Bill’s at Christmas
We all know a Bill’s Restaurant & Bar, don’t we? It is arguably one of the most famous chain restaurants in the UK and in the last few years, has been quite popular for breakfasts and brunches. It has over 80 branches UK wide and I have probably only visited 3 of them – 1 in Exeter and 2 in London. This post will cover Bill’s at Christmas.
Last Sunday, Mr E was away in Manchester for his friend’s birthday so my brother, Bobo and I were bored at home. We thought to have yet another Christmas day out; this time, the choice was to check out Covent Garden. It was such a lovely day out; however, at about 1pm, it started to get really busy and we knew it was time for brunch. Problem was, we had no reservations anywhere! Anyway, I knew were Bill’s was located as we had gone there before so we headed there to try our luck!.
Bill’s is open every day; 8am to 11pm on Mondays to Saturdays, 9am to 10.30pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. There is free Wifi, baby changing facilities (always a plus) and disabled access as well.
For all the Brunch spots reviewed on the blog, click Brunch Spot Reviews
Location
It is in the popular St Martin’s Courtyard in Slingsby Place Covent Garden. Post code is WC2E 9AB and their telephone number is 02072408183. The best way to get there is the underground or taxi. If you are willing to pay £14 for 2 hours; then you can drive down or hope that there is a free parking spot around somewhere, somehow!
When we got there without our reservation, it was clearly very full. However, the outside seating area was empty and in my Christmas festive spirit, I asked if we could sit outside. I know I know, I must have been crazy! We are talking 7 degrees cold; however in all fairness, the sun was out, I wanted to people watch, we were given blankets and frankly, it was not that cold!
To make a reservation, you should book a table!
Related Christmas Post
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Find out how our day went at Winter Wonderland.
Ambiance
Bill’s is no frills rustic vibes. As mentioned, we had the pleasure of sitting outside so it was all so Christmassy with lights twinkling and mini Christmas trees surrounding the area where we sat. I really liked the switch up! I definitely prefer the Christmas decorations to the normal everyday look. They say that everything looks better in Christmas and this was very true!
Menu
It was 1pm so we went with the Brunch Menu. The usual – Pancakes, full English breakfast and the likes. We both ordered a full English and I contemplated ordering the pancakes on the side but I really was not in the mood for any more sweets since I was ordering a hot chocolate in addition to all the hot chocolates I had at Winter Wonderland the day before!
Service
I sound like a broken record but it was fantastic. I honestly feel that London service is just lovely or maybe I’ve just never had a bad experience? Every time I’m asked about service, I hardly ever have any bad word to say which leaves people confused lol but I try to be smiley and friendly; maybe because I have worked as a waitress so I know how to get people to be nice to me as well.
(Fun fact – my university side job included working at Aston Villa FC stadium as a waitress in the hospitality suite)
Anyway, it was nice. I feel like they might have felt sorry for us because we were sat outside in the cold. The manager kept coming up to us to ask if we were ok or needed anything. I did not mind the chat as he was quite pleasant! Usually, I just like to be left alone to eat but I guess Mr Manager knew the right amount of time to come around and knew when to cut the conversation and keep it moving.
Value for Money
This is probably the cheapest place I tend to recommend for brunches. Cheap and cheerful. Our food came to just under £32 and this included the 12.5% service charge which is pretty decent for London brunching! Full English cost £12.95 and the brilliant thing is that you can substitute one thing for another. For example, I did not want the black pudding and I asked for that to be taken off and replaced with an extra sausage which was ok with them. Trust me, a lot of brunch spots frown at substituting especially when it comes to adding sausages or eggs!
Will I go again? Yes of course! Bill’s is Bill’s. You cannot escape it if you love brunch and live in the UK. It is always somewhere around inviting you in and I love that they have stuck to their rustic designs, yet made it more modern as well which means that all ages can enjoy it without the atmosphere feeling dated or too “hip”.
See Brunch Spot reviews of Dalloway Terrace , The Ivy City Garden , Duck and Waffle
I hope everyone is now fully in the Christmas spirit. If not, light a scented candle tonight and turn on some Christmas tunes while you sing at the top of your voice!
Until the next festive post…
….Bisous, Bugo x
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