"If you have a nervous disposition, visiting Regency Cafe is like exposure therapy, just with the added benefit of a fry-up at the end. There is a strict ordering system (queue before sitting, collect your own food) and there is Claudia, calling out orders with a volume and directness usually reserved for generals rallying troops on a battlefield. Dithering is not welcomed here. Neither are protestations about cholesterol. Instead, come for a good-value, tasty breakfast around Westminster, or with a gaggle of bemused tourists who want a caff experience. photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch This much-photographed and filmed spot has been around since 1946, but it’s no snoozy museum piece. Every morning, except Sundays, a mix of tourists, suits, and solo diners in fluorescent jackets pour over plates of eggs and broadsheets from 7am, while steadfastly ignoring Claudia’s battle cry of “FULL ENGLISH, BEANS, ALL THE EXTRAS”. It’s bustling, happy chaos. Tables are turned quickly, the soundtrack is scraping forks, and your food often makes it to the pass before you make it back to your table. The menu—fry-ups, bacon sandwiches, steak pies, specials like chicken curry, usually with tea or coffee sloshed into a white mug—isn’t going to be the best version of that dish you’ve ever had. But it's comforting food, with even more comforting prices. Plus, eating here is cheaper than getting a theatre ticket, and you get just as much of a show. Food Rundown photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch Set Breakfast Deal You get an egg, two rashers of bacon, a sausage, and then beans OR tomatoes, bread OR toast, and tea OR coffee. Note the passive aggressive capitals. Have your order down by the time you reach the front of the queue to avoid a stern glance. The egg is runny, the bacon is crisp. For £8.95 we have no complaints. video credit: Emily Hai Tea The way this—very average—tea is sloshed into a mug reminds us of our mum being kind of mad at us but also kind of worried we aren’t hydrated enough. It deserves a shout out." - Sinéad Cranna
