Chunnel Bar

"If you’re hopping on the train at Waterloo, you can’t live on crumpled packets of Walkers alone. Head to Chunnel Bar for a substantial breakfast before your journey. It’s a straightforward caff serving excellent fry-ups and milky brews, and their meaty, herby sausages have reached local legend status. The chatty owners take on familial roles, questioning why you haven’t eaten your fourth slice of toast. Inside it’s comfortingly old-fashioned, with wipe-clean seats and a TV that everybody ignores. But grab one of the wooden benches that spill out onto the street if the weather’s nice, and watch Lower Marsh rumble to life." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley, sinead cranna

"Chunnel Bar is a straightforward Waterloo caff with meaty, herby sausages that have reached local legend status—for good reason. The white toast is soft and buttery, and the owners take on familial roles, questioning why you haven’t eaten your fourth slice. Plus the bacon is thick and smoky. For a bit of a fuss and a big, tasty meal, it doesn't get much better than this. Grab one of the wooden benches that spill out onto the street if the weather’s nice first thing, and watch Lower Marsh rumble into life. " - rianne shlebak, jake missing, sinead cranna

"Chunnel Bar is a straightforward Waterloo caff serving excellent fry-ups and milky brews, and their meaty, herby sausages have reached local legend status—for good reason. The exterior is shiny and big-bus-red, but the inside is still comfortingly old-fashioned, with wipe-clean seats and a TV that everybody ignores. The owners take on familial roles, questioning why you haven’t eaten your fourth slice of toast. For a bit of a fuss and a big, tasty meal, it doesn't get much better than this. Grab one of the wooden benches that spill out onto the street if the weather’s nice first thing, and watch Lower Marsh rumble into life. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch" - Sinéad Cranna

"A canteen-like spot on Waterloo’s Lower Marsh Road, Balance does a great, healthy lunch in the area. The move is to get one of their hefty salad boxes. The counter is a spread of big bowls, filled with saucy tahini-covered cauliflower mountains and refreshing Greek salads. They change daily but there’s always enough variation to suit everybody, and if there’s something with cauliflower or chickpeas, it’s usually a good bet. Get a mango smoothie as well and take your whole lunch to go." - heidi lauth beasley, daisy meager, sinead cranna, jake missing, rianne shlebak