Burnt Toast Cafe, Brixton

I realised all this time I moved to London, I never actually ventured much into South London! With so many exciting spots popping up on the other side of the river these days, we decided to take a little trip to Brixton to check out the hyped Burnt Toast Cafe.

Burnt Toast Cafe is situated inside of Brixton market. We arrived at 10am on a Saturday, and we just about managed to get a table without waiting.

The place has a very chilled and down-to-earth vibe. They have simple wooden tables and stools lined right outside the shop front – creating quite a neighbourhood cafe type of feel. Seats were certainly quite limited, hence it’s recommended to arrive early to guarantee yourself a seat.

Pancakes w/ Caramelised Banana & Chocolate, Maple Syrup, and Butterscotch Sauce (£10)

For both pancakes and french toasts, it comes with maple syrup and butterscotch sauce, but you still get to choose your toppings from either bacon (obviously a no for us) / berries / caramelised banana and chocolate. We went for the latter.

The pancakes were thick and fluffy, and drenched in this pool of luscious sauces. I worried the mix of all these sauces are going to give me a sugar crash and be too rich to finish off. But to our delight, it’s very indulgent without being overly sweet and sickening.

French Toast w/ Caramelised Banana & Chocolate, Maple Syrup, and Butterscotch Sauce (£10)

Since we picked the same toppings as the pancakes, the two pretty much tasted very similar except that the pancakes were swapped with a Fig & Walnut Bread French Toast. As such, there’s a slightly more fruity touch on this one plus a subtle cinnamon touch as well.

Frytato (£10)

The Frytato dish is consisted of potato rosti, smoked salmon, mascarpone, chilli, and fried eggs. Every component of this dish screams yes to me, however, it was ruined by the presence of raw watercress. I kept trying to pick them out but the flavours were really strong and pungent, and I couldn’t escape from it. If you’re a fan of watercress, good for you – unfortunately I’m totally not and it sadly ruined the dish for me.

But with that aside, I thought the dish was still a tad underwhelming – especially compared to the delicious pancakes & french toasts. The potato rosti, whilst looking gorgeously golden, was not as crispy as anticipated. Some parts carry a light crisp on the outside but that was it and it was in general just really mushy on the inside. Flavour-wise it was okay – the chilli tomato sauce on the side helped to add a kick to the potato.

Flat white (£2.5)

While your drinks normally come first after you order, for some reason our drinks took rather long to arrive. My friend ordered a green tea, and it was literally hot water with a tea bag yet took really long to arrive. And my flat white took even longer (but it still came before the food).

It’s a decent cup of coffee – rich and smooth to taste, and just the right intensity. Justifying for the long wait? Not quite so but I’m happy as long as I get my coffee in the morning.

In summary…

We felt the food at Burnt Toast Cafe generally lived up the hype, particularly with their signature pancakes and french toasts. I can see its unique charm and why it’s such a hit with the locals around the area. Nevertheless, at the same time I feel like it wasn’t that tremendously outstanding to trek across London just to try it. It’s been delightful but not entirely impressive! If you’ve been to Burnt Toast Cafe as well, let me know your thoughts on this place!

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Tel: 07838 893347

Nearest station: Brixton