Review: Brunch at The National Café for family days out in London

I try to remember to make the most of living in London, but the weeks run by so quickly with sports activities, birthdays and work. When I was invited to try The National Café at National Gallery I realised that I hadn’t actually properly explored this world-class art museum before, and I was eager to find time for brunch in a relaxing setting and a museum visit.

On a Tuesday morning a friend and I turned up at the attraction, and we were so focused on locating the museum entrance that we missed the fact that The National Café can be extremely easy to access via a separate entrance on Charing Cross Road. Instead, we came through the Sainsbury Wing and seemed to walk through several buildings before finding the restaurant.

The dining room seemed light and airy with high ceilings, and the decor was pretty and smart in grey and pink hues. To me, the combination of painted wall panels, a soft colour scheme, modern furniture and tables that weren’t packed too close together, gave the restaurant a city-sleek feel and made it come across as a good choice for anything from a business meeting on a weekday to a family outing on a weekend. Because of the central Trafalgar Square location and separate entrance, The National Café is also worth remembering for anyone exploring other attractions in the area and wanting to escape the busy London streets.

On the British and European menu, we were eager to try the avocado on sourdough toast with organic feta, chili and tomato, and we both had poached eggs on the side. With good company, tea and a glass of bubbles later, this couldn’t have been a better way to spend a late morning in between school runs.

The National Café focuses on British ingredients sourced from artisan producers, and the all-day brunch menu served until 5pm also included several other egg dishes, as well as some surprises like a miso salmon poke bowl and an açai bowl with bananas, peanut butter, house-made granola and fresh fruit.

There’s also a children’s menu at The National Café now, and the kids brunch menu includes options like pancake or scrambled eggs. I could see the kids lunch menu being a hit with families too, as it features popular choices like pasta, burger and chicken goujons (£7 for two courses kids lunch noon to 2pm).

Next to the restaurant, which was peaceful on a Tuesday morning, there is also a grab and go self-service café, which is open from 8am to 6pm, and serves coffee, tea, sandwiches, salads and cakes for those who don’t have time for a longer meal.

The night before going to The National Café I did some online research on the museum too, and found a list of the 10 most famous works that we should try to see in the limited time we had available. After an hour in the restaurant, we bought a £2 map of the museum and a kind guide helped us identify the rooms where we would find my list of paintings.

The result was a whirlwind tour of National Gallery before strolling back to Embankment Station and taking the District Line home again. If only all mornings could be as enjoyable and enriching as this one!

Tags: Attractions, Brunch, Family attractions, Family-friendly restaurants, London restaurants, Museum, National Gallery, Restaurant, Review