right despite all the buffet and bottomless fanfare. This is a great one for bigs groups given the nature of the buffet set up, and live music keeps the atmosphere buzzing throughout the afternoon. For Saturday brunch there’s a waffle and egg station too, so go hungry for this one.
Price: £45 for all food and drink
Bottomless drinks: Prosecco
Duration: 2 hours
When: Saturday and Sunday between 12pm and 3pm
Address: Hilton London Bankside, 2-8 Great Suffolk St, London SE1 0UG
TOP TIP: Get an earlier booking for this one – the buffet stations stop being replenished as the afternoon goes on so as to not waste food, so an earlier slot will ensure you don’t miss out on any of the amazing food on offer.
Tanner & Co
A boozy brunch is fantastic, but how about a boozy roast? Tanner & Co have spruced up their Sunday bottomless roast menu so you can now choose between beef, pork, chicken or vegetarian with all the trimmings, plus you’ll get a dessert thrown in too. On Saturdays it’s a brunching affair – you’ll be brought some nibbles to start, and something small and sweet afterwards, but the pick of the main event is all yours. All eyes on the beef, bacon and brie burger with beetroof chutney, or perhaps the classic poached eggs and avo on sourdough is more your thing?
The huge advantage at Tanner & Co is the wide range of drinks on offer and the freedom with which you will find whole bottles of bubbles on your table to keep you satisfied. Also, Tanner & Co now offer espresso martinis among their bottomless poisons, which is frankly both ridiculous and one of the best things I’ve ever heard.
Price: £40 for all drink and food
Bottomless drinks: Prosecco, Bloody Mary’s, beer, wine, cider and Espresso Martinis
Duration: 2 hours
When: Brunch every Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 4pm; roasts on Sunday between 11am and 4pm
Address: 50 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3UD
TOP TIP: Probably the most broadly catered for bottomless out there in terms of drinks, this will keep the fussiest of drinkers happy
Avenue
Avenue is a part of the extensive D&D family, who offer bottomless brunches at a fair few of their restaurants, practically enough of them to keep you going all year round. Brunch in Avenue is a buzzy affair, with great food and plenty of fizz to keep you going through your two hour slot. Its central location and their ability to cater for large groups makes it a favourite for birthday celebrations. The menu has a very American feel, with different types of Eggs Benedict, macaroni cheese, burgers, buttermilk pancakes and waffles all on the menu. Not forgetting that New York cheesecake for dessert – if you have room that is. On Sundays unlimited Aperol Spritz are on offer so if you’re a fan of Aperol, get yourself down there!
Price: 2 courses for £25.50 or 3 for £28.50. Add £18 for bottomless
Bottomless drinks: Prosecco and Bloody Mary’s on Saturdays; prosecco and Aperol Spritz on Sundays
Duration: Whilst you dine
When: Every Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays between 11am and 4pm
Address: 7-9 St James’s Street, London, SW1A 1EE
TOP TIP: A later brunch booking means your table will not be turned over for another group, which usually means a more leisurely experience and sometimes, if you’re lucky, over two hours of bubbles…
ROKA
One of the pricier bottomless brunches in town, ROKA is unique in that it’s one of the only places you’ll find geared around sushi rather than your more traditional eggs and pancakes. There are three price brackets to choose from at ROKA, though if you’re going to do it, do it properly I say. The priciest menu gets you champagne on arrival, added premium sashimi, offers the famous black cod as a main and serves premium wines, including rose. Sushi starters are all you can eat from the counter in a help yourself buffet style, before leading onto hot dishes at the table for mains such as salmon teriyaki and a beef ribeye. A dessert platter to share is served at the table for afters and the wine free flows the entire time.
Price: £49 in Canary Wharf; £59 in Aldwych
Bottomless drinks: Bellini or Bloody Mary on arrival and paired wines throughout brunch
Duration: 2 hours for bookings up to 3 people; 2.5 hours for 4 or more
When: Every Saturday between 11.30am and 3.30pm, Sundays and on bank holidays at Canary Wharf between 11.30am and 8pm
Address: ROKA Canary Wharf, 40 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5FW; ROKA Aldwych, 71 Aldwych, London WC2B 4HN
TOP TIP: Get a group of at least 4 of you to go to maximise that bottomless drinking time
Bōkan
Canary Wharf is becoming a bit of a destination in its own right, though if you’re not familiar with the area you’d never think it. Bōkan is the restaurant and bar occupying the top three floors of new Novotel, and they are firmly on the bottomless bandwagon. With a carefully curated three course menu to choose from with dishes such at game and foie gras terrine, scallops tartare, beef carpaccio, duck breast and a Wagyu beef burger, this brunch feels decidedly fancy. Everlasting prosecco sees you through your meal and being 37 floors up means the views of London’s skyline are unparalleled.
Price: £49
Bottomless drinks: Prosecco
Duration: 2 hours
When: Every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday between 12.30pm and 2.30pm (last orders)
Address: 40 Marsh Wall, Isle of Dogs, London E14 9TP
TOP TIP: After brunch head 2 floors up to Bōkan’s rooftop bar and terrace for more of those striking views and live music into the evening.
Megan’s
Megan’s is a great little restaurant and lucky for us there are now three different locations of this gem in South West London; Fulham, Parson’s Green and Balham. Warm and inviting, with blue and white checked tablecloths and the prettiest of fairy lights strung up either inside or out in the courtyard (in Fulham), Megan’s is a lovely laid back choice for brunch. Rightly famous for their Shakshouka and their brilliant deli style counter where you pick your salads and quiche at free will, Megan’s have also gone bottomless on the weekends. Although charming all year round, an al fresco brunch at the Fulham Megan’s in the summer is particularly brilliant since one of their bottomless drinks is Pimm’s – and we all know how easy it is to drink that stuff like it’s juice. The perfect summer brunch spot.
Price: Plates priced individually, go bottomless for £18
Bottomless drinks: Prosecco, Bloody Mary’s and Pimm’s
Duration: 90 mins
When: Every Saturday and Sunday between 2pm and 6pm (last sitting 4.30pm)
Address: 571 King’s Rd, Fulham, London SW6 2EB; UNIT B 69, 57 Parsons Green Ln, Fulham, London SW6 4JA; 41-43 Bedford Hill, Balham, London SW12 9EY
TOP TIP: Megan’s do a half baked cookie dough dessert stuffed with Nutella and topped with pistachios and salted caramel ice cream. Thank me later.
Have you been to any of these bottomless hot spots? Let me know what you thought and where your favourite is in the comments below!