Towpath Is A Neighbourhood Cafe Caught in the Hype

Towpath in Haggerston has become one of those London brunch spots that is impossible to get into, because of the hype. It’s a tiny canal-side cafe, that’s only open part of the year, offering seasonal food and a changing menu, with a no-reservations policy. 

So when one of the first sunny days of the year arrives, brunch by the canal feels like the obvious move. And because we don’t need to fight for a reservation, we pick one Saturday morning to start the trek to Towpath Haggerston. 

Like any good brunch rendezvous, we’re here to catch up over coffee and let the conversation wander as lazily as the boats drifting past on the Regent’s Canal.

And so, we cross London, and join the end of the queue.  

Twenty minutes later, finally seated, the question becomes unavoidable: is brunch at Towpath actually worth the queue?

Quick info on Towpath Haggerston

• Restaurant: Towpath
• Location: Haggerston
• Vibe: Tiny seasonal canal-side café, no bookings
• Menu: Regularly changing seasonal breakfast & lunch plates
• Must order: Merinda tomatoes with mojo verde
• Skip: eggs bhurjy, rhubarb cordial
• Would I queue again? No

Find out more in the full Towpath Haggerston review below.

The seasonal, changing Towpath brunch menu 

Towpath restaurant is made up of four small canal-side hatches, with tables spread across the canal-side pavement. One of those hatches is a kitchen, one where the drinks are made, and the third is a pantry.  

One of the charms of Towpath Cafe is that the menu isn’t fixed. It’s chalked up, seasonal, and shifts regularly.

On the morning we visit, the breakfast/brunch menu includes porridge with muscovado sugar, granola with poached rhubarb and grilled cheese sandwichs.

It’s a menu that leaves things simple.

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The dish that justifies the hype

The Merinda tomatoes with mojo verde are the star of our Towpath review.

They arrive looking almost modest, with slivers of red, yellow and green tomatoes layered over a vivid green sauce, all on top of toasted sourdough.

But the first bite changes everything.

Merinda tomatoes, grown in the salty soils of Sicily, are prized for their intense flavour and crunch. Here, they taste electric, being juicy, bright, lightly briny and very refreshing.

Then there’s the mojo verde, filled with anchovies, capers and garlic whipped into a sharp, zesty green sauce that lifts the tomatoes into something even more dynamic.

It’s a simple thing that is beautifully done, using lovely ingredients. 

If you’re coming to Towpath Haggerston for brunch or breakfast, order this.

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The dish that is not worth crossing London for

Next up: eggs bhurjy.

On paper, I love the idea of the eggs bhurjy, featuring Indian-style scrambled eggs with spice and warmth, served on toasted sourdough.

In reality? They’re fine – soft, mildly spiced, but oddly flat. After the vibrancy of the tomatoes, this dish feels homogenous, and a bit of slog. There’s no brightness, or oomph that pushes you to take another bite.

They aren’t bad eggs. But to queue twenty minutes and cross London for them feels disproportionate.

And that, really, is the tension at the heart of the hype that surrounds Towpath restaurant.

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Are human errors allowed at quasi-Godlike cafes?

Next up we try the fried eggs with sage – apparently Towpath’s most popular breakfast.

They feature two sunny side up eggs, glossed with browned butter, crispy sage leaves scattered across the top, flecks of chilli adding warmth. It’s comforting and rich, and the sage gives it a little flourish.

But (and this feels small but matters) the sourdough is either cut too thick or toasted too much. Whatever the case may be, it’s murder to try to cut it up with a standard butter knife. And I don’t fancy chipping a tooth. 

It’s just normal human error, nothing crazily wrong, but annoying following the 20 minute queue.

And now the drinks

The cappuccino is smooth and balanced, exactly what you want on a sunny canal morning.

The iced latte, on the other hand, lacks punch. It might be the ice that’s suffocating the depth of this particular coffee, which leans a bit too milky. 

The rhubarb cordial with sparkling water sounds promising, especially on a warm day, but it doesn’t quite fizz with the energy you expect. It’s a touch muted.

So, Is Brunch at Towpath worth the queue?

Here’s where we land. Towpath Haggerston is lovely. 

Sitting by the canal, sunlight flickering on the water, catching up with friends while cyclists glide past. It’s one of London’s nicest settings for a slow morning.

The food is thoughtful and competent, occasionally excellent.

But is it worth a twenty-minute queue and a cross-city trek? For us, no.

And that’s not a takedown of Towpath as a restaurant. It’s more a reflection of what happens when a small neighbourhood cafe becomes a social media destination.

Towpath Cafe was designed to serve people wandering along the canal. In that context, it’s charming and perfectly pitched.

But with the overhyping, expectations inflate beyond what a plate of eggs can reasonably carry.

If I lived nearby and strolled past an empty table? I’d sit down happily.

Would I queue again? No.

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Address – 42 De Beauvoir Cres, London N1 5SB
Nearest Tube – Haggerston