Introduction

The Wolseley at 160 Piccadilly is an elegant restaurant in the heart of London’s West End, situated roughly midway between Piccadilly Circus and Green Park on the southeastern corner of Hyde Park. The restaurant gets its name from the Wolseley motor car company, which set up its headquarters at the location back in 1921. The area that is now the restaurant used to be part of the showroom.

On Sunday morning at 08h15 I have a reservation for breakfast at The Wolseley. I catch a District line train to Embankment, and then from there I walk through St James’ Park, cutting across the Mall and Pall Mall to arrive at the restaurant, which sits on the next block from the Ritz-Carlton. It’s a beautiful sunny day that feels like spring may be just around the corner.

The Restaurant

The decor of the restaurant is quite striking and kept in the Art Deco style in a salute to the building’s beginnings and its original purpose.

Just past reception, in the middle of the room, is a table with a selection of French pastries, including the fabulous cannelés from Bordeaux. Just after eight on a Sunday morning, the place is still quiet.

Breakfast

To drink, I order an Assam tea, which is served in a heavy silver teapot. For a starter, I order the avocado toast with confit tomato, served on sourdough bread, which is very nice. Just beware if you’re not a fan of coriander. And then for the second course, I have a yoghurt with banana, mango anf chia seeds, served with coconut flakes and kiwi on top.

The food is very nice, with a good balance of rich flavours and textures. I also like that the yoghurt isn’t overly sweet.

The Service

The service at The Wolseley is more efficient than elegant. I’m guessing the restaurant caters mainly to the business crowds that frequent it during the week for working breakfasts or a business lunch. But the staff are not unfriendly, just maybe lacking a bit of polish.

By Boat to the Tower of London

After breakfast, I walk back to Piccadilly Circus, past Leicester Square to Covent Garden, and then from there down to the Thames. Just before Waterloo bridge is the Embankment pier of the Thames ferries that run from Greenwich in the east to Kewe and Richmond in the west. The service has been taken over by UberBoats and is more than just a bit unreliable. But it’s such a nice day, it would be a shame not to at least try to get onto the water. Tickets do not need to be purchased in advance, you can just tap on and off with your Oyster or credit card.

The journey takes about 25 minutes. The boat has a small outside deck at the rear, but most seats are inside. On a gorgeous day like today, it means that the outside deck can get very crowded, as tourists try to capture the sights of London from the water.

Conclusion

The Wolseley is a beautiful restaurant in an elegant setting. The food is good, but not really exceptional. Having said that, perhaps the next time I should try coming here for lunch. After all, there is only so much you can do with avocado and toast.