The Breakfast Club Chelmsford — Restaurant in Chelmsford

Went in for breakfast/brunch – and while the name The Breakfast Club holds promise, the experience didn’t quite live up to it.

The vibe inside is actually quite nice, with a quirky, slightly retro decor that feels like a bit of a time warp – in a good way. Staff were generally pleasant; we were looked after by a few different people, all of whom were friendly and polite.

Now for the downsides.

The coffee was a big let-down – genuinely one of the worst I’ve had in a while. It tasted like it had been sitting in a pot since the place opened that morning, completely bland and flavourless. Think petrol station vending machine coffee… and even that might be generous. It came in a cosy-looking mug with a spoon already in it, but oddly, no tray or side plate for the spoon or sugar wrappers, which just ended up making a mess on the table. Not the end of the world, but it felt a bit thoughtless.

The food was OK – decent enough – but nothing to shout about, especially considering the price. About £15 per person for one egg, a couple of bacon rashers and a tomato feels steep, even for Chelmsford.

The real kicker, though, was the bill.

A 12.5% service charge was automatically added. Over £4 in service charge for something that’s already overpriced? And it’s not even optional unless you ask them to remove, which they have to go back to the till and reprint a new receipt. That kind of sneaky practice really doesn’t sit well with me.

Even if everything else had been perfect, this would still be a 1-star review. I don’t appreciate being treated like an ATM – and I won’t be returning. Plenty of better places to spend your money where the service is transparent and the coffee doesn’t taste...

Service - 10/10. Staff were lovely, attentive without being overbearing and sorted issues really quickly. Coffee and food came out very quickly despite it being busy (more on that below). Coffee - 4/10. No filter coffee available. Flat white was very milky and almost felt machine made - would certainly explain the speed it arrived. Black americano was weak and (hear me out here) kinda soulless tasting? Just very forgettable. Food - 6/10. My fried chicken & eggs benedict was as described, but was very surprised by the speed it arrived under the heat lamp across the room from us. It then sat there for quite a while, whilst other food from the order was prepared. This resulted in it all arriving luke-warm, rather than the cold stuff (relish etc) cold and the toast and chicken hot. The chicken was a little odd as well - very tough, I’d be very surprised if it was being prepped fresh. The big traditional breakfast also in the order was good, but beans arrived cold. Staff sorted this very quickly. Whole thing just gave me the impression they’re plating pre-prepped stuff up fast rather than cooking anything fresh. At this money I wouldn’t mind the extra wait...

Since the opening announcement in November we’ve been excited to hit the breakfast club in Chelmsford. We’ve heard so much about their London sisters.

We were not disappointed!

The void following Boxing Day did not deter staff. All seemed to have a smile on their face, were very welcoming and had a little play with baby FoodMunkey.

I opted for the American stack deluxe which unfortunately was out of stock. So went for the standard American stack 😂 . The pancakes were extra fluffy, bacon the perfect amount of crispy, eggs perfectly poached and the sausages not too herby (can’t stand a sausage that tastes like a flower garden lol).

My mum and little dude went for the French toast which was proper. Cornbread French toast! I was glad it was too much for baby FoodMunkey to eat as it meant I had some too.

Disco hash was immense if not a little on the spicy side for my wife. She’s not a massive fan of spice but wanted to be a little adventurous. She loved it but just couldn’t quite finish it.

Oh and the Bloody Mary! Wow!

Genuinely can’t wait to head back and try out the rest...