The Electric Diner on Portobello Road

It’s easy to find breakfast in London. To find an excellent breakfast makes things a little more complicated, and to find an excellent breakfast at a reasonable price can be a real challenge. Throw in great service and a venue that says ‘experience’ rather than just a seat to plonk yourself down on, requires trawling through endless online reviews and in-depth analyses.

All you have to do is head towards Portobello Road, West London, and find yourself sat in the gloriously comfortable leather booths of the Electric Diner. Providing a brilliant array of dishes that your taste buds seem to anticipate just from staring at the menu, the newly-opened Electric Diner combines the comforts of the traditional American diner with a French underground edge.

The December winter morning was firmly left outside as we deliberated over our menu choices with our waiter. We were told that the plates were large and meant for sharing, so we chose avocado on toast with chilli and poached egg, and an open-faced ham, cheese fondue with fried egg. Recommended to us also came the thick peppered bacon and hash browns as side orders. Elegant yet simply prepared, all four of these dishes had a unique twist that perfectly reflected the eccentricity of the diner, not to mention that they were all absolutely delicious. The Croque Monsieur-esque ham and cheese fondue gets a special mention.

A collaborative effort between Chicago-based chef Brendan Sodikoff and the Soho House Group, the Electric Diner caters for every customer, even if it is just for a cup of Darlington’s coffee. The restaurant was buzzing by 10am, and the staff was efficient, unobtrusive and never missed the opportunity to refill your glass.

Though at the higher end of reasonably-priced, there is no doubt that the creatively cooked fresh products, served with friendly professionalism, was well worth it. A second visit is definitely on the cards to try their ‘All Day Menu’ served after 12pm, and a little later to try the wonderfully-named cocktail ‘Chasing Maria’.

Food: 18/20
Drinks: 16/20
Service: 19/20
The Electric Diner: 53/60

Rosie Hillsdon

Electric Diner, 191 Portobello Road London W11 2ED is open from 8am for ‘Breakfast’, 12pm onwards for the ‘All Day Menu’, and is open until 1am at the weekend. No reservations. For further information visit the restaurant’s website here.