The Toast the City Awards are here to celebrate the very best in hospitality of placemaking in the Square Mile. On the eve of the big night, we are highlighting each of the 138 finalists who have beaten off competition from more than 2,000 entrants.
First up is the Best Breakfast category, a hotly contested prize that celebrates the very best early morning dining options in the City of London. To find out who has won check the Toast the City website tomorrow.
The Wolseley City
The Wolseley City treats breakfast like a daily ritual, not a bolt-on. The room has that soft morning glow, service is crisp, and coffee lands before you ask. It works for early meetings, celebratory starts and solo pauses with a paper. The menu reads classic but the operation feels modern, with timings that respect a diary that never stops. On the Toast the City shortlist for best breakfast, it shows how the City of London likes to begin a day – quietly confident, properly looked after, always ready for a second pot.
Millie’s Lounge at The Ned
Millie’s Lounge at The Ned brings the hotel breakfast playbook to Bank – long tables, generous booths, a pace that can sprint or stroll. Staff understand the difference between a 30-minute briefing and a morning off, and the room keeps its composure either way. You come for consistency, you stay for the ease of an all-day space that never feels tired. As a best breakfast contender it makes a simple case for hospitality in the Square Mile – polished welcome, steady timing, a bill that appears when you need to move.
1 Lombard Street
A City cornerstone that still knows how to open a day, 1 Lombard Street mixes banking-hall grandeur with a kitchen that runs on time. The room flatters first impressions, the service team reads a table well, and the coffee machine never seems to rest. It suits sign-offs, catch-ups and that rare hour you keep for yourself. Earning its place on the Toast the City list, it proves that breakfast can carry weight without becoming heavy – clear choices, quick delivery, a calm step back into the morning.
The Fortnum’s Bar & Restaurant
At the Royal Exchange, Fortnum’s brings retail gloss to a breakfast that feels measured rather than showy. The counters gleam, the service is alert, and the room makes short work of early business. Teas arrive with quiet ceremony, coffee keeps pace, and the offer is broad enough to suit most diaries. As a finalist for best breakfast it captures a City of London mood – efficient, well mannered, confident enough to keep things classic when everyone else is chasing noise.
Where’s Fred’s
Where’s Fred’s understands that not every morning needs a boardroom. It is comfortable, good-looking, and quick to settle you in with something proper to drink. Laptops are tolerated, conversations are encouraged, and the staff remember faces. It has become a reliable bolt-hole near Bank for people who want a soft start before the rush. Recognised by Toast the City, it shows how the Square Mile now mixes independent character with grown-up service – no fuss, no drag, just a clean run into the day.
Yolk
Yolk does City mornings at speed without losing standards. Ordering is simple, the team moves with purpose, and the result lands hot and on schedule. It works for commuters who refuse to accept average, for teams that want to meet standing up, for anyone who values a five-minute turnaround that still feels considered. Shortlisted for best breakfast, it reflects a modern Square Mile – direct, quality-minded, set up for people who like results before nine.
Birley Sandwiches
Birley is muscle memory for City breakfast – quick lines, sharp knives, staff who already know what you want. The bread is right, the coffee is dependable, the price is clear, and you are out of the door in time to beat the inbox. It has powered mornings for years and still feels relevant because it keeps the promise of speed with care. Its nod from Toast the City is for exactly that – a daily service that runs well when the clock is winning.
Nora’s Cafe
Nora’s is the neighbourhood note within the Square Mile – straightforward, friendly, the kind of place that remembers how you take tea. It draws regulars, welcomes newcomers, and never confuses fuss with service. Tables turn because people go to work, not because anyone is pushed. As a best breakfast nominee it shows that the City of London still values simple virtues – warm greeting, fair pricing, timing that lets you make the train or the meeting without a rush.
Smithfield Cafe
Smithfield Cafe keeps hours that make sense for a market postcode and a City that starts early. The room is compact, the welcome is easy, and the routine is well drilled. It suits trades, teams and anyone who prefers straightforward to scene-setting. On the Toast the City slate it stands for continuity – the breakfast that does its job, the staff who know their regulars, the comfort of a seat that feels familiar even on a first visit.
Piccolo Bar
Piccolo Bar is small in footprint, big on purpose. You order, you sit, you get what you came for with minimal ceremony and no delay. The coffee is the anchor, the counter work is tidy, and the atmosphere is the right side of lively. It is a practical answer to busy mornings near the office. Recognised among the City’s best breakfasts, it proves that service and pace still count for more than frills – a quick start, a clear head, and a better day on the other side.