The Best Cafes in Balham, Greater London, United Kingdom (2025)

Coffee is fab and the guys that work here are so nice! They are always so friendly and kind. They are super quick as well- so always time to get a coffee if you are rushing for a train or just passing! 5 stars all round!

I am a regular visitor to this wonderful café and I am consistently impressed. The service is outstanding! The baristas who work in the morning always greet you with a smile and set a positive tone for the day. The atmosphere is friendly and cozy, making each visit a true pleasure. I especially want to highlight the coffee — it is simply delightful! Every sip is a treat with its rich aromas and flavors. The desserts are also top-notch: fresh, appetizing, and very tasty. If you're looking for a place to enjoy excellent coffee and a positive atmosphere, this café is the perfect choice!

Great coffee and friendly staff. Loyalty card is a plus. Will definitely be coming again before hopping on the train. Highly recommend.

Tasty and fresh food! My breakfast croissant was amazing - large portion. Staff were so delightful and friendly. It was very packed, so may have to wait a while for a seat as it’s quite cosy 😊

Apple Blue is a firm favourite for brunch in Balham. The food is always delicious with lots of flavours and the portion sizes are decent. They serve great coffee and sweet treats too. You might have to queue to get a table but it’s worth it.

The Apple Blue in Balham is truly a gem! The service was incredibly helpful, and our order was taken swiftly. The food was absolutely delicious, making it the best place for brunch in Balham. We tried the shakshuka, which had a unique and delightful twist, and the Turkish eggs, which were perfectly prepared and bursting with flavor. Every bite was a treat, and the atmosphere added to the overall charm of the place. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a memorable brunch spot!

We been here for over 4 years, Service was ok, but it will be great if the staff welcome with a smile, food always amazing with the good quality of ingredients, coffee good as always, trendy decor, would like to recommend owner ventilation need work, after leaving you will smell of the food on your cloth.

Great local brunch spot absolutely love the espresso eggs benny and pancakes. Staff are friendly and the service is great. It's definitely worth a visit if you are in the vicinity.

Great place for brunch, very reasonable pricing and lovely staff too

Lovely little place, very calm environment, good music, staff were friendly. My latte was silky and smooth. I had the chorizo hash, came with 2 poached eggs and sourdough toast, tasted so good and was filling. Definitely coming back when back in the area.

My visit to Brioche Coffee in Balham was amazing! The salmon bagel was fresh, flavorful, and absolutely delicious—one of the best I’ve had. A special shoutout to Alison for her outstanding service; she was warm, attentive, and made the experience unforgettable. Great food, cozy vibes, and top-notch service—I’ll definitely be back!”

Amazing place just 2 minutes by walk from Balham Station. Amazing brunch and delicious coffee. The mocca is just Gorgeous! Couldn’t recommend it enough.

A very pleasant experience, the waiters and waitresses were very attentive and always made sure I was looked after. Food was exceptional we got chicken tacos and fish tacos to share and was more than enough food. A lovely cafe that ticks all the boxes!

The food was amazing and service was great even though it was busy I’ll be definitely coming back soon

I had the pleasure of going to Milk Cafe Bedford Hill. The staff are lovely sand their chef is super creative. The setting is very nice and with perfect weather sitting on the terrace was ideal. I had Gochugaru eggs, iced latte and an almond croissant. The eggs were DELICIOUS and inspired me to aim to return to try all of the other dishes 😋 The almond croissant was equally inspirational, YUM. The iced latte not so much. Very little ice and it had that sour taste that I encounter from time to time and always wonder what makes it sour. I read it’s bcz the espresso might not be packed tight enough and therefore not enough water flows through…… I’m no Coffee expert but I know when a coffee falls flat. I noticed a lot of people drinking a small glass of some coffee drink that I think had some sweetener and cream in it. I heard positive reviews m, I’m not sure it was on the menu. I’ll ask next time. Thanks Milk, it was a pleasure! PS next time I’m trying that corn bread!

Hands down, one of my favourite brunch spots in London! The weekly pancakes are beautiful and so filling—you’ll definitely leave satisfied. The Sweet Maria is also one of my favourites.

We were there for Sunday breakfast and it was so delicious. I perefered filter coffee and it was so nice. One thing I can say, the prices are little bit high. Otherwise, the staff are so kind and atmosphere is very nice. Last thing, there is always a queue. :)

Long queues but so worth the wait! Delicious brunch options with the most incredible flavours. Not your ordinary brunch! Highly recommend the fish sando and sweetcorn fritters!

We were taken here by our daughter who loves the place for breakfast. Its a querky setup with driftwood and painted corrugated iron on the walls. It has a set of chairs against the entrance wall where you sit and move up as seats at a table become available. I thought that this worked really well. We had a table within a few minutes of arriving on a Monday mid morning and all ordered their big breakfast with orange juice and tea. It was a lovely place and one I would be happy to return to, but of the 3 x breakfast places we went to in London, this one was in 3rd place, but they were all exceptional.

Nice solid brunch location in Balham. The food was good and great portion sizes. My favourite was the Granola Yoghurt, I would definitely get that again and the mixed berries in it were amazing. I also got the Spicey Chicken & and Avocado Toastie which was really nice. I didn't expect it to be so big - very filling. Also, the Banana Bread lived up to expectations and is better toasted. I recommend all the dishes mentioned. Only slight negative would be that the avocado on the Smashed Avocado was a bit too watery, so it made the bread a little soggy. The service was good. They were quick to have us seated and ordering our food. The food didn't take long For more photos & videos, follow me on Instagram @oureatinglife_ I will be back and I'd like to try their smoothies next time.

Wow…just WOW! Pouring with rain so came in to escape! Even though the staff were very busy they were super friendly and accommodating! The food was simply the best and love the Australian vibe of the place Will be a new favourite regular of ours