Inexpensive but Nice place for brunch / tea in London?

[52andblue]

Does this even exist?

A friend has offered to treat me to Brunch or Lunch or Afternoon Tea at the end of this month, and told me to choose.
I really don't want to choose something expensive as they are paying.
We only meet once a year so really want to enjoy it. It needs to be central London, which I don't know well & I imagine prices are high.

I like the idea of brunch at 10am (I could offer to pay?) and Afternoon Tea at 3 (we have 10-6 as a time slot) but I imagine Tea is wildly expensive even if not in a 5* hotel with fizz (we don't need it to be this glamorous, just not Greggs...) .

Any suggestions for a country mouse like me please?

I had brunch at Giraffe by the royal festival hall, pretty reasonable sat outside looking at the Thames.

For afternoon tea i usually go to patisserie Valerie - download a coupon eg group on for additional savings or buy carefully from group on for a hotel (but check availability carefully before you buy for both).

The Wolseley is good for afternoon tea, around £30 a head.

@motogogo
I shall look at group on, thank you.
I really live in the sticks (so have never even been to Nandos!) so I expect Patisserie Valerie would be fine by me but my friend is a bit more cosmopolitan so might want something fancier so I shall look at The Wolseley too - thank you @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie

Anyone else still up with any ideas?

Fortnum and Mason, Harrods Food Hall or Selfridges Food Hall are all lovely. F&M’s teas are lush considering how inexpensive they are.

Ole and Steen Leicester Square

oleandsteen.co.uk

Bills? Cheap and cheerful

National gallery has a nice restaurant for brunch. Added bonus you can look at some paintings on the way. Or firmdale hotels are good for afternoon tea. Try Refuel in Soho . Balans on Old Compton St still the best for atmosphere and eggs benedict though. Then make your way to Bar Italia. A Soho institution.Hope you have a lovely time!

Ham yard hotel in soho for afternoon tea, think it’s about £25 a head - has a nice outside space too if the weather is nice

Going to a national chain would be a tragedy during a special trip to London. You can do that anywhere.

You really need to get an idea of budget from your friend, and maybe some ideas if they know London better than you. It's not a nice thing to do to put someone in the position of having to choose from so many options when they don't know what they all offer.

Also, one person's criminally expensive is another's dirt cheap. For example, a PP describes F&M tea as 'inexpensive' but the website says it's £62.50 pp, which I think is quite a lot. I'm sure it is very nice, a great experience and you wouldn't need dinner, but still.

I'd go for a mezze brunch/lunch and maybe just have tea and cake later. I can remember a great Turkish restaurant somewhere in the Regent Street area, the food was great and just kept coming, and it wouldn't have been expensive as we were there on a work trip and my employer isn't particularly generous with expenses but it was literally about 15-20 years so who's to know if it's still there now.

Depending on what kind of food you like, Dishoom’s brunch is lovely. Caravan do a good brunch, in Kings Cross or Exmouth Market. More expensive but also more of an event is Duck and Waffle in the Heron Tower on Bishopsgate.

It sounds like you find the prospect of choosing quite stressful, though, which makes it much less of a treat. Why don’t you go back to your friend and ask them to choose the location?

@BarbaraofSeville I agree. Also, I’d like to add, having a budget would help give a better idea of suggestions because

Posted too soon

because it will give an idea of how much you can or want to spend.

In normal times I'd suggest The Wallace Collection (art gallery in Manchester Square, north of the Selfridge's end of Oxford Street). There's a restaurant in the covered courtyard - it not expensive and the surroundings are lovely. You would need to book a timed ticket to the gallery to get in (it's free).

www.wallacecollection.org/visit/food-and-drink/

Not sure if the menu is online.

Good morning :)

Yes I am finding choosing a bit difficult as my friend is paying and I feel awkward about that so want to choose something not too expensive. I have the idea that I could pay for Brunch and them for Tea or vice versa. I couldn't afford more than £50 tops for both of us for one of those so wouldnt want to go over that for their contribution. Tricky thing is, they don't know London either. Somewhere very very central is good as we are both travelling in (a long way for me, from Edinburgh, therefore my travel is expensive so leaves less for the food) just for the day.
The main thing is we get to meet for the 1st time in nearly 2 years but yes somewhere to have, say, eggs benedict and decent coffee, then later a substantial Tea & Cake in nice calm surroundings would be great. I'm also disabled - I don't use a wheelchair so don't need a ramp but double crutches so don't want to walk miles - a nice comfy quiet seat would be perfect - otherwise we'd make a fancy picnic but I don't think I can sit on the grass for that long & it might pour (not tea!)
thanks for all the lovely suggestions. I nearly ran away in embarrassment last night after I looked at the lovely Fortnums suggestion - thanks @Ozanj - it looks very special but is a bit out of my budget (my fault for not stating it entirely!)

If £50 is your total budget for everything you may struggle. Might be better to go to a market. Borough Market is great and there is disabled access from London Bridge & if you can’t manage the walk to the river the staff / stall managers there are usually good at turfing people off seats to let you sit down.

Where in London are you going to be? There are so many brunch options

Are you coming in to Kings X? Where is your friend travelling in to?

@Ozanj

If £50 is your total budget for everything you may struggle. Might be better to go to a market. Borough Market is great and there is disabled access from London Bridge & if you can’t manage the walk to the river the staff / stall managers there are usually good at turfing people off seats to let you sit down.

I was going to suggest Borough before I realised that the OP walks with two crutches, and probably isn't going to enjoy strolling around a crowded place where the main enjoyment is choosing what to eat from a number of stalls, rather than trying to find somewhere to perch to eat whatever it is. (Obviously there are also restaurants with seating at Borough, but that brings us back to the same issue...)

OP, I think the key thing is what you are planning on doing besides eating/what part of London you are going to be in? What are you going to do between brunch and and tea? How are you getting around -- taxi? Public transport?

I went to Borough on two crutches so have experience. It’s much more accessible then almost anywhere else in London (except for Harrods where they offered me a wheelchair and even to push it while I shopped lol).

I enjoy brunch at The Good Egg www.thegoodegg.co/ in Carnaby Street, a short walk from Oxford Circus station (not sure about step free access there, sorry).
It's on the ground floor and the staff are lovely. Plenty of shops nearby if you fancy a wander.

@Ozanj

I went to Borough on two crutches so have experience. It’s much more accessible then almost anywhere else in London (except for Harrods where they offered me a wheelchair and even to push it while I shopped lol).

I've been there myself on crutches, actually though it was when I was recovering from a leg break, so I wasn't a habitual or practiced user and I mostly found it uncomfortable to move around in the crowds compared to the way I used to be without crutches. Plus I was using both my hands, so couldn't pick up things to eat from various stalls and graze while walking around.

Having said that, I no longer live in London, and maybe Borough has added more seating since I was last there -- this was when most people ended up sitting in the grounds of Southwark Cathedral.

It’s not bad at the moment. The stall assistants / managers have always been willing to turf out people if disabled or less abled people need seating, but lately due to covid restrictions it seems they are even more willing to do so. There is plenty of seating at the front and picnic seating dotted around. Central London just seems like a nicer place lately; I guess because all the non-Londoners aren’t commuting in any more lol

@Ozanj

It’s not bad at the moment. The stall assistants / managers have always been willing to turf out people if disabled or less abled people need seating, but lately due to covid restrictions it seems they are even more willing to do so. There is plenty of seating at the front and picnic seating dotted around. Central London just seems like a nicer place lately; I guess because all the non-Londoners aren’t commuting in any more lol

You're making me nostalgic now. I loved living in London, and schlepping home on the tube with shopping from Borough.

Balans in Soho does a really good brunch and it’s not too expensive at all