“I’m A Food Journalist — Here Are My Top 5 Bread Baskets In London”

There is a scientific reason why we are given bread at restaurants. It may sound counterintuitive, as you’d think that bread fills you up, leading to a lesser need to spend more money on more plates, but it is just the opposite. Bread releases serotonin into the brain while spiking our blood sugar. This is followed by a swift crash, leaving us searching for that same high whilst our appetites are stimulated from the drop, ultimately leading to a larger order and a bigger ticket for the restaurant. 

We can take this one of two ways: view it as a bummer that we’ve been chemically manipulated by a bread basket, or we can embrace it, take advantage of said bread. I, for one, am a huge proponent of the bread basket. As it is expected that restaurants either hand them out for free (a part of the charade) or list them in their small plates section, the bread basket has evolved into a highly competitive dish. Here are my favourites in the city, seeing that there’s an abundance to choose from. 

1. Best affordable bread

The Devonshire, Soho

I am often at a crossroads with The Devonshire. Do I think it should have been awarded best gastro pub in the UK? I’m not entirely sure. Would I rather ditch the finance-bro crowds that flock to the corner facade like seagulls? Absolutely. Is the Guinness really that much better? Yup. I put this in the affordable section because their set menu is — I mean, actually is — phenomenal value. 3 courses for £29 in one of London’s most prominent dining rooms is quite literally a bargain. 

Famously, their starting bread is glorious; I am here to back that claim. To me, some things are beautiful, worthy of no refinements; one of those things is a fluffy, salty, buttered dinner roll. You win this time, Devonshire. 

Where: The Devonshire, 17 Denman St, London W1D 7HW
Website: www.devonshiresoho.co.uk

2. Best expensive bread

The Eagle, Farringdon

There is something pleasantly chaotic about dining at The Eagle. It’s another one that shows up on many a “Best Pubs in London” girlie Instagram reel, though it’s also filled with day-drinking dads. A wonderful intersection of modern-day notoriety and old-school loyalty. The food is comfortably homely, pork chops, lentils, fish on the grill, steak sandwiches, and thick-cut, fluffy bread sawed by the servers at the bar, crumbs congregating in the area surrounding. The bread is served not with salt or butter, but with coarsely ground black pepper. There’s a rustic appeal, a simple charm, an almost Italian hillside presentation about it, but the pub food does cost a pretty penny (worth every cent). At least the basket’s free. 

Where: 159 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3AL
Website: www.theeaglefarringdon.co.uk

3. Best new(ish) bread

Alta, Soho

Alta opened in September last year. I went around the opening, and again recently; both times, the dishes blew me away for one specific reason: sauces. This is coming from a sauce girl, and I know there are people out there who aren’t particularly invested in sauces, but Alta is a masterclass in them. It is for this reason that you cannot visit Alta without ordering bread & butter. Each dish, once the hero is cleared from the plate, presents an entirely new experience in the act of sweeping fresh bread across the plate. Venison and beetroot turns to beetroot drenched bread. Sea bream crudo turns to mandarin and kumquat on toast. Heaven. 

Read our full list of London’s Best Basque restaurants

Where: Ground Floor, Kingly Ct, Carnaby, London W1B 5PW
Website: www.alta-restaurant.com

4. Best looking bread

Noble Rot, Lamb’s Conduit

Al fresco at Noble Rot Lamb’s Conduit is a favourite place of mine to pull down my sunglasses, hold my glass by the stem, and people-watch as the undercover fashion icons strut from cheese stores to wine stores to jewellery stores. Upon every routine visit, my best friend and I consistently agree: this is the best bread basket in London. In all honesty, my perfect order is this. Bread and butter, olives, croquettes, some sort of leafy salad, a bottle of Chin Chin and a Madeleine. That would make me happy, you, too, probably. 

Read our full list of London’s Best Wine Bars

Where: 51 Lamb’s Conduit St, London WC1N 3NB
Website: www.noblerot.co.uk

5. Honourable mention

Dishoom Permit Room, Notting Hill

I don’t know if this counts, but I’m counting it. The Dishoom Permit Room cheese naan is one of my favourite bread baskets in London — is that wrong of me? Steaming hot, it barrels out of the kitchen, hopefully alongside paneer and a black daal, the perfect ratio of dough to cheese, the perfect vessel for any Indian dish, and the perfect satiation between sips of a clarified mango lassi featuring rum.

Read our full list of London’s Best Indian restaurants

Where: 186 Portobello Rd, London W11 1LA
Website: www.permitroom.co.uk