Diners' Choice: Café restaurants in London

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Café cuisine in London? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Charlotte's Cloud Chelsea

4.5

4.5 (69)

£25 and under

Café

Chelsea

About the restaurant

Charlotte's Cloud is a concept of an all-day-dining, neighbourhood brunch restaurant and café with an offer of breakfast, brunch, lunch, drinks, cocktails, takeaway and speciality coffee.

Top review

Carmen

Dined on May 25, 2025

The food was delicious and the service was really good. Thank you!

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Experience

Secure Your Large Party Reservation!

The Black Penny - Covent Garden

4.6

4.6 (80)

£25 and under

Café

Covent Garden

About the restaurant

The Black Penny Covent Garden is a unique and cosy café offering an all-day dining experience just a stone’s throw from the heart of Covent Garden. Characterful bare brick walls and relaxed atmosphere, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy gourmet brunch, fine wines, and crafted cocktails. Brunch is at the heart of what we do, and we're best known for our signature plates — The Hunter and The Gatherer — our delicious takes on the full English breakfast. Other favourites include the Wild Mushroom Polenta Hash, Salt Beef Hash, and Crispy Duck Hash. The Black Penny is a go-to destination for coffee lovers, brunch seekers, and casual diners alike. In the evenings, the mood shifts to a relaxed yet vibrant setting with an extensive wine and cocktail menu, as well as snacks and sharing boards ideal for unwinding or catching up with friends. We welcome you through our doors daily — so be sure to find a penny soon.

Top review

Joseph

Dined 6 days ago

The perfect spot for that relaxing brunch with tasty food, great service and well-priced.

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Experience

2 FOR 1 BRUNCH COCKTAILS

Experience

2 FOR 1 EVENING COCKTAILS

Archies

4.7

4.7 (103)

£25 and under

Café

Highgate

About the restaurant

A neighbourhood favourite, Archie's is a buzzy restaurant, plant shop and event space in Archway, specialising in brunch.

Top review

Enceegee

Dined on Mar 15, 2025

Great cafe away from the busy part of Highgate. Varied menu and friendly staff.

Afternoon Tea at Royal Lancaster London

4.7

4.7 (257)

£26 to £40

Café

Bayswater

About the restaurant

Welcome to A Blooming British Afternoon Tea in collaboration with the Natural History Museum; a floral-inspired twist on a quintessentially British tradition, in a celebration of the beautiful flowers and precious pollinators on our doorstep. Taking inspiration from artworks held within the Museum’s archives, their newly transformed gardens that provide a haven for people and wildlife and the idyllic 30-minute nature walk across leafy Hyde Park that brings us together, our talented pastry team have created a delightful menu that beautifully honours the elegance of British flora and fauna, using locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients.

Signature & Vegan Afternoon Tea served from 1.00pm to 4.00pm | £49 Monday to Friday | £55 Saturday & Sunday

Children’s Afternoon Tea (12 and under) | £30 Monday to Sunday

Top review

Mark

Dined 7 days ago

We booked a Afternoon Tea at the Royal Lancaster and it was a pure delight. The food was amazing and the service was top notch. Even in the little details you find quality and perfection which shows how much they care about the experience and their customers. Book this Afternoon Tea and visit the Natural History Museum afterwards for a great day in London.

The Black Penny Southbank

4.4

4.4 (53)

£25 and under

Café

Lambeth

About the restaurant

Welcome to The Black Penny Southbank — your go-to spot for freshly prepared brunch, vibrant salads, speciality coffee, and classic-to-creative cocktails. We’re known for our gourmet brunch, featuring signature dishes like The Hunter and The Gatherer — our twist on the full English — as well as Wild Mushroom Polenta Hash, Salt Beef, and Crispy Duck hashes. Come evening, enjoy our all-day dining menu and unwind in our stylish cocktail bar. With antique-inspired interiors, upbeat music, and attentive service, we’re a standout in Southbank’s newest development by the London Eye. Committed to sustainability, we proudly partner with some of London’s best producers. Come and find a penny soon.

Top review

Hayley

Dined on May 24, 2025

This is such a lovely place the food is good quality, fresh and cooked+presented well, the staff are so friendly and helpful nothing is ever to much trouble, it is pretty average pricing for the southbank London area, average of £20-25 per person for a meal and drink.

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Experience

2 FOR 1 BRUNCH COCKTAILS

Experience

2 FOR 1 EVENING COCKTAILS

Friends of Ours at Serpentine (Hyde Park)

4.5

4.5 (20)

£25 and under

Café

Kensington

About the restaurant

Friends Of Ours at Serpentine is a vibrant, all-day restaurant, housed in the spectacular Magazine building designed by Zaha Hadid. Taking culinary inspiration from every corner of the world, we offer inventive dishes that appeal to all the senses. Executive chef, Stephanie Jones, has created a brunch and lunch menu that takes classic dishes and propels them to new heights with unique flavours and surprising combinations. We also do amazing things with eggs and our coffee is out of this world!
Whether you are looking for a comfortable spot to enjoy a working lunch or somewhere special to go for your Sunday brunch (with a Mimosa on the side!), we've got you covered.
You'll find us nestled in the heart of Hyde Park, attached to the Serpentine North gallery and easily accessible from South Kensington, Hyde Park Corner or Lancaster Gate.

Top review

Shelley

Dined on May 29, 2025

The food was excellent, the art talk was dull and his English was quite poor

TAB x TAB

4.6

4.6 (42)

£25 and under

Café

Bayswater

About the restaurant

Brunch, cocktails, specialty tea and coffee.

Small seasonal brunch menu using fresh and vibrant ingredients "TAB X TAB is unlike any cafe I have been in London. It’s sleek, it’s minimalistic, and one of the few places that puts so much attention to detail from their food all the way to the plates underneath, yet also manages to make it a approachable, relaxing space” @thelazyfoodie

- Good to Know -

A portion of our tables is held for drop-in diners, if there are no reservations available online do come-by.
Kitchen closes at 3PM and cafe closes at 4PM daily.

The returning time for your table is 90 minutes.

If you are looking to reserve for a group more than 4 people, please email reservations@tabxtab.com
Thank you and look forward to welcoming you.

Top review

Shenai

Dined on May 10, 2025

Incredible service, amazing food and a wonderful flat white!

Grind Greenwich

4.2

4.2 (73)

£25 and under

Café

Greenwich

About the restaurant

Greenwich Grind is an all-day restaurant and cocktail bar in historic Greenwich, just moments from the market and the Cutty Sark. It's the perfect space for drinking and dining, whether you're enjoying a bottomless brunch or evening cocktails. Our beautiful conservatory offers a bright, relaxed setting, and we also have a private bar available for hire—ideal for parties, events, and special occasions.

Top review

Kath

Dined 7 days ago

Lovely, but the music was very loud. We asked for it to be turned down, but we’re told it couldn’t be turned down as it the volume was set externally? Shame, as it was very good otherwise.

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The Black Penny Sloane Square

3.9

3.9 (19)

£25 and under

Café

Chelsea

About the restaurant

Enjoy speciality coffees, freshly prepared breakfast, brunch, small plates and sharing boards. Pair with a glass of wine or a cocktail from our extensive menu in the heart of Sloane Square at our Duke of York Square branch. With a large terrace you can also enjoy al fresco dining. Signature dishes include 'The Hunter' & 'The Gatherer', which is our take on the full English breakfast. Other signature dishes include 'Wild Mushroom Polenta Hash', 'Salt Beef' and 'Crispy Duck' hashes. If its all-day dining you are after, why not try our Roasted Marinated Beetroot or our Salmon Nicoise Salad.
The Black Penny values sustainability, therefore we work closely with London's best companies to ensure we meet these values. We welcome you through our doors each day, so be sure to 'find a penny' soon.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on May 23, 2025

Great food & staff very reasonably priced. Really enjoyed it 😀

The Breakfast Club - St Pancras

3.9

3.9 (20)

£25 and under

Café

King's Cross

About the restaurant

A caf taking care of the the early morning commuter breakfast, the excitable ‘I’m off to Disneyland’ breakfast, the romantic breakfast before they get down on one knee. A caf that’s not just about breakfast, a caf that also serves up both lunch & dinner. A caf that’s perfect for one pint & then a ‘one for the road’ pint. A caf that takes you from sunrise to sunset, to work & home & beyond.

Top review

Laurel

Dined on May 13, 2025

Great birthday dinner in a quiet space with friendly and attentive staff. Left to chat without being rushed out of the restaurant. Food was good quality and excellent portion size. Thank you ☺️

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