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15 Places to Eat Excellent Eggs in London

Oozing yolks, irresistible shakshuka and the perfect Benedict: London’s good eggs, mapped

by Sam Orbaum Updated
2 comments / new
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by Sam Orbaum Updated
2 comments / new
thewolseley/Instagram

Is there any food more versatile than the egg? These culinary shape-shifters are eaten globally, transporting and transforming themselves through starkly contrasting cuisines and finding comfortable homes in starters, mains and desserts alike. From scotch eggs to baked eggs, from tortillas to the odd cured yolk: London has a whole world of eggs waiting to be discovered. These dishes will put anyone right, sure as eggs is eggs.

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Eggs & Bread

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Pay-what-you-can boiled eggs and bread. A great cafe with a conscience, where diners cook the eggs themselves, however they like.

191 Wood St, Walthamstow, London E17 3NU, UK
London’s best eggs include Eggs and Bread in Walthamstow Eggs & Bread [Official Photo]

Max's Sandwich Shop

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Even the most kitchen-averse student knows that the difference between a good sandwich and a great sandwich is, more often than not, a fried egg. Max Halley’s creations are far better than the average butty, but the rule still stands. With melting chunks of slow braised ham hock, piquant homemade piccalilli, brittle shoestring fries, malt vinegar mayo and a crowning egg carefully layered between a couple of slices of springy-soft focaccia, this is a masterpiece of culinary construction.

19 Crouch Hill, Stroud Green, London N4 4AP, UK
020 7263 8759
020 7263 8759
annalawsoneats/Instagram

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Black Axe Mangal

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One of London’s most instantly-recognisable dishes, this jet-black flatbread is a sparkling testament to Lee Tiernan’s high-impact cooking. There’s squid ink, smoked cod’s roe and edible glitter to excite, but it’s the oozy dribble of yolk on the first bite that really carries this pile-up of flavours. Charred, gooey and seductive, it’s a dish that raises an eyebrow and provokes a smile.

156 Canonbury Rd, London N1 2UP, UK
blackaxemangal/Instagram

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Milk Beach

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This Australian-inflected cafe-meets-wine-bar-meets-roastery hidden away down a Queens Park mews egg-cels itself at breakfast time. As well as scrambled, poached and fried orange-yolked Clarence Court eggs on buttered sourdough and a glorious Benedict, there’s a standout take on the nursery favourite of dippy eggs and soldiers: a jar of softly baked eggs, cream and sweet potato purée with fingers of toast for dunking.

19 Lonsdale Road Queen's Park, London NW6 6RA, UK
020 8144 8277
020 8144 8277
Instagram/Milk Beach

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Bodega Rita's

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Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce’s deli-slash-sandwich shop has proved to be one of the biggest draws at Coal Drops Yard – and a temple to egg excellence. For breakfast, order the white miso-scrambled eggs with sesame on a soft, buttery brioche bun. Come lunchtime, opt for The Highway Dan: a might medley of hot sauce-spiked egg mayo, celery and sesame seeds piled high on Dusty Knuckle potato sourdough. Well worth the eight napkins it takes to eat.

Unit 114, Stable St, Kings Cross, London N1C 4DR, UK
Instagram/Bodega Rita’s

BRAT

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It’s pretty good going to have three paragraphs devoted to food in a Giles Coren review, so for that airtime to be afforded to an individual dish is quite the occasion. Shoreditch’s Brat may be built around its namesake turbot, but the chopped egg and bottarga is genius of a more understated nature. This ‘heroic dish’ sees the dried roe achieve its best self in the hands of Tomos Parry, supported by sturdy sourdough rye and, of course, an accomplished chopped egg salad.

4 Redchurch St, London E1 6JL, UK
BRAT [official photo]

Also featured in:

Holborn Dining Room

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Callum Franklin has reached Insta-stardom with his showstopper pies, so it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that he knows his way around a scotch egg too. And, well, he does. The Monkshill Farm scotch egg at Holborn Dining Room is a past Scotch Egg Challenge champion, and acts accordingly. A crisp breadcrumb crust with juicy, well-seasoned meat cocooning a luscious runny-yolker; it’s unashamedly traditional and utterly exceptional.

252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN, UK
020 3747 8633
020 3747 8633
John Carey/Holborn Dining Room [official photo]

Also featured in:

Barrafina

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The Barrafina tortilla is a final destination any egg would crave. Whether it’s laden with artichokes, cradling prawns and piquillo peppers or just being the inimitable classic, it’s a marvel at every location. Far from the stodgy one-note comfort of a good, but not great attempt, the Barrafina tortilla oozes class and flavour in equal measure: the contrast between the crisped potato exterior and that almost molten centre is as much an indicator of flawless technique as it is a joy to eat.

26-27 Dean St, Soho, London W1D 3LL, UK
020 7440 1456
020 7440 1456
Barrafina [official photo]

Also featured in:

Hoppers Soho

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The optimum tool for dipping, scooping and mopping up a lamb shank kari? Yep, turns out it’s an egg. With a soothing, metallic yolk and blanketing white, eggs provide a natural foil for big spices. However, it’s when baked into the bottom of a fermented rice pancake basket that they reach their true potential. Hoppers’ signature egg hoppers are a classic example of a support act stealing the show.

49 Frith St, Soho, London W1D 4SG, UK
020 3319 8110
020 3319 8110
Hoppers [official photo]

Also featured in:

Nopi

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A good shakshuka provides a surprisingly tender, restorative whack of flavour, not to mention its position as ideal Instagram fodder. Yotam Ottolenghi’s empire is built on colourful blends of herbs, spices and vegetables, and they’re all present and correct in the shakshuka at Nopi. Anointed with smoked labneh and toasted foccacia, it more than warrants an early trip to Soho.

21-22 Warwick St, Soho, London W1B 5NE, UK
020 7494 9584
020 7494 9584
Keiko Oikawa/Nopi [official photo]

Sabor

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Pulpo. Mullet. Sardines. Jamon Iberico. Rhubarb. All stunning. But when Nieves Barragan and Jose Etura’s Sabor started popping up on the ‘Gram, it was the humble camarones fritos that captured the collective imagination. Invitingly simple and novel in equal measure, it’s easy to understand why. Available on the bar menu, there’s overwhelming joy to be found in crisp and chewy miniature shrimp, the frazzled tang of a fried egg and smoky sweetness of a dusting of paprika. Pair with a cold drink for optimal eating.

35-37 Heddon St, Mayfair, London W1B 4BR, UK
020 3319 8130
020 3319 8130
Chris Terry/Sabor [official photo]

Also featured in:

The Wolseley

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A breakfast offering adored and immortalised by the late, great AA Gill, The Wolseley serves eggs every which way. Retaining its place on the lunch menu and available for order until midnight is the eggs Benedict. Everyone knows the score: English muffin, sliced ham and a perfectly poached egg drowning in a sharp, luscious hollandaise. With such a renowned classic there can be no room for error, but that’s of little concern here — there is really no better place for it.

160 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9EB, UK
020 7499 6996
020 7499 6996
thewolseley/Instagram

Also featured in:

A. Wong

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The menu at A Wong hosts a number of dishes that justify a visit on their own. Among these — alongside xiao long bao, Sichuanese aubergines, rabbit puffs, stuffed chicken wings, the list really could go on — is the duck egg custard bun. Gloriously sweet, fragrant custard bursts from a pale, yielding dough with a crisped base, which adds an enticing crunch. Disclosure: to eat this dessert without spilling custard everywhere is tricky, but roll with it: it is also immensely pleasurable.

70 Wilton Rd, Pimlico, London SW1V 1DE, UK
020 7828 8931
020 7828 8931
A. Wong [official photo]

Also featured in:

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Eggs & Bread

191 Wood St, Walthamstow, London E17 3NU, UK

Pay-what-you-can boiled eggs and bread. A great cafe with a conscience, where diners cook the eggs themselves, however they like.

191 Wood St, Walthamstow, London E17 3NU, UK
London’s best eggs include Eggs and Bread in Walthamstow Eggs & Bread [Official Photo]

Max's Sandwich Shop

19 Crouch Hill, Stroud Green, London N4 4AP, UK

Even the most kitchen-averse student knows that the difference between a good sandwich and a great sandwich is, more often than not, a fried egg. Max Halley’s creations are far better than the average butty, but the rule still stands. With melting chunks of slow braised ham hock, piquant homemade piccalilli, brittle shoestring fries, malt vinegar mayo and a crowning egg carefully layered between a couple of slices of springy-soft focaccia, this is a masterpiece of culinary construction.

19 Crouch Hill, Stroud Green, London N4 4AP, UK
020 7263 8759
020 7263 8759
annalawsoneats/Instagram

Black Axe Mangal

156 Canonbury Rd, London N1 2UP, UK

One of London’s most instantly-recognisable dishes, this jet-black flatbread is a sparkling testament to Lee Tiernan’s high-impact cooking. There’s squid ink, smoked cod’s roe and edible glitter to excite, but it’s the oozy dribble of yolk on the first bite that really carries this pile-up of flavours. Charred, gooey and seductive, it’s a dish that raises an eyebrow and provokes a smile.

156 Canonbury Rd, London N1 2UP, UK
blackaxemangal/Instagram

Milk Beach

19 Lonsdale Road Queen's Park, London NW6 6RA, UK

This Australian-inflected cafe-meets-wine-bar-meets-roastery hidden away down a Queens Park mews egg-cels itself at breakfast time. As well as scrambled, poached and fried orange-yolked Clarence Court eggs on buttered sourdough and a glorious Benedict, there’s a standout take on the nursery favourite of dippy eggs and soldiers: a jar of softly baked eggs, cream and sweet potato purée with fingers of toast for dunking.

19 Lonsdale Road Queen's Park, London NW6 6RA, UK
020 8144 8277
020 8144 8277
Instagram/Milk Beach

Bodega Rita's

Unit 114, Stable St, Kings Cross, London N1C 4DR, UK

Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce’s deli-slash-sandwich shop has proved to be one of the biggest draws at Coal Drops Yard – and a temple to egg excellence. For breakfast, order the white miso-scrambled eggs with sesame on a soft, buttery brioche bun. Come lunchtime, opt for The Highway Dan: a might medley of hot sauce-spiked egg mayo, celery and sesame seeds piled high on Dusty Knuckle potato sourdough. Well worth the eight napkins it takes to eat.

Unit 114, Stable St, Kings Cross, London N1C 4DR, UK
Instagram/Bodega Rita’s

BRAT

4 Redchurch St, London E1 6JL, UK

It’s pretty good going to have three paragraphs devoted to food in a Giles Coren review, so for that airtime to be afforded to an individual dish is quite the occasion. Shoreditch’s Brat may be built around its namesake turbot, but the chopped egg and bottarga is genius of a more understated nature. This ‘heroic dish’ sees the dried roe achieve its best self in the hands of Tomos Parry, supported by sturdy sourdough rye and, of course, an accomplished chopped egg salad.

4 Redchurch St, London E1 6JL, UK
BRAT [official photo]

Holborn Dining Room

252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN, UK

Callum Franklin has reached Insta-stardom with his showstopper pies, so it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that he knows his way around a scotch egg too. And, well, he does. The Monkshill Farm scotch egg at Holborn Dining Room is a past Scotch Egg Challenge champion, and acts accordingly. A crisp breadcrumb crust with juicy, well-seasoned meat cocooning a luscious runny-yolker; it’s unashamedly traditional and utterly exceptional.

252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN, UK
020 3747 8633
020 3747 8633
John Carey/Holborn Dining Room [official photo]

Barrafina

26-27 Dean St, Soho, London W1D 3LL, UK

The Barrafina tortilla is a final destination any egg would crave. Whether it’s laden with artichokes, cradling prawns and piquillo peppers or just being the inimitable classic, it’s a marvel at every location. Far from the stodgy one-note comfort of a good, but not great attempt, the Barrafina tortilla oozes class and flavour in equal measure: the contrast between the crisped potato exterior and that almost molten centre is as much an indicator of flawless technique as it is a joy to eat.

26-27 Dean St, Soho, London W1D 3LL, UK
020 7440 1456
020 7440 1456
Barrafina [official photo]

Hoppers Soho

49 Frith St, Soho, London W1D 4SG, UK

The optimum tool for dipping, scooping and mopping up a lamb shank kari? Yep, turns out it’s an egg. With a soothing, metallic yolk and blanketing white, eggs provide a natural foil for big spices. However, it’s when baked into the bottom of a fermented rice pancake basket that they reach their true potential. Hoppers’ signature egg hoppers are a classic example of a support act stealing the show.

49 Frith St, Soho, London W1D 4SG, UK
020 3319 8110
020 3319 8110
Hoppers [official photo]

Nopi

21-22 Warwick St, Soho, London W1B 5NE, UK

A good shakshuka provides a surprisingly tender, restorative whack of flavour, not to mention its position as ideal Instagram fodder. Yotam Ottolenghi’s empire is built on colourful blends of herbs, spices and vegetables, and they’re all present and correct in the shakshuka at Nopi. Anointed with smoked labneh and toasted foccacia, it more than warrants an early trip to Soho.

21-22 Warwick St, Soho, London W1B 5NE, UK
020 7494 9584
020 7494 9584
Keiko Oikawa/Nopi [official photo]

Sabor

35-37 Heddon St, Mayfair, London W1B 4BR, UK

Pulpo. Mullet. Sardines. Jamon Iberico. Rhubarb. All stunning. But when Nieves Barragan and Jose Etura’s Sabor started popping up on the ‘Gram, it was the humble camarones fritos that captured the collective imagination. Invitingly simple and novel in equal measure, it’s easy to understand why. Available on the bar menu, there’s overwhelming joy to be found in crisp and chewy miniature shrimp, the frazzled tang of a fried egg and smoky sweetness of a dusting of paprika. Pair with a cold drink for optimal eating.

35-37 Heddon St, Mayfair, London W1B 4BR, UK
020 3319 8130
020 3319 8130
Chris Terry/Sabor [official photo]

The Wolseley

160 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9EB, UK

A breakfast offering adored and immortalised by the late, great AA Gill, The Wolseley serves eggs every which way. Retaining its place on the lunch menu and available for order until midnight is the eggs Benedict. Everyone knows the score: English muffin, sliced ham and a perfectly poached egg drowning in a sharp, luscious hollandaise. With such a renowned classic there can be no room for error, but that’s of little concern here — there is really no better place for it.

160 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9EB, UK
020 7499 6996
020 7499 6996
thewolseley/Instagram

A. Wong

70 Wilton Rd, Pimlico, London SW1V 1DE, UK

The menu at A Wong hosts a number of dishes that justify a visit on their own. Among these — alongside xiao long bao, Sichuanese aubergines, rabbit puffs, stuffed chicken wings, the list really could go on — is the duck egg custard bun. Gloriously sweet, fragrant custard bursts from a pale, yielding dough with a crisped base, which adds an enticing crunch. Disclosure: to eat this dessert without spilling custard everywhere is tricky, but roll with it: it is also immensely pleasurable.

70 Wilton Rd, Pimlico, London SW1V 1DE, UK
020 7828 8931
020 7828 8931
A. Wong [official photo]