Albion

Top notch breakkie spot — have their sweet potato hash with poached eggs, you won’t regret it! Casual ambience, unique area, great service. What else?

Northern? Missing Yorkshire tea? Or do you just love the breakfast comfort food? Answered yes to any of these question? Then get yourself down to Albion.
You’d be mistaken to think this East London gem is just for locals, or would do terribly fancy breakfast foods you’ve never heard of before.
What Albion do best are the classics. Their sausage baps are on point, with the much loved additions like a drippy fried egg, bacon, the works. Being a Yorkshire lass, I was skeptical as I looked over the menu. Sausage bap, you say? I’m going to judge you heavily on how well you do this. Gotta say, in addition to the friendly staff, delicious coffee and reasonably priced options; they really smashed it out the park with my favorite breakfast treat. Not a chewy bit to be found, the sausages were perfectly cooked and well seasoned — really need to find out where they source them from and stock up my fridge at home.
Nothern or not, if you’re missing classic, amazingly done and decent sized portions you should really add this place to your list of regular breakfast spots.
You’ll find them tucked behind Shoreditch House, just opposite the overground and next to A.P.C — perfect for some post-​food shopping.
Albion, I love you.

I bought a sandwich that is 80% bread and prepared hastily for terrible result. Cool people, not great food and a bit overpriced.

I didn’t get a chance to eat here because it was so busy so had to settle for a little coffee and cake take out to enjoy out in the sun thankfully. They have a lovely selection of stuff in the shop as you enter. I bought some local cider, rose lemonade and assortment of cakes which I enjoyed.

Just popped in for a quick breakfast. I had a flat white and porridge with dates. All was yummy and service was great.

One of my favourite places to eat in London. I was taken here by an old friend when I first moved and fell in love. Never a fan of a greasy spoon, this is my kind of caff. Go here if you’re looking for classic British food (great breakfasts, huge sandwiches, sausage and mash, pie, etc. etc.) — it’s got the right combination of modern British and nostalgia.
There’s usually a queue so if you can’t be bothered to wait for a table then you should definitely buy things from the deli at the front to take away. ANY of the cakes are delicious, the bread is a winner too. Obviously you have to buy the giant cookie too. Obviously.

Places like these make it difficult to keep your new year’s resolve of losing weight. Albion had the most amazing collection of baked goods that you’ll find hard to resist. And the fact that it is just a short walk away from my place of work means that I’m making my way here every morning for an early croissant.
Best things on the menu:
* the almond croissant, which I maintain is the best in London
* the coronation chicken sandwich, filling, yummy, and the bread’s delicious
* macaroons
* the giant cookie

Great place with high quality produce and ingredients. I ate on the ground floor where they serve classic British food that is absolutely delicious. The staff and service are impeccable and never without a smile.

I stumbled upon this place after a Sunday evening movie at the Electric Cinema on Redchurch Street. We wanted to grab a bite afterward, and unfortunately as it was a Sunday, there weren’t too many options available. I have heard great things about the brunch here, but had never considered it for dinner. After a brief look at the menu, we agreed to dine here simply because we were starving.
We got the cheese straws to start and I ordered the half pint of prawns, while my friend got the roast venison. He asked the waitress if that was enough food, and she said the venison didn’t come with much, so he ordered chips as well, but when the food came it was definitely too much with the chips. The venison was beautifully pink and came with a large pile of roasted root vegetables.
The cheese straws were delicious and had a great herb mix in them, and also came served in a little mountain of at least 15. My prawns were pretty disappointing, as they were quite small, and the restaurant didn’t have cocktail sauce available so I passed on the mayo and settled on dipping it in lemon juice. i definitely wouldn’t recommend them. I had the same dish at The Well in Clerkenwell and I found that far superior.
I didn’t particularly enjoy my experience here, but from what I’m told, brunch is the star of the show (and attracts long queues), so that could be a reason for a return trip.

Amazing food, came for breakfast after visiting the flower market on Columbia road.
Be prepared to queue. I wouldn’t recommend large groups.
Had duck eggs on toast… lovely.
Only negative… The knives weren’t very sharp to cut food.
Only a slight negative.

I’ve been coming here for four or five years, though it has been a while since my last visit, and the food is really great — well presented and has found a good balance between modern and nostalgic, set in a lovely space but the service is never great but is, at least, consistent in this regard.
Had a lovely juice, coffee, fruit salad and sausage sandwich but the service is inattentive though polite.

Nice spot to grab a great meal. They have really interestingly setup tables for one (which was me!) So that was cool and less awkward I guess.
Had the kedgeree, mushy peas and their sauvignon blanc wine. All 3 were excellent and the server explained the kedgeree to me also.
Overall a nice place for a meal in a mellow environment.

This is one of those places that doesn’t do anything fancy per-​se, but they completely nail the basics so it just doesn’t matter. For example, their cheese and tomato sandwich just reminds you how good «just» a sandwich can be. Saying that, I really don’t know why I keep coming back as every time I get the most sullen and moody service. Perhaps I’m not dressed up enough. Still, a fan.

We went there for a late breakfast during a weekday and found seats in the sun, which was lovely since it was quite chilly out already.
The staff was very friendly and we had a laugh about changing tables several times to achieve the optimal sun exposure.
We ordered an omelette, two flat whites and a coronation chicken sandwich with chips.
As it was coming on to lunch time, there were already some business luncheons going on and we could observe the creative crowd munching on salads or fish & chips — the latter looked amazing, a huge portion that I would not have been able to manage.
I was not able to manage my food either, by the way, as the coronation chicken sandwich turned out to be two sandwiches, made out of lovely white bread, with the coronation chicken itself being very tasty. What I loved most however about the meal were the chips — chunky, with the skin still on, and — I believe — cooked in the oven. You might guess that the chips had something to do with me not finishing off the sandwich — yup, I guess you’re right! But: have a look at the other sandwich half I took home with me — this is definitely not for beginners!
To round off the meal I had a glass of rosé wine which was lovely.
I have not seen much of the interior, although passing through on my way to the bathroom I did observe the place and found it to be very nicely done, with white being the dominating colour, and lots of food on display, as the Albion serves as a bakery, too. I could have purchased bread, danish and lots of cake on the spot, it all looked so delicious. Surely one of the most popular spots in Shoreditch, and rightly so.

Une adresse en plein Shoreditch quartier branché et dynamique à Londres qu’on né pourra oublier.
Pour les brunchs surtout, mais aussi pour la patisserie, les boissons chaudes et les légumes bios!
Ce lieu conceptuel où tout semble beau et frais est un adorable temple de la consommation organique.
Allez-​y, on est très bien accueilli. Le design est épuré et sobre, et on voit la cuisine !
Move on ! go !

In a Nutshell: A trendy resto in a very trendy area that surprisingly delivers on food quality (and top-​notch people watching).
There’s the Boundary Hotel and its posh Rooftop Bar above… and Shoreditch House across the street. I was a tad nervous that I’d get stuck in some overly pretentious East End douchery at the Albion, but the ambience (though still very much hip) struck the right balance. My fellow photographer friend and I were lucky to snag al fresco lunchtime seats (it gets busy around here) and the proximity to all the street activity and passerby fashions on Boundary/​Redchurch street was worth the price in itself.
On to the food: The menu is very British, and dishes were listed with minimal description. That made me a tad nervous. My recommendation is to ask your waiter what they’d recommend, for the «Rabbit in Mustard Cream» wouldn’t have been my first choice… but dammit it was good. The actual presentation of the meal was tremendously more attractive than the terse text on the menu. It would be the best rabbit dish I’ve ever tasted (others have been too gamey for my preference), and the mustard cream was well-​balanced, appeasing my fears of a tangy onslaught all over the meat. For dessert we split a rhubarb crumble, which came with a lovely warmed custard to help neuter the sweet punch of the rhubarb flavor. Add to the mix good tea, affordable wine and unfussy service, and you have one of my more delightful restaurant experiences in London of the summer.
The Albion may just have converted this reluctant American into liking British fare.
Golden Tip: Come early, and if you can get a seat outside (especially when the weather is excellent) DO SO.

Pour des super Breakfast ou Brunch !
Ici c’est bon, c’est beau et bio !
Dans l’entrée, les produits frais, bio, pardon organic, et les pains, les viennoiseries et autres plaisirs sucrés.
En avançant, c’est la partie resto: De grandes tables à partager avec une déco moderne et très sympa. La cuisine ouverte amèné la vie mais aussi le bruit. Une clientèle variée de jeunes et de moins jeunes qui viennent manger rapidement ou prendre un peu plus de temps.
L’Albion breakfast est très copieux et permet de bien commencer la journée. Service rapide et sympa.
Donc oui oui oui !

Nette Atmosphäre. Sehr beschränkte Brunch Karte. Croissants waren schon um Elf aus. Kaffee durchschnittlich. Unflexible Küche: Ham und Pilze können nicht ins Rühreie — da es schon vorgefertigt ist. Überteuert. Breakfastclub oder Ozone ist um Welten besser und abwechslungsreicher.

One of the best places in Shoreditch to go if you’re looking for a delicious little Sunday brunch. Make sure to get there early though because they stop serving breakfast around noon and the queue is quite long (but very well worth it).
We ordered a latte, cappuccino, muesli with yogurt and berry compote and cheesy focaccia with onions. Absolutely delicious. It hits the spot if you’re looking for a divine way to start off your day.
The atmosphere is wonderful as well. We sat at a wooden communal table and were surrounded by lots of lovely people who were all catching up and looking for a delicious brunch just as we were.
On our way out, we couldn’t help but grab a loaf of bread to-​go. I highly recommend doing so! Nothing beats the aroma of freshly baked bread.
I highly recommend popping by!

Sunday Brunch! YAYAYAYAYAYA!
We chose the Abion as one of my friends got a «20%-off-in-January-if-you-give-us-your-email» card. And who can say no to 20% off? Seriously?
I must give kudos to their patience (even though there was a queue). A member of our party didn’t show up, so we sat for quite a while before we ordered food and they were completely fine with us just having a tea and nattering for an hour.
On to brunch, which I personally found incredibly disappointing, probably because the words «healthy and low fat» doesn’t really figure into my vocab. Other words that don’t fit in my vocab and personally grate and offend me? «Not properly crisped food that should have some crisp»
So having a whole hour to shifty eye the restaurant, I managed to nixed a lot of menu items: bacon– not streaky. Nixed. Toast– under browned. Nixed. Promising sweet potato hash– no sign of crispiness (admittedly this is on the «healthy» menu and my friends had it and enjoyed it. My personal comment? I might make sweet potato latkas soon, but now I’m thinking smashed sweet potatoes would work better). Nixed.
I settled on an omlette. Coz who f’ups omlettes? Well. Evidently East-​London-​Fash-​Pack-​Brunch places. Seriously. If I wanted a rubbery airplane food style anemic omelette, I would have eaten one on the plane last week. Which was a shame, because the filling in the omelette was good (though, seriously I also didn’t need a whole side of ham in it).
So, please, Albion. Next time, try heating up those pans properly, put a splash of oil in those pans and give us food that deserves to be eaten, and not nixed.
*2 ½ stars up to 3 due to 20% off and also said patience of staff. Also because they had Aesop products in the bathroom.

Not impressed by their breakfast, not at all…
You do get a nice view of Redchurch St and all the hipsters and east enders strolling around in their vintage outfits… But when it comes to food, this place was a disappointment.
The crab omelet was a let down by how ‘airplane’ or should I say air ‘plain’ it tasted and looked like on my plate. It was sad. Not to mention the price I had to pay for a sad plate. My side broccoli was mediocre, cooked till soft, but that’s easy. Their other breakfast menu items are just standard, such as yogurt and other types of scrambled eggs and pastries.
The sandwiches are huge, a bit more impressive I guess. But a sandwich is a sandwich, it’s easy as well.
The only thing I would recommend from here is their to-​go bread and pastries inside the restaurant.
Well well well, it is east london, so it’s gotta be pretentious.

I’ve now been here 3x. It’s a solid 3.5−4 stars, but based on the sandwich value I’m going to round up…
Sandwiches: Basically for the price of 1 sandwich (6.95) you get 2 sandwiches. Literally, 4 slices of bread and each an individual large sandwich. I thought it might be a mistake the first time (salmon/​cream cheese) but I got the tomato and cheddar last night in the same formation. It’s quite a deal, especially if you are hungry.
The service is always a bit lethargic. The menu lacks descriptions — none of the menu items has any indication of what it might be, might come with, or any details. I guess do your best? This seems like it might be an easy fix, especially when some of the items are quite foreign, even to my British dining companion. Pssst, Kedegree is a beautiful thing, just for the record.
It’s caught somewhere between «nice restaurant» and «café style.» It’s got a relaxed vibe and there are always mountains of pastries and cookies and pies flowing out from the large kitchen. It’s almost as if its a large commercial bakery with a restaurant sat in front of it. A row of outside tables for when the sun may be shining, and a sweet little market with plenty of great «quick» takeaways, ingredients, vegetables, fruits and other delicacies. It won’t come cheap, but really — what does?
They have Fentiman’s Lemonade, so my life was happy.
All in all, I suggest it more for a breakfast or lunch and elsewhere for dinner (the menu doesn’t really change regardless) — but a solid spot with some promise shown. If they spiffed the menu a bit and put some pep in their step, this place could be shiny.

Qui a dit que la gastronomie britannique n’existait pas? Pour ceux qui en douteraient vous devriez essayer ce restaurant dont la carte né se limite pas au seul Fish and chips. L’endroit est très agréable et une épicerie attenante permet d’acheter des produits alimentaires fabriqués sur l’île.

Service: EXCELLENT (yes, even in the UK, service can be stellar)!
Food: EXCELLENT
Atmosphere: Lively, but peaceful between meal times… perfect place for mid-​morning or mid-​afternoon tea, coffee and pastries.
They were busy, and they didn’t pressure me to order or to leave once I was done… so I took my time with my tea and read.
I really liked my waitress (the one that looks like Scarlett Johansson) because she was patient and super helpful with choosing one of my last meals on my latest trip to London.
I ordered a new menu option which was a stewed beef… amazingly tender and flavorful without being to salty. This place definitely proves that English food and customer service can be excellent.
I also bought some scones on my way out — which were delicious.