Welcome

This week we're in foodie heaven: we've got a smorgasbord of carb-loaded breakfasty goodness for you and a cool place to eat sourdough pizza with cars. Plus a Finchleyite who might have you humming the Butterflies theme tune (if you're that age).

Don't forget the Finchley Church End by-election Thursday 6th March.

☕🍳12 Fantastic Finchley Fry-ups

Who doesn’t love a proper fry-up? Whether you’re all about the full English or keeping it veggie or vegan, there’s nothing like a hearty, greasy, carb-fuelled start to the day. Or afternoon—no judgment here.

So why not take it slow next weekend and treat yourself to a top-tier breakfast? We've scoured the internet, Facebook Groups and read the reviews . We’ve got you covered.

Finchley Central

Tasties N3. Refurbished last year, second-generation owner. Good food, good atmosphere.

Boulangerie Bon Matin N3. Opened last year - halal friendly a range of cooked breakfast options including Eggs Benedict. Friendly and welcoming team.

Bluebelles of Portobello N3. Great all day brunch. Welcoming team, good beetroot latte.

East Finchley

Dan and Decarlo N2. Great choice of a Full English, Full Veggie, or Barts Breakfast.

Egg and Bake N2 Reviews say it's a lovely place for coffee or lunch, with chilled service.

Cup of Joy N2. Reviews call it a friendly and welcoming cafe, and people really like the Turkish breakfast.

Casa Pepe N2. Reviews love the breakfast baps, and it’s much lauded on a Facebook thread about fry-ups.

Coffee Bank N2. A former Bank, with a solid 4.5 on Google Reviews, and many liking the fry-up.

North Finchley

Boulangerie Joie de Vie N12. Part of a micro-chain, with a great patisserie and breakfasts. Also in Temple Fortune, NW11.

Delights N12 An enourmous menu to choose from. Lots of veggie options, sourdough, and eggs. Lots of eggs.

Holybella N12. Great neighbourhood café, good breakasts.

Hole in the Wall Cafe N12. Just past Whetstone. Great reviews online - a rare 5. Kevin and the team deliver great food, friendly staff, and good value.

And there you have it—twelve top-tier spots to get your fry-up fix, wherever in the Greater Finchley area you are. So go forth, grab a plate, and remember—calories don’t count when it’s breakfast. ☕🍳

Events

ARTS

Saturday 8th March

Monday 10th March

COMMUNITY

Tuesday 25th February

Cappuccino Connections | Tue, Feb. 25 | 10:00 am | Jugad by Foodhak, Unit 92, Camden Stables Market, NW1 8AH. | Visitors: £32 | New Year, New Start? Cappuccino Connections is an informal, drop-in session for Athena members providing them with an opportunity to network with members from surrounding Athena groups and the flexibility of a ‘drop-in’ useful to catch up with one another.

Sunday 2nd March

North London Vintage Market | Sun, Mar. 02 | 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Hornsey Parish Church Hall, N10 4AH | Admission: £1.50 | NLVM is back selling Mid-Century Ceramics, 50s, 60s and 70s fabrics, books, accessories and more. food and drink available and children go free.

MUSIC

Sunday 2nd March

Brent Cross Town Community Choir | Sun, Mar. 02 | 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm | The Brent Cross Town Visitor Pavilion, NW2 1FE | Free | Join the new Brent Cross Town Community Choir, for free. Every Sunday the group meets at the Brent Cross Town Visitor Pavilion to sing, connect, and build a vibrant community. Led by local resident Ryan O’Riordan, the choir was established at the Yard and has now expanded into the Visitor Pavilion.

THEATRE

Thursday 27th February

Friday 28th February

Thursday 6th March

Kate Mosse: Labyrinth Live | Thu, Mar. 6 | 7:30 pm to 9:50 pm | artsdepot | £22 | Celebrating the 20th anniversary of her global best-seller The Labyrinth, Kate Mosse shares the secrets behind her writing and the inspirations and experiences that shaped this beloved classic.

SPORT

Saturday 1st March

Wingate & Finchley vs Whitehawk FC | Sat, Mar. 1 | 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Maurice Rebak Stadium, N12 0PD | Adults £12, Concessions £8, 11-18 £5, U11s FREE | Wingate & Finchley have been resurgent since the start of 2025 and are now moving back up the Isthmian Premier League after a massive 6-0 win against Bowers & Pitsea. The Blues are starting March with a home match against Whitehawk and readers of Finchley Now can get a free ticket to the game using code FINCHLEYNOW at the club's online ticket site.

SUSTAINABILITY

Wednesday 5th March

Seed Swap | Wed, Mar. 05 | 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm | St John's URC Church, Somerset Road Entrance, EN5 1RH | Free | Come to our annual seed swapping event if you would like to save money on seeds, try new plants and get to meet some lovely local food growers and gardeners from your community. Bring along spare seeds or small plants - whether veg, herbs, fruit or flowers that you’ve saved or sown, a packet you no longer want or cuttings from your garden.

Events - Book Ahead

Saturday 22nd March

Apex Predator - Hampstead Theatre | Sat, Mar. 22 | 7:30 pm | Hampstead Theatre, NW3 3EU | From £25 | Mia is going out of her mind in a flat with a baby that won’t feed. Her son Alfie’s getting bullied at school; her husband Joe is working all hours for the police on a job he can’t talk about; the neighbour keeps blasting music at 2:00 am; and another body has been found in the Thames. As Mia desperately looks for something in her life she can control, Alfie’s teacher Ana proposes an unconventional route to empowerment – and suddenly the hunted becomes the hunter…

Sunday 30th March

Saturday 12th July

Kaleidoscope Festival | Sat, Jul. 12 | 1:00 pm to 10:30 pm | Alexandra Palace Way, N22 7AY | From £15.95 | Alexandra Palace’s very own Kaleidoscope Festival returns on Saturday 12 July 2025 Headlining the festival’s stunning outdoor Hilltop Stage, dance music legends Faithless will be performing live.

Local Lowdown

Eating

Rev up your dining experience. At 67 Sourdough, near East Finchley station inside Hexagon Classics, enjoy gourmet sourdough pizzas. You'll be surrounded by vintage supercars. It's not every day you can say you ate an Alfredo Mushroom pizza next to a £300,000 Porsche. Check it out.

Extending

Space race. From the end of last month, Brent residents can extend their living spaces without stretching their patience. New planning guidelines mean easier extensions - more room for everyone. Say goodbye to house hunting headaches and hello to home sweet, bigger home.

Revamping

Revamp alert. High Barnet station will see changes soon, as plans are in place for 300 new homes. Unfortunately, this will mean saying goodbye to the old car park (except for blue badge spots). Drop by Tudor Hall (today or on 1st March) or tune into the webinar on 4th March to have your say.

Electing

Farewell to a legend. Finchley Church End is getting ready for a by-election on Thursday, 6 March 2025. This comes after the passing of Eva Greenspan, the former Mayor of Barnet. She was a councillor for 35 years. Polling stations will be open from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Lighting up

Magic in the air. This winter, Shepherd's Bush shines with "Here We Glow". The amazing trail has huge interactive bubbles and geometric shapes that reveal a code. Catch the free, illuminated spectacle by renowned artists until March 2nd. Worth leaving Finchley for.

The Finchleyite: Geoffrey Palmer

Geoffrey Palmer OBE was a renowned English sitcom actor. Born in North Finchley, he attended Highgate School. He served in the Royal Marines for his national service and briefly worked as an unpaid trainee assistant stage manager.

Palmer's acting career including roles in Cathy Come Home, Jimmy Anderson in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and Ben Parkinson in Butterflies. For over ten years he starred alongside Judi Dench in As Time Goes By, portraying Lionel Hardcastle. He also appeared in films including A Fish Called Wanda, The Madness of King George, Mrs Brown and the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

He played John Crowder, Finchley's MP before Mrs Thatcher in the film The Long Walk to Finchley.

Appointed an OBE for services to drama in 2004, a portrait of him by Stuart Pearson Wright is in the National Portrait Gallery, London. He later lived in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, and passed away peacefully at home in 2020, aged 93.

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Editors' Note - From Tessa

We hit the Cotswolds over half-term and enjoyed a week in the countryside. We couldn't resist a day at Cadbury's World to stuff our faces with heaps of chocolate.

It's got a 90s vibe, but the chocolate is fab and I can recommend.

Also, let us know about local events or local news. We curate our content to keep it a 5-minute read, so can't include everything we're sent.

You can now get a guaranteed (paid) listing for local events or local lowdown/news items.

And email us with any projects or ideas you'd like us to write about.

Tessa Davis

Sasha Frieze

Finchley Now

🗞️ Where can you eat your pizza and marvel at a £300k Porsche?