"Milk is among the best spots for food in Balham full stop. There will be a queue at weekends, though staff bring coffee while you wait and the outside is a very nice place to sit and people-watch when it’s warm. Everything at brunch is made with the same attention to detail that most restaurants reserve for fancy dinners—the seasonal specials are killer, and the tonkatsu fish sando is something special too. We rate the toasties at their sister spot, Milk Run, too." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna
"Milk Run is a charming little bakery between Balham and Tooting with a shiny counter of puffed croissants and cream-filled cruffins worth getting excited about. But it’s the toasties, which are all halal, that make this place really special. Our favourite is a tie between the gooey mac and cheese with thick, truffle mayo, and the spicy piri piri chicken toastie that comes with an excellent tangy, buffalo-esque ‘lazer butter’ sauce." - rianne shlebak
"For all your post-doggy paddle pastry and silky flat white needs, there's Milk Run in Balham. This brunch spot has a few indoor tables and a perfect counter spread of baked goods. The fillings change often, but if the flaky banana cheesecake cruffin is on, get it. Still, everything here is golden and crispy, so you can’t go far wrong." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, sinead cranna
"Milk Run—the smaller, less hyped, but equally lovely sibling to Milk—is a charming little bakery between Balham and Tooting with a shiny counter of puffed croissants and cream-filled cruffins. But the toasties are what’s really special. They’re all halal, and our favourite is a tie between the gooey mac and cheese with thick, truffle mayo, and the spicy piri piri chicken toastie with an excellent tangy, buffalo-esque ‘lazer butter’ sauce." - rianne shlebak, jake missing, heidi lauth beasley
"Milk Run is the little sibling of Milk, a Balham brunch spot famed for its queues and excellent specials, and the food at this bakery in between Balham and Tooting is exciting too. Although you’re less likely to find queues down the street, you will probably have to stay alert if you want one of their few indoor tables. You’ll find prams, shiny croissant flakes on almost every table, and solo bakery enthusiasts getting all googly-eyed over the perfect counter spread. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch If you’d rather not wait for a table inside, then eating one of their gooey, hot toasties on one of their outdoor sharing tables will warm you up anyway. They’ve got five toasties to choose from—our favourite is the mac and cheese with a thick, truffle mayo. The piri piri chicken toasties are cheesy, spicy, and a very close second. Plus, it comes with an excellent tangy, buffalo-esque sauce called ‘lazer butter’. Milk Run is one of the best breakfast and lunch options in the area, and once you’re full on toasties, turn to one of their sweet pastries—we really like the flaky banana cheesecake cruffin (if it's on) with a silky flat white. Food Rundown photo credit: Rianne Shlebak Mac & Cheese Toastie, Truffle Mayo Dip Mac and cheese-filled things can sometimes be dry or stodgy, but this was neither of those things. With a perfectly gooey filling, with orange cheese oozing out of any gaps in the sourdough, this ultra-cheesy, savoury toastie is made even better with the creamy truffle mayo. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Piri Piri Chicken, Lazer Butter Dip We’re fans of Frank’s buffalo hot sauce, and the homemade lazer butter dip that comes with the spicy chicken toastie tastes like a better version. It’s thick, buttery, and should be on every bite of this toastie. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Pastries The fillings change but the pastries are always golden and crispy on the outside. If they've got a cruffin on the counter, get it. They're usually filled with some sort of delicious cream." - Rianne Shlebak