Breakfast
E Pellicci has been run by the same Italian-English family on Bethnal Green Road since the early twentieth century, and its marquetry-panelled Art Deco dining room is protected by listed status — a rare survivor of the classic East End caff. The menu keeps to hearty, unpretentious dishes like fry-ups and pasta, served in a room reviewers describe as having genuine, lived-in character rather than manufactured nostalgia. Its very high culture and local scores, paired with a low trendy score, reflect a spot valued for authenticity and history rather than novelty, and the 4.8 rating over more than 3,100 reviews confirms it as a genuine East End institution. No booking is needed, but expect a queue at peak breakfast hours.
✨ Reasons to go
💡 Good to know
⏱️ Typical visit
1h
🕰️ Best time
early morning, morning, lunchtime or afternoon
🚶 Walking intensity
Easy pace
What people say
"We’ve heard lots and lots about this place so it was about time we visit. Two of us ordered breakfast, and I had the penne pesto. Being a pasta pesto lover, it felt like a must to try the well renowned pesto. The pesto was great and rich in garlic which I loved, the pasta cooked to perfection and the portion was a good size. What did bother me a bit was the amount of water and oil that the pasta was covering a large amount of the plate bottom. If you are sensitive to a lot of fat/oil, this dish may not be great if this is how it is normally served. The garlic bread let me down a bit. Whilst I understand that the quality of olive oil was great based on the very rich olive taste, the olive taste was the only thing I could notice when eating the bread. The garlic I barely noticed unless physically looking at the pieces. Finally, the service was good most of the time. We didn’t have to wait too long despite the queue and the man that I assume is Pelicci himself was great. However, the shorter lady, whilst she was sweet, she did forget a few items on our table as well as other tables. I’d love to come back again to try a breakfast."
— Alice Golding
