Lantana Cafe in Islington

Great tasting brunch, service was good. A nice little treat

Sorry folks, a bit disappointed. I used to be a Lantana regular as I lived in the area. It was always a treat. It's still a ok place to eat but from my last visit I'd say it's pretty average at this stage in it's lifecycle. Our food was fine but nothing particularly exciting about the dishes we ate. I was served a side of dry toast without butter initially and the corn fritters were generally a little lacking in something. Vegan/Veggie options are good. Ambiance is still nice enough although the back room was a little dark. Service was a bit chaotic but friendly. They've switched to the Sunday app since I was last there. I HATE the dark charging patterns of this app. 14% Service charge? (Cool!), Add an additional tip? (I'm sorry what?), Pay a platform fee? (Come on now!) I never understand why the customer is charged an extra platform fee just so we can scan a QR code and save your staff the hassle of a PDQ? I'm actually curious about that one. I'd suggest to the manager "Don't be a cheap and cover your own damn platform fees" Overall it's all...FINE but we're just not particularly fussed about coming back and I never thought I'd say that a few years ago.

Shame about the drilling! It’s my company doing it so sorry :(

Not coming back - takes AGESSSS to get served even though the cafe was at modest capacity!!

Nice service and staff. Decent enough coffee. Not so sure on the food. Warm French toast topped with cold pears and cream is a new one on me.

Delicious, fresh and healthy food. Great selection of breakfast options on the menu.

Great coffees and cakes. Really enjoy lunch here there’s a good variety on the menu

Tasty brunch with a great menu selection

Delicious brunch, the best coffee I've had for a long time and friendly, efficient service >£55 for two dishes and two drinks (including the 14% 'discretionary' service charge which couldn't be amended, a second page asking for an additional tip, plus a fee for paying the bill)

Fresh food, good atmosphere. I enjoyed the shiitake teriyaki poké bowl!

Good food. Coffee wasn’t fantastic. The end of the meal left a sour taste in our mouths. Asked for the bill and the server pointed at the QR code. Logged on and not only does the app charge you 80p per transaction (x4 for a party of 4) for doing something to make it easier for the restaurant but we were charged a 14% service charge (you can’t remove it unless you speak to a server which wasn’t possible on a busy Saturday) AND it asked for a tip on top of this 3 times before allowing you to pay via Apple Pay (the tip screen kept popping up every time you declined). 14% service charge, asking for a tip multiple times despite the inflated service charge AND an app charge. Felt like a real grift when service wasn’t fantastic. It’s a shame because the food was good, despite the high prices.

Lovely food, great service and brilliant atmosphere. Greta for those staying at Premier Inn old street as it’s a nice 5 minutes walk

I had probably my worst brunch experience at Lantana Shoreditch today. The service was extremely chaotic. It was ridiculous that they failed(or forgot) to put in our order twice. What's even more wild was they forgot the poached eggs in my Pork Adobo Benedict... The restaurant was only 30% full at the time so they didn’t appear to be short of hands. The manager took off the charges for our coffees (which we had to order three times) and the missing poached eggs in the end, but I would rather happily pay for what I ask for without such frustration than wasting my time and getting my mood ruined on an otherwise rather perfect Sunday. Oh, the manager surely didn't forget to charge us 14% service fee. Everyone makes mistakes so I would not blame the staff if they’re new. But Lantana as an established hospitality business that runs three stores in London - why should your customers pay for your mismanagement and incompetence?

The most delicious breakfast! Will be back!! Salmon avo toast was 10/10

Disappointing. Food was average. Poached eggs over cooked. Was looking forward to an Aussie forward breakfast with great coffee. Expensive.

Excellent service and good food. Visited Thursday night. Have a good menu selection. Lots of veggie items as well. I particularly liked the customization of main dishes where you can add things like egg or Halluoumi or chicken. Loved their Mezze board and fries as well. The not so good - don’t have beer on tap. But only cans. - tad expensive compared to what is available around them and the quality. Still worth visiting and trying out Australian food if you fancy.

Lovely brunch with a decent coffee

Easy-going place for a late lunch.

Best breakfast I’ve had in a long time! Definitely recommend the bbq brisket hash.

Good spot for good coffee and lunch. Service a bit slow, but the food made up for it.

Love it! My favourite place. Good vibe, good food, friendly staff, amazing amazing amazing!

Delicious breakfast and great coffee. Highly reccomend.

Delish! Came back for more - smashed Avo with bacon - yum!!

Great food! Beautiful open restaurant!

Amazing food, great chilled atmosphere and delicious coffee!

Get the French toast (on the desert menu when it’s lunch time) and the crispy potatoes and you’ll see god - your welcome

Lovely breakfast here. Delicious flavours. Can recommend the smashing avo.

Service was good and quick. Nice waiter took care of us and atmosphere was chill. Only thing to let this place down a bit was some of the food. Bang bang Cauliflower starter was delicious. The chorizo bites were not too bad but would not rush to order again. The prawn dumpling smash tacos were not great at all. Flavourless (unlike a prawn dumpling which usually has lots of flavour) and covered in so much crushed peanuts it’s mostly what you could taste. Would not recommend that main option.

Great brunch / lunch spot. Delicious food and health juices

This review is mainly based around the attitude of the Barista who served me my take away coffee...the food at Lantana when I've eaten there in the past has been really good. Just before 10am today (17/6) I went in to buy a takeaway coffee at Lantana Shoreditch, the barista was just miserable, after she finished serving the lady on front of me she just stared at mebwith a blank unsmiling face there wasn't even a basic "Hello or how can I help you?" she maintained this look for the entire time she made the order then just put my coffee down and there wasn't even the basic "Goodbye or have a good day". I'm a hospitality worker myself, I have been for over twenty years and I get people have bad days or they're dealing with issues outside of work but the second you step into work you have to put on a smile and do the basics of your job at least. To top it off I really don't understand the cup/lid choice as it just spills coffee out of the top hole when you're walking and always dribbles after you take a drink.... unfortunately the coffee was at best average as well.

Amazing food and superb service. We will return!!

The sweet french toast was delicious (those poached peaches!!!) and the coffee was good. Friendly service!

Friendly service, nice venue and good food. The impossible vegan burger was great.

Very nice lunch. Quick service and helpful staff.

Surprising accidental find. Great lunch.

Came here for a birthday bottomless brunch and it was 5-star. Niamh, particularly, made my party of ten feel welcome and went above and beyond with the food and service. Loved my Chicken French Toast and I heard others love the BBQ Brisket. Will definitely think of this place again for any future celebration.

Amazing place! Highly recommend

Such a lovely time here having our lunch. We had the best server and her name was JB. She was so attentive to us and has a beautiful ora about her. Her smile could brighten anyone’s day!

Great food and service, came with a large group and they were very accommodating

Stumbled upon the Australian cafe as Aussies looking for a good coffee. It’s a cute place and had a lovely Menu. We had the peanut butter Bircher Museli. It was very nice but not very peanut buttery, really could not taste much of it. The coffee was disappointing as it was bitter and strong and we asked for it extra hot and it came warm so had to send it back. The food we saw come out for other tables looked delicious. You pay the bill at the table by scanning a QR code and have the option to split the bill which is had y. Although there is a small charge for paying this way.

Nice food and good service. Try to avoid sitting at the round table by the side entrance, it's a bit of a drafty location when the door is open. Also a very noisy restaurant when busy.

This place is a decent option for breakfast. Not sure I would rush back. It had decent breakfast options, but not high end. There are better options around for that.

Quite loud so difficult to hold a conversation even on a Thursday lunchtime. Food was very good and service prompt and friendly

Wonderful Aussie brekky in the UK thanks

The Turkish Eggs at Lantana is one of those meals where you just have to slow down, and take the time to appreciate & enjoy the explosion of different flavours in every mouthful. It was an utter delight. If going here during the weekend, be prepared for a boisterous crowd as there are plenty of people partaking in the Bottomless Brunch. If you’re wanting a quiet venue, this is not the place to go - but the food is worth the noise. I just sat back, enjoyed my food and took pleasure in watching the others having fun. The Discretionary Service is 14%. Maybe Lantana has always charged 14% or maybe this is an inflation-related uplift from the standard 12.5% but given inflation impacts the base price charged…. Well, it’s not as if you’re going to argue about it when it’s on a £17 meal and you had good service but…

Very tasty breakfast and cakes options. I had the Turkish eggs.

Really lovely food. Coffee on point. Food OK, everyone raves about the corn fritters but didn't see what the big deal was. Think I chose the wrong dish. Will try again.

Lantana is good brunch stop and definitely worth the visit. The food and coffee are really good, but service when I went was slow. It’s much more expensive than other brunch options in the broader 0.5 mile vicinity though and with how slow the service was on a bank holiday Monday the food didn’t quite make up for it. 4 stars because it’s worth a visit and the Nasi Gorang was decent.

Lovely place ... I suggest booking the table in advance. Easy access to the restaurant via metro (station near by) there was no parking spaces or vallet. The food was brilliant ... i shared a Pork belly benedit and BBQ beef Brisket and for drink a classic Berry smoothie which was ok.

Breakfast was absolutely stunning. Streaky, crispy bacon was my highlight, and I loved that the toast was a pitta bread essentially

Always a great experience! Couldn't recommend enough, especially for breakfast / brunch!

Corn fritters were ok but on the exxy side for the portion. The halloumi accompanying the fritters was absolutely perfect though. Service was efficient but not particularly warm.

Amazing flavors and sweetest staff, highly recommend :)

Great light meal, dog friendly, great staff!! Thank you 🙏🏽

The menu didn’t have many options I would eat. A friend wanted to go there. I thought we were going for brunch but they didn’t have brunch at the time. The server suggested the French toast on the dessert menu and it was good!

Major complain is the 14% service charge on top of already quite expensive food. Food itself was tasy, however there was much chicken with the French toast and alot of it was just the crispy batter. Service was good though and nice seating.

Food was tasty just a bit expensive for the amount of food you get. The pork bowl I ordered as well as the salmon poke was quite small in portion size. Service was good. No complaints there. The atmosphere isn’t anything very special just standard for a restaurant of that variety.

Wonderful atmosphere and great food 👌

If you want one of the best breakfasts in East London, come here, the grilled banana bread is delicious (I mean it’s really delicious) both my daughter and I had the smashed avocado, incredible! Service was excellent, can’t fault. Highly recommend, and I will be back!!

Wonderful experience, delicious food and let us keep our table an extra hour. Defo coming back!!

We had an excellent brunch with coffee on Sunday (24 March). All was delicious. Dishes are clearly made by a well trained team. I complemented the staff on my way out and was told that the 3 Lantana restaurants are still under the wing of the same family. Lovely.

The food is high quality and a great range of options. I enjoyed seeing chicken salt on the potato gems. It was a nice atmosphere but unfortunately the service was a little cold which was more egregious due to the 14% service charge.

Excellent restaurant with perfect service. We came on Mother’s Day 2024 and we had a perfect experience. Bottomless brunch with desert. Excellent choice for us!

Great spot for breakfast & bottomless brunch ☕️🥂 Plenty of veggie options too The (optional) suggested 14% service charge seems excessive when most other places are around 12.5%

It's worth noting that if one person on your table gets a bottomless brunch option, everyone must get one. I can't find this listed on the website or displayed in the restaurant, and it means the difference between 1 meal + 1 drink and the alcohol free bottomless is about £20 extra for what is already expensive, bang average food. I wouldn't say it's worth the money at all.

Oat cappucino was spot on, the hot chocolate was one of a kind, but most importantly, my guest and I had a very pleasant and comfortable time, thank you, especially to the scottish waiter who made us laugh really hard.

Good food taste and vibe at weekend brunch time!

The food is delicious, there is not much choice but everyone will find something for themselves, the staff were so tired of life that they could barely walk around the room, no interest at all.... a very big surprise was the horror receipt, which included a 14% tip included, which In my opinion, it was not adequate and too excessive

Great location, excellent pedestrianization. We came across it by chance while frequenting one of the rapidly developing urban areas (Cellini, Arc,...). Quality coffee shop not combined with a croissant/pastry shop of equal quality. Kind and empathetic staff. See you again for sure!!

I had high hopes for breakfast here after loving the Fitzrovia location. I ordered the corn fritters which were dry and stale, with a side of mushrooms (for an extra £4.50)! My friend ordered the beef hash which, to be honest tasted like beef cooked in a Heinz BBQ sauce. The coffee was excellent, but sadly the food a let down.

Food is absolutely delicious. As everyone mentioned 14% service charge does feel excessive

I love this cafe/restaurant, and they do really nice coffee :-) the food is also healthy and the staff are generally really friendly :-)

Lantana is a London cafe with an Australian flavour so we thought we would try it. Breakfast was nice and tasty and coffee very good. Unfortunately the service was extremely slow but I think that was more about a problem in the kitchen.

Coffee was disgusting. I took one sip and had to throw it out. Same with the person I was with. We are both Aussies who went there cos it billed itself as an Aussie cafe but it is so bad that even the Costa coffee would be better than that! Bitter, badly brewed and obviously nothing like proper Aussie coffee! The Chinese barista gave me a look when I asked for caramel and said “we don’t do that” as if they are all superior but then the coffee was so terrible I have no idea what they have to feel superior about. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I had a share for two, and lamb balls which neither of them were motivating and nice, which was abit disappointing giving the location ans nice service.

Came here for a work breakfast and it was phenomenal. The menu is incredible, so many good options to choose from, and the food came out quickly. Will definitely be coming back!

Delicious breakfast, lots of options if you want meat-forward or not. I had the “poke” bowl with an egg, very tasty. Great coffee and cocktails too

A lovely place with a peaceful atmosphere. The waitress was polite and patient. Overall, that's a great place for breakfast on a rainy day.

Anna is an absolute legend! She made our experience 100%. We came for bottomless brunch and she made us feel so welcome and made sure our glasses were full so we got our money’s worth! She’s a credit to your team. Anna knew the menu like the back of her hand and helped us pick the best dishes also! 10000% recommend. Thank you so much Anna!

Really great brunch, so yummy and great service! Loved it

I remembered the food was nice when I last visited the Fitzrovia branch. However old street branch was not up to expectation with overpriced menu and service charge.

I don't write reviews much, but the bar is getting so low in London that I was very pleasantly surprised by how great Lantana was! We went early (9:30am) on a Saturday, so it was quite quiet but got busier as time went on. The service was great - attentive but not annoying - the food lovely and very filling, and even the toilets were spotless! There's not many places I don't resent for having a service charge over 10% (and it's a pretty eye-watering 14% here) but I'd probably have left that much even if it hadn't been added already.

On cherchait un bon brunch à faire dimanche et c’est chose faite ! Le café est très bon, à l’image des cafés australiens. Côté plats salés, nous avons également bien mangé, c’était savoureux. J’ai trouvé dommage qu’il n’y ait qu’un choix de plat sucré par contre, ça manque de variété !

We enjoyed a lovely brunch here at the weekend. Friendly service and great food with a kimchi bloody mary! Thank you!

WOW!!! Best breakfast we’ve ever had EVER!!!

Pluses - Tasty food and accommodated our party at short notice Minuses- waitress brought the wrong order for me and when the plate was returned I realised it was missing an ingredient, the waitress then said quite dismissively 'oh did you still want that' which soured the experience somewhat -fine to make a mistake but not to follow it up with an attitude

Delicious breakfast, coffee and fresh juices. The corn fritters with egg and chili jam were fantastic.

Staff were super friendly. Atmosphere was great.

I had the veggie smashed avocado and it was amazing! Atmosphere warm and the staff very friendly!

I ordered a later and let me tell you I put 3 spoons of sugar and is still bitter ....🧐😞

The staff were lovely and the ambience was ok. Everyone that I went with seemed to enjoy their meals but I had the nasi goreng which wasn't flavourful at all and I got the kimchi as an add on which actually tasted bad so I had buyers remorse after getting it. I like kimchi generally and I've tried many different versions but this was the worst I've had. It was especially regretful because the prices were steep and I could have made something better at home. On a positive note the iced oatmilk latte was delicious. The bloody Mary was ok.

Quite expensive for what you get with the full English at £18. For this price I would expect more fresh ingredients/veg, and 2 eggs instead of 1. Mushroom wasn't great. Coffee was good.

I appreciated that the restaurant allowed us to book a table for more than 10 people, unlike other places. The food was decent, and the staff was extremely polite and friendly. Thank you very much!

We had an amazing time. The food was perfectly cooked. Eggs perfekt bacon not overdone. Just try it. U will not regret it

Food quality is great, amount of portion was perfect for me who eats for 2.5 people! Smoothies taste awesome! Service is on point! Thank you!

Food was really nice. Beautiful inside. Good side portions. Booked quite far in advance (months!) for a special brunch and were shoved by the door which was freezing. This was disappointing and they were adamant they couldn’t move us. But service overall Was good and food was lovely

The Wild Mushroom was so flavourful and filling. While it’s on the pricier end, the portions are large and satisfying. Great breakfast/brunch place with great service!

I’m writing this review on behalf of my partner. He had the short rib bbq hash and he does not say this lightly but said it was the best brunch he’s had in his life! The pickled jalapeños were a lovely touch and he honestly can’t stop talking about it. I had the salmon teriyaki salad bowl and it was good but obviously a bit bummed I didn’t get the same as him!!

Lovely local spot in the financial district that I popped into while on mini holiday in London. The coffee pour over was amazing and well worth the wait. Smooth and lovely. The Turkish eggs with halloumi was outstanding. The flavors mixed so well. It was very satisfying and a far cry from the traditional breakfast I was thinking to order. The waiter recommended this flavor explosion and he was spot on. I took a picture for all you folks but couldn’t help digging in right away.

This place was fantastic. 3 people, 3 meals, 3 rave reviews. Great food!! Lovely staff & service. My only minus is it’s a little on the expensive side. I think adding 1 sausage or 2 slices of halloumi or a couple pieces of streaky bacon @ £5 a piece is bit ridiculous.