That may be true (witness the £20 Hawksmoor breakfast) – and it’s hard to imagine life in the capital without The Wolseley, which may serve a fry-up but could never really be called a greasy spoon. However in my neighbourhood, a modern brunch spot serving named-farm sausages and £3 coffees sits next to a very old-school caff. No prize for guessing which has queues and which is empty. 

Yet nostalgia surrounds greasy spoons. The Instagram account @caffs_not_cafes celebrates the magic of London’s best. On Facebook the Fry Up Police account has over 100,000 followers and strictly, if tongue-in-cheek, upholds standards (absolutley no greenery allowed). 

In the spirit of this nostalgia, we asked some of Britain’s top chefs for their favourite greasy spoons and orders, and here’s what they had to say… 

Tommy Banks

“Who doesn’t love an English Breakfast? Personally, I don’t understand why tomatoes are on there, as they’re only in season in the UK a few weeks a year. I always sack them off. You’ve got to go for the eggs and meat first, the tomatoes and mushrooms are a bit of an afterthought. I like scrambled eggs, or fried if they’re crispy. I prefer streaky to back bacon, because it’s fattier and juicier. A nice bit of black pudding, a good sausage… maybe tomatoes if it’s summer.” 

Roberta Hall McCarron

“The best fry-ups for me are ones with no frills but sheer indulgence. It has to be a lot of food for a little money, otherwise it’s not really a fry up, is it? One of my favourite breakfasts is The Roseleaf in Edinburgh. I always go for the ‘big yin’ which is sausages, black pudding, haggis, bacon, beans, tomato, egg and a tattie scone.” 

James Cochran

Chef-proprietor of 12:51, London 

“Whether it’s a hangover cure or a boozy brunch this place has got it! My go-to is always the ‘Bad man milk’ cocktail which consists of their house-infused coffee whisky, maple syrup and milk. For food it’s always the “Posh pig”, a mashup of crispy bacon, black pudding, beetroot-hash brown, manchego, spinach, chorizo jam all served up in a muffin with a good dollop of Sriracha on the side.”

Amy Elles

“My love of the greasy spoon was born at The Wilton Cafe in Victoria, which was a few doors down from my dad’s hair salon. My sister and I would go to work with him on Saturdays from a young age, and we always went to the Wilton. I have fond memories of toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches in perfect squares. There was noise, banter and big characters. As I grew older it would be bubble, tomato, sausage and a poached egg. Pure heaven. 

“Living in Scotland I do miss bubble, you don’t find it here, but I’ve become partial to a tattie scone. These days my order would be sausage, fresh tomato, tattie scone, lorne sausage and poached eggs. Not traditional but you have to make it how you like it.”