No need to scroll through your saved posts on Instagram when planning this weekend’s brunch. Instead, we’ve brought you our pick of the most beautifully botanical restaurants in London, so they’re always on hand for you and your friends.
What makes a restaurant in London utterly irresistible – the kind of irresistible that you screengrab a picture of it and Whatsapp it to a friend, caption reading: “oh my god we need to go here” immediately after laying eyes on it?
Well, chances are that it has a lot more to do with the vegetation on the walls than on the plate. Because, while the menu is important, our obsession with botanically beautiful brunch and dinner spots has reached the next level, with the bar resting higher than a hanging succulent.
Whether it be a pared back, scandi-style cafe with a splattering of greenery, or a full-on greenhouse experience, we love any eatery just a little bit more when there’s plants involved.
To keep you in the know, we’ve rounded up some of the prettiest and most petal-laden places in London, picking spots from all corners of the capital. So, whether you fancy a spot of afternoon tea, a bottomless brunch or just a casual bit to eat, we’ve got you covered.
Kym’s
Bank can be a tricky area to navigate. Its eerie quietness at the weekends might have you thinking it’s not worth the trip, but we can confidently assure you that for Kym’s, it is.
Although Kym’s is located in the sleekly modern Bloomberg Arcade, inside it feels full of atmosphere. Red lanterns hang from the ceiling, casting a rosy glow across the tables and the dark wood teamed with plush velvet seats create a sumptuous feel.
Our favourite feature, though, is of course the huge pink blossom tree which protrudes from behind the central bar. It’s so big that you can enjoy it whether you’re sat downstairs, or on the second-floor balcony. Plus, it makes a gorgeous background for a group snap to remember your evening.
Kym’s menu works on a sharing basis, with a selection of classic dishes, sides and smaller plates. We would recommend trying the truffled cheese wontons, pork and shrimp bao bao and the mince pie pineapple bun, which is doused in custard and weirdly moreish.
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Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals
With this one, the clue’s in the name. A whole house of botanicals awaits you when visiting Mr Fogg’s, a bar and restaurant themed on the adventures of a Victorian explorer.
Quite excitingly, the promise of flora and fauna is made good on as soon as you lay your peepers on the venue, of which the outside is covered with pastel blooms. Then, there are two floors and a glasshouse to explore, all serving a different purpose.
Downstairs is a great place for a casual drink, serving up experimental cocktails, each one housed in a different vessel with a unique flourish. While upstairs is a little more formal with floral-covered seating and eccentric wall panels.
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Sketch
Glimmering green wallpaper painted with scenes of foliage, moss-like carpet and rotating installations of hanging blooms, Sketch is the most immersive way to feel like you’re dining in a forest but in the heart of London.
This three-floor restaurant is legendary in the capital, with each room taking on a different wacky and wondrous theme, leaving you feeling like Alice who just fell down the rabbit hole.
Although we’d definitely recommend visiting the bright pink Gallery which serves the best afternoon tea in the city and the egg-shaped toilets (also found in Sketch), the Glade is the place for the botanically-obsessed. Not only is it beautiful, but the food and drinks are as experimental as the decor, with snacks served on dry ice that floats around you and cocktails with the most extravagant garnishes.
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B&H Buildings
Tucked away behind Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell is the beautiful B&H Buildings. Hero venue of Bourne & Hollingsworth, a group which specialises in themed events and aesthetically pleasing bars and restaurants (there’s three more in the city), this spot is perfect for both bottomless brunch and date night.
Thanks to the scandi-style white-washed floors and walls, the plants take centre stage next to the eccentric floral-printed chairs and garden furniture mash-up. The best bit, though, is the conservatory at the back where the leaves of hanging plants tickle the walls and the glass panes make you feel as if you’re having dinner in a Victorian glasshouse.
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Petersham Nurseries Cafe
Does it get much more botanical than having lunch in an actual nursery? Petersham Nurseries now has three restaurants, but the original in Richmond is our favourite. The cafe makes its home in a stretching glass house, filled with fashionably-faded green garden furniture and, of course, lots and lots of plants.
The food is made using the ‘Slow Food philosophy,’ an ideology which strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine, taking inspiration from Italy with lots of nutritious, plant-based options, suiting the venue nicely.
There’s also a shop on site (as is the same with the Covent Garden venues) where you can indulge your love of plants by stocking up some particularly pretty ones, as well as beautiful ornaments for your home and garden.
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Maître Choux
If pastel petals are the aim of your Instagram game, there can be no settling more worthy of the ‘Gram than Maître Choux.
Not only are the specialist patisserie’s sweet treats unbelievably photogenic (think eclairs decorated with everything from leopard print to pink glitter), the rest of their Chelsea store has been transformed with wall to ceiling flowers.
There are four locations in total, but the King’s Road store is the one to visit if flower power is your thing. Pop in for a quick nibble on their pastries or book for the afternoon tea.
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Feeling inspired to take London’s best venues by storm? Then check out our pick of the most romantic French restaurants in the capital, our definitive guide of London’s best rooftops and the best bottomless brunches going.
Images: Instagram / P.F. Chang’s Asian Table
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