Brunch at Granger and Co Notting Hill is a mixed experience

It’s a rainy London morning and the brunch craving has hit. Suddenly, we need soft, folded eggs, syrup-drenched pancakes, and that holy combination of good coffee and weekend leisure. We make our way to Granger and Co in Notting Hill, a neighbourhood classic so wildly popular that it doesn’t take reservations.

You show up, queue for a few minutes, and eventually find yourself seated among a crowd of eager diners. We’ve been twice now. The first visit left us glowing. The second leaves us thinking – maybe brunch at Granger and Co Notting Hill is too successful for its own good.

Quick info – Granger and Co, Notting Hill

• Restaurant: Granger and Co
• Location: Notting Hill
• Known for: Aussie-style brunch, no-reservations policy
• Best thing to order: ricotta hotcakes, grilled cheese with green kimchi
• What to skip: scrambled eggs, poached eggs

Read our Granger and Co restaurant review to find out more.

When popularity becomes a problem

Granger and Co is a brunch beast. The restaurant seems to always be packed, the queue never far behind. Their brunch menu in Notting Hill is full of things that sparkle on paper. Things like coconut bread with butter, eggs every which way, hot smoked trout, sourdough from Dusty Knuckle. It all sounds dreamy.

But with no reservations and sky-high turnover, the brunch model depends on speed. Orders are taken quickly and food arrives within minutes. And while this might sound efficient, it comes at a cost.

We notice it on our second visit. The scrambled eggs, which looks plump and inviting, eat more like a hotel buffet egg. They are dense, cool, and beginning to turn rubbery. The poached eggs on ‘The Fresh Aussie’ are a mixed bag too. One is perfectly oozy, the other completely overcooked.

It’s only after the second visit that the cracks on the Granger and Co brunch menu start to show.

This is food cooked for efficiency, not intimacy. A high-volume operation where eggs might sit for longer than they should, toast isn’t hot enough to melt butter, and timing is sometimes sacrificed for speed.

And the push to turn tables isn’t subtle either. We watch the table next to ours get approached three separate times and asked to finish up, because ‘lots of people are waiting at the door’. The message is clear, to eat quickly and then go.

Read more
Eel Sushi Bar Notting Hill (and how easy it is to order badly)

What to order at Granger and Co Notting Hill

The ricotta hotcakes

The ricotta hotcakes at Granger and Co are, without question, a standout dish on the brunch menu. They’re fluffy in the centre, very slightly crisp at the edges, and come with banana and a honeycomb butter that melts like a dream.

This is the one of the best things to order from the brunch menu. Don’t forget to pair it with the impeccable coffee at Granger and Co.

Read more
A Saturday Brunch at Tab x Tab, Notting Hill

The grilled cheese and green kimchi toast

The grilled cheese with kimchi is another winner on the Granger and Co menu. It’s a flavour bomb, defined by the sour tang of the kimchi against bubbling cheese, all anchored on a slab of excellent sourdough.

We add a side of sunny-side-up eggs (these are seemingly freshly cooked on both our visits, thankfully) and mop up the yolks with whatever toast is left. This is the dish that makes you want to come back.

What not to order (unless you like disappointment)

Scrambled eggs on toast

The scrambled eggs look great, and seem to be popular from what we can tell on TikTok. However, the eating of them is a different story.

These are not the silken, slow-stirred eggs of your dreams. With a fork through them, you being to see that they’re not fresh out of a cooking pot. You know that texture scrambled eggs get when they’ve been sitting a while? That’s what’s happening here.

And it’s a real shame, because when fresh, I’m sure these eggs are much better. They’re also criminally under-seasoned. If, for some reason, you hanker for airport eggs, get these.

Read more
The Best Coffee Shops & Cafes in Notting Hill According to TikTok

The Fresh Aussie

This dish should be amazing. It’s got smoked trout, avo, kale, poached eggs, sourdough – all the makings of a classic.

But one egg is overcooked, the toast isn’t hot enough, and the butter just sits there unmelted. There’s a spark here, but it’s dulled by the execution.

Granger and Co menu strategy (what to skip and what to order)

Based on two visits and four dishes, the strategy is this: order things that don’t rely on precision timing or fresh cooking.

Pancakes and open toasts seem to be safer bets. Scrambled and poached eggs? Avoid unless you’re willing to risk the buffet effect. Grilled halloumi is okay but again, suffers when it’s not fresh off the heat.

Final thoughts – is brunch at Granger and Co still worth it?

Granger and Co Notting Hill is worth visiting, with caveats. Come for the ricotta hotcakes and the kimchi cheese toast. But skip anything that relies on eggs cooked to order.

The brunch machine here is a high-efficiency operation. The aim is to keep tables moving, and the food inevitably suffers in that equation.

Having said all that, there’s no denying the success of Granger and Co. It’s a popular brunch spot in Notting Hill for a reason. But with success comes volume, and with volume comes compromise.

If you know what to order (and what to avoid) on the menu, you can still enjoy the experience. Just don’t expect every dish to be made with care because, at Granger and Co in Notting Hill, that doesn’t seem to be what they’re optimising for.

Read more
The Ultimate List of What To Eat in London in a Week

Granger and Co Notting Hill, London
Address – 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB
Nearest Tube – Notting Hill