Banner's Crouch End

Whenever people ask me for London restaurant recommendations I will give them a few of my fail-safe favourites, one of them being Banners in Crouch End. It's full of character, very laid back, and although it is mainly Jamaican in theme, it has a very diverse menu with something for everyone. The thing that Banner's does best is breakfast, so if you're going to try it out, I urge you to go in the mornings (though book ahead at weekends, it gets busy!).

The design focuses on music appreciation, and the tracks they play are mostly laid back reggae. The waitresses are tattooed hipsters, lovely and friendly. You can imagine the day when Bob Dylan breezed in for brunch they tried their hardest to keep their cool, and then starting planning this plaque straight after he left!

I ordered the vegetarian breakfast with Banner's Potatoes - boiled new potatoes that have then been fried with chillies. Not too hot, but just enough of a kick. My friend had the gingerbread pancakes with sausage, bacon, egg and maple syrup. I tried a bit of the pancakes and they were yummy! But I'm just not into mixing up sweet and savoury. They charge 15p for a glass of tap water, but you can't get your knickers in a twist over this as it all goes to Wateraid.

Halfway through and I was really struggling with my breakfast mountain. Delicious as it was - it was a HUGE portion! The bill arrived in a coconut shell, along with some jelly beans. A nice touch, not that we could eat a single thing after this (until lunchtime of course). I haven't actually ever eaten dinner at Banner's, but take it from someone who has partaken of dozens of Banner's breakfasts, it's a really friendly little diner with great, laid back atmosphere and really good food.

Postscript:

After posting this review I had this lovely feedback from the owner of Banner's. Awwww!

Hi Sarah,Just to say thank you for your gorgeous report of Banner's Restaurant. It' a lovely boost to read what you said and makes me quite proud of our achievements.Your Prosecco Diaries are very generous spirited and a good read.Many thanks and all my best wishes,Juliette Banner