Where To Find Elite Porridge In London This Autumn
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1 month ago
Oat cuisine
The humble bowl of oats has come a long way in recent years. While once a bland breakfast option, porridge is now well and truly in vogue: bowls have become works of art, crafted with fancy ingredients and accessorised with decorations galore. Renowned for their nutritious quality, jazzed up oats are now a staple on the menus of breakfast spots across London. We’ve rounded up the best places in town for porridge, guaranteed to warm your soul.
The Best Places for Porridge in London
- Vardo
- Oatis
- 26 Grains
- Rude Health Cafe
- Farm Girl
- Dishoom
- Darwin Brasserie
Vardo, Chelsea
On the hunt for some oats in Chelsea? Head to Vardo in Duke of York Square, a lovely breakfast spot which does a great bowl of porridge. Here the chefs mix up the classic bowl with Middle Eastern-inspired ingredients like black sesame, tahini, medjool dates and cinnamon to create a sweet yet smoky taste.
9 Duke Of York Square, London SW3 4LY, caravanandco.com
Oatis, Notting Hill
The clue’s in the name: this Notting Hill cafe is dedicated to all things oats. While porridge often sits more in the sweet breakfast category, here there are savoury bowls too: oats are topped with the likes of mushrooms and pesto, or even smoked salmon and avocado. Don’t knock it before you’ve tried it, but that doesn’t float your boat there’s a whole host of more conventional options too, like the signature Pink Lady, which includes ingredients like cinnamon baked apple, nut butter and chia seeds.
127 Queensway, London W2 4SJ, oatiscafe.com
26 Grains, Covent Garden
The Chanel of the porridge world, 26 Grains is the creation of Alex Hely-Hutchinson, who came up with the idea while studying in Copenhagen. Inspired by the Danes’ love for grains, she set out to spice up the British oat scene, opening a tiny open-fronted cafĂ© in pretty Neals Yard. With its wooden benches and blackboards, 26 Grains has the feel of an artisan workshop about it, even more so when you discover Alex rolls and flakes the oats herself. Offerings include an ever-changing menu of sweet and savoury porridge bowls, made with nut milks and spices and jazzed up with blitzed nut butters, homemade fruit compĂ´tes and coconut palm sugar. Currently, we’re loving the banana and tahini porridge, which is topped with sesame and cacao nibs.
1 Neal’s Yard, London WC2H 9AW; 26grains.com
Rude Health Café, Fulham
You’ll most likely have seen its breakfast goods lining the shelves at Whole Foods – but you might not know Rude Health has its very own café. A bright and airy spot tucked away in Fulham, oat experts at the Rude Health Café serve up perfectly warm, hearty bowls of sprouted porridge, made with almond milk and topped with your choice of fruit, granola, nuts, yoghurt, honey and seeds.
Kiln House, 212 New Kings Rd, London SW6 4NZ; rudehealth.com
Farm Girl, Multiple Locations
A pioneer of London’s healthy breakfast scene, Australian-inspired Farm Girl now has branches dotted around London, in locations like Paddington, Notting Hill and South Kensington. As with all of the restaurant’s dishes, its porridge features a plethora of the healthiest ingredients around, such as chia, Himalayan salt and turmeric – so you can get your superfood fix before the day has even begun.
Various locations; thefarmgirl.co.uk
Dishoom, Multiple Locations
A healthier alternative to bottomless prosecco, Dishoom offer unlimited refills of its medjool and date banana porridge. A recipe inspired by Mumbai’s Irani cafes, this oat concoction is sweet, smooth and filling.
Various locations; dishoom.com
Darwin Brasserie, the City
If you like your porridge with a view, head to Darwin Brasserie at the Sky Garden. Simple yet effective, here there’s a choice of either oat or coconut quinoa porridge, topped with berries, seeds and banana chips.
Level 36 Sky Garden, 20 Philpot Ln, London EC3M 8AF; skygarden.london
