Regency Cafe

"London’s most famous, best-looking, and most-photographed cafe is the Regency. The legendary Westminster spot is just as popular with tourists as it is with locals. They serve sandwiches, burgers, and pastas, but it’s really the English breakfast deal that you want. Sides of black pudding and bubble and squeak at just over a quid each are a big yes." - jake missing, daisy meager, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak

"This much-photographed Westminster caff has been around since 1946, but it’s no snoozy museum piece. Every morning 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”. Tables are turned quickly—dithering is not welcomed here—and food often makes it to the pass for you to collect before you make it back to your table. The fry-ups, bacon sandwiches, and teas and coffees sloshed into white mugs are comfort food, with even more comforting prices." - jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, daisy meager

"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

"The Regency is London’s most famous and most photographed old-school cafe. It’s also the city’s loudest. Orders are yelled across the beige tiled dining room with blood curdling abandon, although nothing about the bacon and blood pudding here is threatening. A full English is made with generous and precise expertise—not too greasy, nor too much—and an unconventional addition of hash browns always goes down a treat. It’s as much a London landmark as nearby Buckingham Palace and Big Ben." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley

"The legendary Westminster cafe is just as popular with tourists as it is with blokes named Terry. One thing that never changes inside its beautiful black tiled exterior is the blood-curdling cries that match the colour of the floor. “FULL ENGLISH! Double eggs! Extra black pudding!”. A fried breakfast here is never not an event." - rianne shlebak, jake missing, sinead cranna