The best brunch in Hackney

With a name like “The Breakfast Club”, you're probably not surprised to hear that they take the first meal of the day pretty seriously here. This award-winning café takes it up a notch when it comes to breakfast and brunch, with a menu stuffed with every kind of breakfast dish you can imagine. Talk about a brunch of champions – from a classic Full Monty and all-American stacks of fluffy pancakes to brekky burgers and burritos.

Brunswick East know how to put on a show when it comes to brunch. This popular Hackney spot has its own sky farm on the premises, where they grow all sorts of fresh produce to use in their dishes, which are inspired by a variety of international cuisines. They also serve a selection of baked goods made at their bakehouse, like spinach and feta croissants or cardamom and lemon buns. They also serve breakfast buns, poached eggs, salads, and other more substantial dishes.

It's totally fair if you want to go to Mare Street Market solely for the vibes; it's quirky, eccentrically decorated with hanging light fixtures and jungle-like plants, and a trendy hipster crowd adds to the air of coolness. Plus, if you swing by on the weekend, there's usually a live DJ spinning fresh tracks. There's a separate weekend brunch menu full of classics like toasted English muffins with a sausage patty, fried eggs, and sourdough pizza. They don't slack on drinks either – draught beers, cider, cocktails, and spirits make sure there's something for every kind of brunch mood.

With a motto like “brunch is king”, it's fair to expect big things from the husband-and-wife duo at Hash E8. This Hackney brunch hotspot specialises in all-day dining that claims to cure all hangovers. Expect dishes like chorizo and sweet potato hash, bacon French toasties, and buttermilk pancakes doused in maple syrup, with gasp-inducing sides like a bucket of bacon drizzled in maple syrup. It's a homely, simple spot with a handful of seats and blackboards scrawled with the menu items.

You'll find E5 Bakehouse nestled between three railway arches in Hackney, where they use locally sourced ingredients to craft a menu of fresh, delicious baked goods. This artisan organic bakery sells bread made from heritage wheat, cookies, pastries, brownies, and more. It has a separate breakfast and brunch menu, featuring dishes like halloumi buns with harissa scrambled eggs or seasonal jam on toast. The space is trendy and stylish, exactly as you'd expect from an East London establishment.

Well Street Kitchen is a small, friendly café serving tasty brunch in Hackney's historic Well Street Market. They use only the freshest produce for all their dishes, including their brunch menu, which includes dishes like baked eggs with asparagus and wild garlic or BBQ pork on corn tortillas with sriracha scrambled eggs. The café is small and cosy, with black-and-white chequered tables and a handful of seats.

Having racked up baking experience by supplying some of London's best restaurants with bread, The Snapery opened this public-facing location in Hackney, The bakery and café has a spacious outdoor area where you can sit and enjoy a dedicated brunch menu or load up on freshly baked pastries and other goodies. Dogs are very welcome here as well.

El Ganso Café, run by a top Valencian chef, is a go-to hangout on Broadway Market. The spot serves up a rotating line-up of tapas and chef specials made with fresh seasonal ingredients, alongside a well-stocked bar of Spanish wines and spirits. Mornings bring brunch with a Spanish twist, and the team also offers full catering. For those who like to people-watch, there's alfresco seating out front.

Lardo is a fashionable Hackney hangout serving modern Italian comfort food in a stripped-back, industrial-style setting, complete with a glittering disco ball pizza oven. On weekends, they serve a brunch menu serving classic dishes with signature house twists, accompanied by speciality coffee, loose-leaf teas, and other drinks. The restaurant is buzzy, bright, and welcoming.

A welcoming local café and kitchen, Aya & Suki is all about plant-based cooking rooted in the flavours of the Eastern Mediterranean. Steering clear of mass-produced fare, they champion time-honoured, handmade dishes prepared with thoughtfully sourced local ingredients. They serve a menu of nourishing dishes like shakshuka or batata harra hash, with plenty of fully vegan brunch options too.