Sunday, Barnsbury, London

HONESTLY’S VERDICT

In a word: Hidden-gem

Food: Exceeds expectations for a little local cafe

Service: Generally good, but sometimes suffers when it’s busy at weekends

Presentation: Love it; simple, old school charm; wood, flowers, paperweights

Ambience: Weekends = buzzy. Weekdays = relaxed.

Location: Snug in the heart of Barnsbury a few minutes walk from Caledonian Road & Liverpool Road and a few more from Upper Street

Value for money: Portion and quality are spot on for the prices

Worth a visit?: Absolutely, it’s become a go-to weekender for us

I’ve spent so long procrastinating and distracting myself from writing this post. I’m not quite sure why, it should be one of the easiest posts to write as I absolutely adore Sunday. Maybe a part of me doesn’t want to share the foodie love…

This is the first of many posts from our new home in London town. We’ve been here since March and i’ve got a huge backlog to get out to you, watch this space…

Finally, here it is, my review of Sunday in Barnsbury, our lovely little local cafe: simple, small in size but big on healthy eats and delightful treats.

Come on in…

First in, early bird catches the worm and all that!

Watching the world go by in sleepy Barnsbury

The beautiful garden space

The cafe

When we can’t be bothered to throw together breakfast, which seems to happen more often than it should, you’ll find us in Sunday.

Luckily for us, Sunday is just around the corner from our flat. I’m not sure if, subconsciously, Sunday is the reason we moved there or whether it’s just an extremely happy coincidence.

Being so close, we’ll be at the front of the queue on a Sunday morning. Yes, there is a queue for your weekend breakfast. And if you haven’t booked for supper, you’ll be hard pressed to get a table in the evening at Sunday.

This little place is popular for a reason; it dishes out fantastic wholesome food, some rather divine treats, in a charming neighbourhood setting with a real buzzy atmosphere.

Food:

The breakfast menu stays pretty much the same, with the odd update every now and then, and you can always mix it up a bit by adding in a side of avocado, spicy black beans or an egg to your chosen dish, or swap out some bacon for berries.

The breakfast and lunch time menu

Some of our favourite breakfast options…

The French toast for those with a sweet tooth

Sourdough Toast with Mushrooms and extra Avocado

My staple, Sourdough toast with spinach and mushrooms, poached egg and extra avocado

Smoked haddock hash with scrambles

Another personal fave; Corn fritters with kiln smoked salmon, sour cream, salsa & avo

Cornbread with Eggs Blackbean salsa and added Avo

Green chilli cornbread with eggs, spicy black bean salsa with avo

Pancakes with blueberries and bacon, as they should be for the carnivore

Pancakes, a la Jez (minus bacon, plus berries)

Alfresco dining; Sourdough toast with avocado & egg

Quinoa, granola, berries and almond milk

Pain au choc-almond, i’d also highly recommend the almond croissants here, just ask for them warmed

Super bright and refreshing Watermelon & lime coolers, perfect for those bearing hangovers – vitamins, hydration and so, so pretty!

Saturday afternoon tea stop - Pistachio Cake and the divine Banana Bread

Saturday afternoon tea stop – Pistachio (and maybe peach) cake and the scrumptious Banana bread

Pistachio and I think it was peach cake

THE BEST Banana Bread, warmed with cinnamon butter

THE BEST Banana bread, toasted and served with cinnamon dusted butter, possibly one of our favourite dishes

And for those night owls (organised night owls who have booked in advance), a sample of the dinner menu at Sunday. The menu changes weekly so expect seasonally inspired dishes full of flavour and imagination.

The evening menu

Mini cornbread appetizers

A selection of starters for supper

We’ve only had a couple of evening meals at Sunday, mainly because it’s usually a spur of the moment decision to go and they’re fully booked. The menu is great, especially if you like a bit of meat, and there are always a couple of interesting fishy or vegetarian options.

On our first evening visit, we weren’t particularly taken by the fish or veggie mains so we opted for a selection of starters; Feta Salad, Ricotta Fritters, Beetroot Salmon Gravalax together with the English Asparagus, Broad Bean and Pea Bruschetta. Oh and some how I managed to order a side of fries.

We’ve since been back and sampled a fish and veggie option…

Baked cod, sweet potato, spinach, coconut, red lentil curry sauce

Baked goats cheese & almond cake, beetroot, puy lentils and polenta crutons

We keep going back time and time again because the food is great. We’re so lucky to have Sunday just around the corner.

Service:

Welcoming service, very family friendly, and regulars are always made to feel a bit special.

Sunday gets extremely busy for breakfasts and lunch over the weekend which can have an effect on the usually high standard of service, however, on the whole I think everyone copes extremely well, especially considering the size of the place. You probably wouldn’t notice it unless you’re critiquing it.

When the cafe gets busy, it tends to get pretty noisy inside, with the sound bouncing off the wooden floor and glass window right back at you. If you’re sensitive to sound, maybe come for a late breakfast, mid afternoon time when things quieten down a little or grab a table in the little garden out the back.

These things certainly hasn’t put us off going back and happily recommending it as one of our favourite places for breakfast in London.

Presentation:

I love the look and feel of Sunday.

Always lovely blooms on display

The view from the queue

Fresh Mint Tea

Sweet succulents

Cutlery

Lots of wood – table, chairs, floor, panels.

Lots of fresh boho flowers and mini succulents on the tables.

Glass – big windows, paperweights, and jars for drinks.

I suppose it’s got a shabby chic feel to it, and I love it!

Value for money:

I love getting the bill at Sunday…mainly because it looks so pretty, and I feel you get what you pay for. At Sunday that’s a decent portion of wholesome nutritious ingredients whipped up into a tasty dish, with the odd ‘not so good for the body, but fantastic for the soul’ treat!