Ole & Steen

South Kensington's got no shortage of places to grab breakfast, but Ole & Steen cuts through the noise with genuinely excellent baking that doesn't pretend to be something it's not. You'll walk in and immediately clock the counter lined with laminated pastries—proper butter ones, mind you—alongside robust sourdough loaves that actually taste of something. It's the kind of spot where you pop in expecting a quick coffee and croissant, then end up chatting to the person behind the till about fermentation times because they actually know their stuff. The vibe is unpretentious despite the postcode; locals queue for good reason, and the £5-7 pastries don't feel like South Ken theatre.