Searching for the best brunch Woodberry Down has to offer? Your hunt ends at Dear Diana. Set within a bright, contemporary space in one of North London's newest developments, our venue has quickly become the favourite brunch spot for locals and visitors alike. Moreover, we've crafted an experience that goes far beyond simply serving food on plates. Whether you're a weekend warrior seeking the perfect eggs Benedict or a midweek treat-yourself enthusiast, Dear Diana delivers. Here are five compelling reasons why discerning brunch lovers consistently choose us.
Most brunch menus in London stop at midday. Ours does not. Walk into Dear Diana on Woodberry Grove at half past three on a Wednesday and you can still order a Full English, and nobody will raise an eyebrow.
That is the short version of brunch in Woodberry Down. Here is the long one, plate by plate, so you know what you are walking into before you arrive.
Brunch in Woodberry Down, Served All Day
We took the decision early that the kitchen would not switch menus halfway through the afternoon. Brunch is a mood more than a time slot, and plenty of people reach it at two rather than ten.
It is the thing people mention most often once they have been in.
This café serves really good brunch, and it's available all day. (Evan, Google review)
We also take no bookings at all. Tables are first come, first served, and once you are sitting down nobody moves you on. The full list sits on our brunch menu, and the whole range is on the menu page.
The Big Plates
Three dishes carry most of the weight at the weekend.
The Full English is £16 and does not cut corners: two fried eggs, streaky bacon, Cumberland sausage, baked beans, potato hash, portobello mushroom and sourdough. A veggie option is available. Our produce comes from local suppliers wherever we can manage it, which is the reason the plate tastes the way it does rather than the reason we put it on the menu.
The full English slaps every time and you can tell it's good quality produce. (Caglar, Google review)
The American Diner is £17.50 and refuses to choose between sweet and savoury. Pancakes with vanilla mascarpone and berry compote share the plate with streaky bacon, Cumberland sausage, two fried eggs, potato hash and maple syrup. Order it hungry.
The Medi Bowl is £15.50 and goes in a different direction: green hummus, shatta, house salad, grilled halloumi, a soft boiled egg, merguez and pita. It is the plate to order when you want brunch that does not sit heavily for the rest of the day.
The Signature Baklava Pancake
If you order one thing here, order this.
The Signature Baklava Pancake is £16: pistachio cream, crispy filo flakes, pistachio and maple. It came out of wanting a pancake that tasted like something rather than a pancake that photographed well, and it happens to do both. The menu marks it as ideal to share, which is honest advice rather than an upsell.
It is the dish most tables end up ordering between them, and the one people come back for specifically.
Eggs, Done Properly
Our Bennies range is short and it stays consistent.
Eggs Benedict is £13, on a classic English muffin with ham, poached eggs and hollandaise. Eggs Royale is £14, the same build with smoked salmon. The Crispy Chicken Benedict is £15.50 and comes with sriracha hollandaise, which is the one that surprises people who order it on a whim.
For something plainer, Any Style Eggs on Sourdough is £11, poached, scrambled or fried, served with house salad. The sourdough is the part people write about afterwards.
The sourdough bread was unreal, some of the best I've had. (Jahlaka, Google review)
Lighter Mornings
Not every visit wants a full plate.
The Yoghurt Bowl is £10, with whipped yoghurt, house granola and seasonal fruit and compote. Avo on Sourdough is £11 with house salad, and poached eggs can go on top for £3.
The açaí bowl is £12, with seasonal fruits, house granola, coconut chips and peanut butter. The blueberry and coconut chia pudding is also £12, served with whipped yoghurt, seasonal fruits and coconut chips, and you can add peanut butter or house granola for £1.50.
Arriving closer to lunch, the Chicken Caesar Salad is £14, with romaine, homemade Caesar dressing, focaccia croutons, parmesan and crispy panko chicken. The dressing is made in house, which is the difference between a Caesar and a bowl of lettuce.
Shakshuka and the Sandwiches
Our Shakshuka is the dish to order when it is cold outside: fudgy eggs in a spicy tomato and pepper sauce with lime labneh and pitta. Halloumi goes on top for £3.
The American Diner is a must have as well as the shakshuka. (Roviana, Google review)
On the sandwich side, the Salt Beef is £13 and it is the one we are known for. Thick-cut salt beef piled on toasted bread with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and our house Russian dressing, pressed and grilled until golden.
The Wagyu Beef Burger is £12.50, with caramelised onion, American cheese and ketchup. The Chicken Katsu is £12, with sriracha mayo, house slaw and American cheese.
Sides Worth Adding
The sides do real work here rather than filling space on the menu.
Fries are £4, and truffle parmesan is £2 more. Grilled Halloumi is £4.50 and comes with oregano honey, which sounds odd until you have it. Chicken Bites are £7 with sriracha mayo, and parmesan is £1.50 more. Green Hummus and Pitta is £5, House Salad is £5 and Crushed Avocado is £4.
We ask that no substitutions are made, and a 12.5% service charge applies.
What to Drink With It
Every espresso we pour starts with Allpress beans, roasted in London. Black coffee, white coffee, ceremonial matcha, spiced chai and a pot of tea cover most mornings, and we brew our iced tea in house in peach and lemon.
At the weekend the bar opens. An espresso martini is £12, made with our own espresso, and there are mimosas and prosecco for a table that is settling in.
What Our Regulars Say
We hold a 4.8 rating from more than a thousand reviews on Google. The rating matters less than what sits behind it, which is people coming back and finding the same standard on the fifth visit as the first.
Been a handful of times and the food has been more than delicious each visit. (Roviana, Google review)
If you have eaten here and we got it right, a review on our Google listing genuinely helps other people nearby find us. Search Dear Diana Woodberry Grove and the page comes up.
If something was not right, tell us while you are still at the table. We would rather remake a plate than read about it a week later.
Finding Us
We are at 149 Woodberry Grove, Woodberry Down, London N4 2SB, inside the Skyline Apartments building. Manor House is the nearest station, Finsbury Park is the bigger one, and Woodberry Wetlands is on the doorstep, which makes brunch in Woodberry Down an easy start or finish to a walk.
No bookings, so no need to plan ahead. Seating is limited at weekend peaks because we are a small neighbourhood café rather than a chain, and early morning or mid afternoon is the calmer window. Directions and opening hours are on our visit us page.
For more on the room itself, our guide to slow mornings covers it, and why locals choose us covers the neighbourhood.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does brunch start and finish in Woodberry Down?
Our brunch menu runs all day from opening rather than stopping at midday, so a Full English in the middle of the afternoon is a normal order here. Opening hours are on our visit us page.
Do you take bookings for brunch?
No. We run on a walk-in basis and tables are first come, first served. Weekend late mornings are the busiest window, so early or mid afternoon usually means a shorter wait.
What is the most popular dish at Dear Diana?
The Signature Baklava Pancake at £16, with pistachio cream, crispy filo flakes, pistachio and maple. The American Diner and the Full English are the two most ordered savoury plates.
Are there meat-free options on the brunch menu?
Yes. Avo on Sourdough, the Yoghurt Bowl, Any Style Eggs on Sourdough, the Açaí Bowl, the Chia Pudding and the Full English veggie option all leave meat out, and a vegetarian Wellington is on the Sunday roast menu. Our menu carries dietary labels and our team can talk you through any dish. Ask us about allergens before ordering rather than relying on a description.
How much is brunch at Dear Diana?
Most brunch plates sit between £10 and £17.50. The Yoghurt Bowl is £10, Avo on Sourdough and Any Style Eggs are £11, the Salt Beef is £13, the Full English and the Baklava Pancake are £16, and the American Diner is £17.50. A 12.5% service charge applies.
Do you serve the Sunday roast every week?
Yes, every Sunday from midday, on a separate menu at £26. Beef prime rib, corn-fed chicken and a vegetarian Wellington are the three options, with unlimited gravy.
