Critic's choice: Best for breakfast

There's never enough time to go out for a decent lunch - so why not go out for a decent breakfast instead? Start the day early and you can sample the food and atmosphere of the capital's greatest eateries at bargain prices. A breakfast meeting not only squeezes more out of your social life, it's a good way to impress business clients, too. Whether you're setting yourself up for a day's work, catching up with friends or you simply want a top-notch fry-up, here's our pick of London's finest.

Inn The Park
Diners at Oliver Peyton's waterside park café get to catch the sun as they feast on contemporary British breakfasts. Turn up from 8am for coffee and patisseries and to bag a spot on the open-air terrace. Then from 9am onwards order a Full English (£10.50), or choose your bespoke breakfast from bacon, sausages, black pudding and "eggs any way". Otherwise, go for the Toast Box (£2.50), buttered Manx kippers (£8.50) or cinnamon pancakes with banana and maple syrup (£5.50).
Breakfast: 9-11am daily St James's Park SW1 (020 7451 9999, innthepark.com)

The Wolseley
A dining institution since it opened three years ago, The Wolseley's grand dining room is a place to be seen at any time of day, with free tables for smartly dressed early birds even without a reservation. Choose from Swiss bircherm¸sli (£4.25), caviar omelette (£27.50) or good old British boiled eggs and soldiers (£6).
Breakfast: from 7am Mon-Fri, weekends from 8am, 160 Piccadilly W1 (020 7499 6996)

Luciano
Breakfast starts from 8.15am in the marbled bar among the red leather chaises longues. Pastries and the authentically Italian coffee aside, the menu is decidedly uncontinental: the Luciano Hot Toastie (£5.25) is a tempting fry-up in a butty, or chomp on the Full English for £11.95. Phone ahead to secure one of the coveted booths.
Breakfast: 8.15-11am daily, 72-73 St James's Street SW1 (020 7491 0356, lucianorestaurant.co.uk)

Brown's
There's nothing like starting the day at a luxurious five-star hotel. In the Grill Room at Brown's, £27 gets you freshly squeezed fruit juice, a basket of patisseries and a pot of tea, leading to the main event, a proper English fry-up, pictured left. Healthier options include egg-white omelette, fresh fruit, yoghurt, herbal infusions and detox tonics. Breakfast: 7.30-10.30am Mon-Sat, 7.30-11am Sun, Albermarle Street, Mayfair (020 7493 6020)

The Cinnamon Club
Politicos love the grandeur of the Cinnamon Club, housed in Westminster's old Victorian library. The richly multi-cultural menu offers a Full English and a stack of toast (£16), or Cecconi's Uttapam (£14), a traditional Indian breakfast of rice pancake served with coconut chutney and lentil broth or that classic Anglo-Indian dish, kedgeree (£14).
Breakfast: 7.10-9.30am weekdays only, The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street SW1 (020 7222 2555)

Cecconi's
At this exclusive Mayfair hangout early risers flock to the tables by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Breakfast has an Italian twist, with Tuscan sausages and perfectly crisp pancetta in the Full English (£11).
Breakfast: from 7am Mon-Fri, weekends from 8am, 5a Burlington Gardens, Mayfair (020 7434 1500)

Galvin at Windows
Chef Chris Galvin's personal favourites are lovingly flagged up on the menu: a buckwheat Crêpe Complète, filled with bacon, egg and Emmental cheese (£9.50), or the ultra-rich duck eggs, ceps and foie gras (£14.50). But you're also here for the breath-taking panoramic 28thfloor views, a sure-fire way to impress any client.
Breakfast: 7-10.30am daily, 28th Floor, 22 Park Lane, W1 (020 7208 4021)

Simpson's-in-the-Strand
Old-school atmosphere and huge breakfasts, and if you're feeling brave try Simpson's Ten Deadly Sins (£19.95), including devilled kidneys, liver and bubble and squeak.
Breakfast: 7.15-10am, Mon-Fri 100 Strand WC2 (020 7836 9112, savoy-group.co.uk)

Coq d'Argent
This roof-terrace spot boasts great City views; choose from lighter options such as the mushroom omelette (£6.25), or for a power start to the business day make it the Full English (£11) washed down with a mean Bloody Mary (£7.50).
Breakfast: 7.30-9.45am weekdays only, 1 Poultry EC2 (020 7395 5000, coqdargent.co.uk)