Embassy East

best brunch place in London! delicious food and very nice staff. They have a new special every week which is fantastic with only the freshest ingredients.

As ever East London never fails to provide a hipster-eatery, and Embassy East truly fits this title. With excellently made breakfasts, good prices and even better coffee, Embassy East is a haven for food lovers on the bustling Hoxton Market Street. Hey, we even spied Mr Russell Brand popping in for a spot of brekkie.

Aside from my hipster generalisms (sorry), Embassy East is actually a lovely breakfast spot. The menu is refreshingly simple yet packed with little surprises such as haggis, eggs menemem and sardines on toast. Prices range from £3 for caramelised grapefruit to £10 for eggs and meat (more on that later).

We visited on a cold and rainy Saturday morning, nearly missing the swish wooden sign that hangs over the door. We were greeted by a some-what hung over/ill Chris who showed us to our window seat and presented the menus. After a quick look-over the menu we chose: 1 flat white, 1 cappuccino, 1x eggs and meat, and 1 special of Iberico ham with pea butter, poached eggs and asparagus. The special was obviously for me - gotta get the greens into each meal somehow!

The coffees arrived swiftly in super pretty pastel mugs. This isn't something I normally noticed but in the right light the contrast of the cup and the coffee was really very pretty. My cappuccino was lovely and smooth, owing to the fact I forgot to say 'skinny', with a kick of coffee richness. Alex's flat white was velvety in texture too again with a strong hit of coffee flavour. These did go cold pretty quickly but that may be due to the window seat.

About 15-20 minutes later the food arrived - and boy did it arrive. The portion sizes and presentation at Embassy East are both commendable and surprising perhaps for the price tag and area. As I said I chose the special. Having the addition of aspsaragus was a touch odd as it is way out of season, but this along with the pea butter (kind of like mashed peas on toast) and watercress gave a freshness to the dish. The ham was buttery soft with a rich, meaty flavour which worked well with the freshness of the greens. The egg was like, beyond perfect, seriously I love a good poached egg. The yolk flavour with the pea butter was also really tasty.

Now from the dainty-green-prettiness of my very tasty breakfast and onto what Tom Kerridge would call the 'very manly' eggs and meat. There's not much beyond 'eggs and meat' that one can really say about this dish; it is quite literally full of those two things. The egg was perfectly poached like mine alongside sweet roasted tomato for a hint of healthy. The dish gained a good hit of spice from haggis crumble and salty notes from the piles of crisp bacon. I don't think I've been to a breakfast that gave as much bacon as Embassy East, so thank you guys for that! Having the sausages cut into chunks gave more texture as they were crispy all round. This dish was, in Alex's words, "a true meat feast" and very tasty!

Overall I am very much looking forward to going back to Embassy East. I feel if you have a mammoth hangover or a big day ahead, the portions and flavours available at breakfast will definitely set you up for the day. Be sure to wander down Hoxton Market and Columbia Road if you visit on a Sunday.

Nice chilled cafe, great coffee and one of my fav places for scrambled eggs!

Nice small breakfast place where you can see the kitchen. Quite chill place with good vibes. The food is excellent (the bread especially), they are doing original recipes and it is filling too. They have really appealing cakes. The price is OK: eggs and meat (lot of bacon strips, sausages, two poached eggs, haggis, succulent bread piece and roasted tomato) for £10 and a French press for 3.5. I recommend it for a good brunch.

Been going here for over 3 years, since they first opened. Good to know that as they grow they haven't lost sight of the most important thing: flavour. Good food, basic, unfussy, generous portion. Laid back service that's friendly but not in your face. Willingness to mingle and welcome the local community so it's not all just posh hipsters or the occasion celeb, and never ever projecting the vibe that they're too cool for you, as so many east London cafes are. My home away from home.

I am addicted to this cafe, I go nearly every day. The coffee is amazing, the atmosphere even more so. But it is the food that makes me keep coming back. Salmon & poached eggs is my favourite. I hope you will go. The blokes in there aren't half bad neither.

Excellent coffee. Flats whites are poured perfectly. Toasted sour dough with bacon and egg make a great brunch option too. Seats by the window are nice for people watching.