Breakfast in Central London — The Italian Morning on Whitcomb Street
Not a chain. Not a hotel buffet. A Italian-inspired doughnut bakery and café on Whitcomb Street — two minutes from Trafalgar Square, four from Leicester Square, six from Covent Garden. Everything made from scratch before London wakes up.
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Breakfast in Central London at Bombolone, 21 Whitcomb Street, London WC2H 7HA. A cosy Italian-inspired doughnut bakery and café serving fresh bomboloni, chia puddings, sandwiches and specialty coffee — everything made that morning at the bakery on site. Rated #1 bakery in London on TripAdvisor. Two minutes from Trafalgar Square, same street as the National Gallery. Open Monday to Friday from 9am, weekends from 10am. Walk-ins always welcome. No booking required.
The Italian Breakfast Hour in Central London
Most Central London breakfast conversations start with the same places — grand dining rooms, queues around the block, menus the length of your arm. They’re often excellent. They also require a booking, a wait, and a morning given over to the occasion.
Not every morning calls for that.
You don’t plan to stop on Whitcomb Street. Most people don’t. It’s one minute from the National Gallery, two from Trafalgar Square, tucked off the main road — easy to walk past on the way to somewhere else.
And then they push open the door.
The smell of fresh coffee. Something made before the city woke up. A counter full of things that weren’t here yesterday. That’s Bombolone. The best breakfast in Central London doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes you just have to find the right door.
Bombolone is an Italian-inspired doughnut bakery and café — and the morning here has an Italian rhythm. If you want to understand what that means, the full story is on our Italian breakfast page. If you want to know what’s on the counter this morning, read on.
The London problem
Here’s the honest truth about Italian breakfast in London: it’s nearly impossible to find the real thing in Central London.
What you usually get is one of three things. The hotel buffet — a reheated pastry, a machine coffee, a room full of tourists eating things they wouldn’t choose if they had options. The chain coffee shop — technically a cappuccino, technically a pastry, but nothing that feels like anything. Or nothing at all — because by the time you’ve found somewhere worth going, the gallery has opened and the morning is gone.
London has brilliant food. But the quick, fresh, Italian breakfast — a proper bombolone made that morning, a specialty coffee pulled correctly, a warm counter to stand at — that’s been almost impossible to find in Central London. Until Whitcomb Street.
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT
You taste it immediately. This isn’t a standard doughnut.
Then you realise why — the dough is Italian brioche-style, proved until it reaches the right texture. Soft, light, balanced. Nothing like a pastry made hours earlier somewhere else. Everything on the counter was made here, this morning. The Vanillissimo is filled with crema pasticcera made from Grade A Madagascan Bourbon vanilla beans, applied by hand before the café opens. The Dolce Cheesecake uses cheesecake cream filling, white chocolate glaze, coconut flakes. The Apple Pie di Nonna is diced apple, ground cinnamon, maple butter glaze made in-house.
Everything on the counter was made here, this morning, at the bakery on site. Before London wakes up. When they sell out, they’re gone. No frozen dough. No yesterday’s batch reheated.
The coffee is Moresso specialty-grade — 100% Arabica, graded 80+ by the Specialty Coffee Association, roasted in small batches by an independent London roaster. Chocolate, hazelnut and forest berry notes. Latte art on every latte.
Rated #1 bakery in London on TripAdvisor within the first month of opening. Over 120 reviews.
Not because of the address. Because of what’s on the counter.
The breakfast menu
Everything made that morning. Nothing from yesterday.
Go on — pick two.
Italian breakfast doughnuts
£4.90
Dolce Cheesecake
Cheesecake cream filling, white chocolate glaze, coconut flakes. Sonia’s favourite — the one that feels like summer in Italy on a grey London morning.
Read more
Vanillissimo
Crema pasticcera made with Grade A Madagascan Bourbon vanilla beans. The Italian brioche tradition in doughnut form — clean, smooth, classic.
Read more
Apple Pie di Nonna
Diced apple, ground cinnamon, maple butter glaze made in-house, Biscoff crumble. The one you want when London feels cold and you need something warmer than the weather.
Read moreItalian brioche-style dough, proved until it reaches the right texture. Made from scratch every morning at the bakery on site.
Chia puddings and yogurt
from £5.50, sealed pots
Mango Coco Chia Dream
Mango purée, chia pudding, coconut flakes. Tropical and light.
Strawberry Vanilla Chia Bliss
Strawberry purée, vanilla chia pudding, dried strawberries. Inspired by Italian summer mornings.
Berry Granola Joy
Blackcurrant berry base, Greek yoghurt, nut and honey granola. The one that keeps you going.
Sandwiches
from £7.50
Mozzarella Classica
Mozzarella, tomato, basil, balsamico.
Chicken & Avocado
Chicken, avocado, sun-dried tomato, pesto.
Salmone Perfetto
Salmon, whipped cheese, cucumber, dill.
Pastrami Bravo
Pastrami, mustard, rocket, cheese.
Some of our menu items contain allergens.
All food is prepared in a kitchen that handles gluten, nuts, dairy, eggs, and other allergens.
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#1
Bakery in London
On Tripadvisor – Here’s What People Say
Every review below is from a real customer. No incentivised reviews. No paid placements. Just people who walked in off Whitcomb Street and wanted to tell someone about it.
La dolce vita, in every bite
In the middle of everything
Whitcomb Street sits quietly between some of the most visited addresses in London. Most people pass through it without stopping. The ones who do stop discover that the best breakfast in Central London doesn’t require a reservation or a long menu. You just need to find the right door.
Address
21 Whitcomb St.
London WC2H 7HA
- 2 minutes walk from Trafalgar Square
- 3 minutes from the National Gallery
- 6 minutes from Covent Garden
- 4 minutes from Leicester Square
- 8 minutes from Piccadilly Circus
- 6 minutes walk from Charing Cross
Opening Hours
Mon – Fri:
9AM – 6PM
Sat:
10AM – 8PM
Sun:
10AM – 6PM
Breakfast in central London — frequently asked questions
Where can I get breakfast in Central London?
Bombolone on Whitcomb Street — two minutes from Trafalgar Square, same street as the National Gallery, four minutes from Leicester Square, six from Covent Garden. Fresh Italian brioche-style doughnuts from £4.90, chia puddings from £5.50, sandwiches from £6.90, specialty coffee from £2.80. Open from 9am. No booking required.
What is the best breakfast in Central London?
The best breakfast in Central London is the one that fits your morning — not a commitment, not a queue, not a reheated pastry. Bombolone on Whitcomb Street serves fresh bomboloni made from scratch before London wakes up, alongside specialty coffee, chia puddings and sandwiches. Rated #1 bakery in London on TripAdvisor. Two minutes from Trafalgar Square, open from 9am.
Is there a light breakfast in Central London?
Yes — Bombolone on Whitcomb Street serves light breakfast in Central London. Fresh Italian brioche-style doughnuts, chia puddings in sealed cans, sandwiches and specialty coffee. Nothing heavy. Nothing reheated. The Italian breakfast tradition — quality over quantity — in Central London from 9am.
Is there a quick breakfast in Central London?
Bombolone on Whitcomb Street is built for exactly that. Walk in, order at the bar, eat a fresh bombolone with a specialty cappuccino in five minutes — the Italian way — and go. Two minutes from Trafalgar Square, four from Leicester Square. The quick breakfast Central London has been looking for, without compromising on quality.
Is there breakfast near Trafalgar Square?
Bombolone on Whitcomb Street is two minutes from Trafalgar Square, on the same street as the National Gallery. The breakfast near Trafalgar Square made from scratch every morning at the bakery on site. Fresh Italian brioche-style doughnuts from £4.90, specialty coffee from £2.80. Eat in at the bar or at a table, or take it with you. Open from 9am.
Is there breakfast near Leicester Square?
Bombolone on Whitcomb Street is four minutes from Leicester Square. Breakfast near Leicester Square made fresh every morning at the bakery on site. Fresh Italian brioche-style doughnuts from £4.90, chia puddings from £5.50, sandwiches from £7.50, specialty coffee from £2.80. Open from 9am Monday to Friday, 10am weekends.
Is there breakfast near Covent Garden?
Bombolone on Whitcomb Street is six minutes from Covent Garden. The Italian breakfast near Covent Garden that is actually made that morning at the bakery on site. Fresh doughnuts, chia puddings and specialty coffee from £2.80. Open from 9am, walk-ins always welcome.
Is there breakfast near the National Gallery?
Bombolone is on Whitcomb Street — the same street as the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing entrance. Breakfast near the National Gallery made from scratch every morning at the bakery on site. Open from 9am, one hour before the gallery opens. Fresh bomboloni, chia puddings, sandwiches and specialty coffee. No booking required.
Is there breakfast near Piccadilly Circus?
Yes — Bombolone on Whitcomb Street is eight minutes from Piccadilly Circus. Fresh Italian brioche-style doughnuts from £4.90, chia puddings from £5.50, specialty coffee from £2.80. Open from 9am Monday to Friday, 10am weekends. Walk-ins always welcome.
Is there breakfast near Charing Cross?
Bombolone on Whitcomb Street is a four-minute walk from Charing Cross station. Fresh doughnuts from £4.90, chia puddings from £5.50, sandwiches from £7.50, specialty coffee from £2.80. Open from 9am, walk-ins always welcome.
Are Bombolone doughnuts made fresh daily?
Every single day. The team starts before sunrise and every bombolone is made that morning at the bakery on site. Italian brioche-style dough, proved until it reaches the right texture, filled by hand, ready from 9am. When they sell out, they’re gone. No frozen dough. No yesterday’s batch reheated. Fresh every morning. Always.
What time does Bombolone open?
Monday to Friday 9am–6pm. Saturday 10am–8pm. Sunday 10am–6pm. 21 Whitcomb Street, London WC2H 7HA — two minutes from Trafalgar Square, same street as the National Gallery, four minutes from Leicester Square, six from Covent Garden, eight from Piccadilly Circus.
Come and say ciao
Central London breakfast doesn’t have to be a commitment.
It can be a door on Whitcomb Street at 9am — a small café that smells of fresh coffee and something made before sunrise. Five minutes at the bar if that’s all you have. An hour at a table if you have more. Either way, something exceptional, made that morning, by people who started before the city woke up.
Rated #1 bakery in London on TripAdvisor. In the middle of everything. Easy to miss once.
Come say ciao.
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