We tried the cooked breakfast at the popular greasy spoon cafe with the best view of Bristol

When Bristol World readers were recently asked for their favourite places for a proper ‘Full English’ breakfast, Totterdown Canteen was one of the top choices.

This long-running family-run business on the Wells Road has long been the greasy spoon of choice for many Bristolians south of the river.

A few minutes after the doors opened at 8am on Saturday morning, there were already bleary-eyed early-risers grabbing tables.

Within an hour the place was already filling up and several Ubereats and Deliveroo delivery drivers were parking outside to collect orders.

With Baggy Trousers by Madness on the radio and a retro look to the lime green-painted cafe, there is certainly a timeless quality to the place but the fact it has become so popular for takeaway breakfasts is a sign of the times.

Personally, the thought of phoning for a Full English to be delivered to the door in a box is beyond me, however bad the hangover.

Part of the Saturday morning recovery process of a pint too many on Friday night is the pain and effort of dragging yourself out of the house and into a cafe with its restorative smells of frying bacon and eggs.

And there were certainly a few customers who looked a touch delicate on this early morning visit to Totterdown Canteen.

I grabbed a window table - one of a handful which offer arguably the best city views from any cafe in Bristol.

On a crisp and sunny autumn morning, there was a golden glow over the city with its multiple cranes reflecting the huge amount of change to the skyline as more high-rise blocks are built around Temple Meads.

Another sign of the times is the ‘polite notice’ on the back of the menus at Totterdown Canteen. It says that due to the ‘ever-increasing rising costs’, rather than increasing menu prices further, they’ve decide to add 10% automatically to the final bill on food purchased on Saturdays and Sundays.

Which was why my ‘regular’ breakfast (£7.50) and £1 cup of tea cost £9.25 at the counter. It’s not a significant difference for most customers but I’m sure there are a few people moaning.

But it was still worth the price as the breakfast was hard to fault. The two rashers of bacon were of a good quality and crisp as I like it, the two sausages were plump and piping hot.

The Heinz baked beans, cooked tomatoes, hash brown, fried egg, mushrooms and thick buttered toast were all just as they should be, too. No complaints there.

The regular breakfast I had was the middle option between the ‘small’ (£5.90) and the £8.50 ‘large’ version. There are also cheaper vegetarian and vegan breakfasts and a range of other breakfast dishes including eggs benedict, bacon and egg baps and scrambled eggs on toast.

Later in the day, you can also order burgers, jacket potatoes, omelettes, salads, paninis and a large range of ‘main dishes’ such as chicken tikka with rice, pie and chips with gravy or fish and chips.

In short, this bustling neighbourhood cafe caters for everybody who comes through the door, and anybody with a valid ‘blue light’ card or student discount card gets a generous 20% off.

But whoever you are and whatever you order, just make sure you bag a window table - those views are unbeatable.

Totterdown Canteen, 141 Wells Road, Totterdown, Bristol, BS4 2BU.