Business & breakfast
To me, business and breakfast go hand in hand. It is my favourite meal to eat out. There is still something so decadent about it. After years as a child, growing up eating a range of cereals from a bowl sat at a breakfast bar, to sit in the glamours surroundings of a restaurant, eating way more food than you would on an average morning it evokes feelings of being successfully stylish to me.
I love to meet friends for breakfast, I love to take clients breakfast, I love to sit by myself and Mindstorm ideas and I love, love, love, to mastermind over breakfast. To sit with a group of amazing female entrepreneurs and mastermind ideas sets you up for the most inspiring day.
So I thought I would give you five of my favourites. Four are in London and one gets a special mention.
The Wolseley – Piccadilly
This restaurant is the epitome of decadence, it is absolutely one of my favourites. I have been coming here for years for breakfast. It was designed to have a European cafe feel and is like dining in the 1920s. The wait staff are impeccably dressed and discreet, the silver teapots, the china, the crisply laundered linen all take you back to a bygone era. The service is always amazing, nothing is ever too much trouble and is made to be part of the experience. It is often frequented by the those in the arts and media so you may often recognise a famous face sat next to whilst you tuck into your Eggs Benedict.
The food is always of good quality and they have a large selection from a bowl of Muesli to Fried Haggis and Duck Eggs with a Whisky Sauce, to cater to all tastes and appetites and budgets. Their lattes are some of my favourites in London and I am a little partial to their French Toast.
I have had many a lovely breakfast here with friends but as this is all about the business, it is a very impressive place to wow clients and secure that all important deal.
Things to note: It is open from 7am, which is a lot earlier than other restaurants that open for breakfast, you must book as it is always busy. There is a time limit but you don’t feel rushed and I have never been asked to move on but just be aware.
You can find out more www.thewolseley.com
Barbecoa – Piccadilly London
Just a little further down from the Wolseley you will come to Jamie Oliver’s steakhouse and BBQ restaurant Barbecoa. I would start to frequent this before others realise how good it is. The staff here are amazing, the food is lovely and they will just let you be and sit for as long as you like. We were there once for the duration of someone’s shift and half of this website was built by the amazing @londonwebgirl in this restaurant.
There is a grand basement downstairs which really showcases the restaurant. Breakfast is served upstairs which creates a very friendly atomsphere. It is quiet and you don’t feel like everyone is sat on top of you so it is a great place for a breakfast mastermind meeting.
The breakfast menu is really nice and there is always a little twist to each item. Although there are a lot of meat options because of the theme of the restaurant there are many options if that is not to your taste. In fact, my usual breakfast of choice would be a traditional English but on more than one occasion I have had the Porridge with Cinnamon and Double cream which has always been divine.
Things to note: Whilst there is another Barbecoa in St Paul it does not open for breakfast. If you book ask for a booth they are a bit more suited to a roundtable discussion.
You can find out more www.barbecoa.com
Bills – Covent Garden – London
There are many Bills across the country, but this is my favourite and despite it being a chain they seem to be able to create an individual atmosphere in each location. The restaurant is located in St Martin’s Courtyard which is a really pretty place, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Convent Garden but close enough that you can do a little stationery shopping in Muji and Kikki.K afterwards. (That is another blog post).
The staff are super friendly and accommodating. There is a specific table I like which is upstairs by the window and even on days when they don’t open the upstairs early they will also accommodate if you ask. But please don’t ask for my table on a day I am going, that is mine. Again another restaurant where you are not rushed and allowed time to enjoy your food and a constant stream of drinks. I have sat for hours with the lovely @londonwebgirl and @nicolawordswoth masterminding ideas. It was in the restaurant the decision was taken to create angelaharkness.com. So it has a special place in my heart. This is also a great restaurant for you to sit by yourself catching up on work and formulating ideas.
There is nothing stand out about the menu but the food is always good and high quality. I just throughly enjoy it when I come here, I even arrive a little early and sit in the courtyard watching the world go by.
Things to note: Opens at 8am for breakfast, advise you book and sit upstairs. (Again unless I am going, please don’t take my favourite table).
You can find more information – www.bills-website.co.uk
Aces Hotel – Shoreditch High Street – London
I came across this location because of the wonderful @nicolawordsworth. We needed to find a location where she could bring her dog Stan and this one came up. Well what a treat. You eat in the Hoi Polloi restaurant in the hotel, which also houses a large reception area and a coffee shop and the ethos of the hotel is to encourage people to come and work there so after 10am the reception area is full of Mac Airs and young entrepreneurs trying to take over the world.
The staff live up to this ethos and allow you to sit, eat and work away. They always treat Stan like he is a king, a water bowl is presented as soon as he walks in and they happily provide a couple of sausages for him to eat. The food is lovely, I am still dreaming of the crispy, layered potatoes that came with my English Breakfast. It is a hotel for the young so they cater to the more clean eating so there are a lot of fabulous smoothies to choose from.
I have had both mastermind meetings here and met with clients and on all occasions we sat for both breakfast and had lunch with no pressure to eat or drink. I have not had a bad dish or drink in this restaurant.
Things to note: You can not book a booth so get there early as they are the best seats. Also their website is a bit rubbish so it is bit difficult to find the menu on line. But it is well worth the effort to figure it out.
To find out more www.acehotel.com
Monty’s Place – Windsor
This one is a bit out but I had to include it because I have put the world to rights with @londonwebgirl here We have planned, startigised and come up with ideas in this little cafe. There is nothing special about this cafe, other than it is in the gorgeous town of Windsor and that it is out of the way of the tourists. So whilst busy, the food is always good and again you can sit here and not feel pressured to move on.
Things to note: There is no need to book just turn up and sit yourself down
To find out more www.montyscafe.co.uk
My final thoughts
The reason why I mentioned Monty’s is I have given you my favourite place for breakfast and you can make one of the above yours as well. It is good to have places in your contact list, your own favourite places, one for client meetings, one for masterminding and a place you can take yourself, sit quietly and comfortable in your own thoughts.
If you have not yet enjoyed the power of business over breakfast then you should because, in my opinion, there is no better start to a day and I hope the choices able will help you find a special location.
If you agree with me on the power of a business breakfast let me know where your favourite places are.
What great places you’ve picked angela! There’s no doubt in my mind that all places are tip top! I love a breakfast meeting !