Sunday in Brooklyn, Marylebone

Brunch queues are nothing new in London, but the one that regularly forms outside Sunday in Brooklyn’s Marylebone site, tucked into St Christopher’s Place, is a fair indicator of how well the New York import has translated. The original restaurant made its name in Williamsburg, and this branch imports the same emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and a menu that treats brunch as a genuine kitchen showcase rather than an afterthought.

The pancakes are the dish people specifically travel for: thick, fluffy and balanced rather than cloyingly sweet, and worth ordering even if everything else on the table is savoury. Cheddar biscuits with sausage gravy and poached eggs and a well made shakshuka with house focaccia round out a menu that leans American with enough range to suit different appetites at the same table.

Cocktails, including brunch focused ones built around coffee and fruit, are taken seriously here too, which separates it from a lot of London brunch spots that treat drinks as an afterthought. The room itself is genuinely well designed, warm wood tones and good natural light through James Street’s windows, making it a pleasant place to actually sit rather than just eat quickly and leave.

A full brunch with a cocktail runs to around £30 to £35 a head, which is on the higher side for brunch but in line with what you’d expect from a St Christopher’s Place address a few minutes from Bond Street. It suits weekend groups, a leisurely catch up rather than a quick bite, and anyone chasing the specific pancake reputation that preceded the London opening.

The honest note, echoed across multiple reviews, is inconsistent service: some visits are attentive and well paced, others report slow tables and orders that take longer than the room’s buzz would suggest. Reservations through SevenRooms are strongly recommended for weekend brunch, walk ins face real waits once the queue starts forming.