Apple Butter Cafe Covent Garden

A great breakfast spot in central London. We walked in and waited around 30 to 40 minutes, but it was worth it. The food was really good. I had the falafel on brioche bread and my partner had the egg bagel. Both were delicious, but the real highlights were the lemonade and the coffee, absolutely perfect. We also shared a croissant, which was fine but nothing special. Overall, the breakfast was great, the service was lovely, and the setting was magnificent.

Well, it’s been a while since I wrote a review — especially a bad one — but I feel I have to take the initiative and protect my fellow foodies. After waiting 90 minutes in a line full of Gulf visitors (my people!), I should have taken the hint. Everyone was clearly working through the same TikTok “must-try” list. I don’t mind waiting — I once waited 120 minutes for gyoza in Kyoto and it was absolutely worth it. This, however, was not. The food was sub-par across the board. • The “special pancake” (they push it aggressively since it’s the only weekly flavor) is a failed imitation of the fluffy Japanese pancake. Instead of airy and cloud-like, it was dense, heavy, and borderline doughy. • The “melted cheese sandwich” arrived unmelted, soggy, and without the slightest hint of crispiness. • The halloumi and hash browns tasted like straight-from-the-freezer products. • The falafel… no comments. Overall: Overhyped. Underwhelming. Not worth the wait. TikTok made it famous, not the quality.

I wouldn’t recommend setting high expectations for trendy London food spots. My experience at Apple Butter Cafe was underwhelming. The smell inside the restaurant was unpleasant and made the space feel a bit suffocating. The food was average and didn’t justify the hype or popularity. On the positive side, the staff were polite, professional, and welcoming. We visited early, so it wasn’t crowded, but the prices were relatively high compared to similar breakfast cafés in London.