Brunch — it’s what New Yorkers do.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., chances are, we’re at brunch. And while most restaurants nowadays offer the breakfast-lunch combo (with bottomless mimosas), not every brunch is created equally. We’ve put together a list of the best brunches of New York City for your eating pleasure. Bon appetit!
Manhattan
Linen Hall
Located in the East Village close to Union Square, Linen Hall offers a reasonably priced brunch with dishes like Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, Avocado Toast, French Toast with challah bread, a Breakfast Burrito and an Irish Breakfast among others, ranging from $12 to $15 per entree. Main menu items are all served with home fries and white toast. The spot leans toward upscale but it’s relaxed and offers a laid-back time. (101 Third Ave., East Village; 646-602-9316; linenhallnyc.com)
The Smile
Bond Street’s The Smile is inside a landmarked 1830s Federal-style townhouse, which offers a unique and rustic ambiance, and has a wide variety of dishes for brunch, including pastries (chocolate scone, quinoa banana muffin, a dark chocolate and sea salt cookie, etc.). Choose from scrambled eggs, an egg sandwich on an English muffin, steak and eggs, smashed avocado toast, steel cut oatmeal, a semolina Belgian waffle, a smoked salmon and lemon caper cream cheese bagel and more, with prices ranging form $11 to $16. Of course, there are cocktails ($13) including a mimosa, Bloody Mary, a Salty Dog with grapefruit vodka and juice with a sea salt rim, and a Mezcal Paloma. (26 Bond St., Downtown Manhattan; 646-329-5836; thesmilenyc.com)
Penelope
Penelope is worth the trip to Kips Bay — its cozy comfort food (cinnamon pecan sticky buns, buttermilk biscuits, Nutella French toast, biscuits and gravy, a brunch burger, an egg sandwich, “Avocado toast AF”) will warm your belly and its drinks will make everything right (bottomless house blend coffee, a rosé mimosa, a white peach bellini, a soju Bloody Mary, etc.). Penelope offers a $23 prix fixe menu with any main, a cocktail or coffee/tea/juice. Just be sure to get there with time to spare because it gets busy. The space itself is not far off from sitting in grandma’s kitchen. (159 Lexington Ave., Kips Bay; no reservations taken; penelopenyc.com)
Post
Post is a cozy spot that has some of the very best homemade biscuits in the city offered with a fried egg in several ways — with mushroom and goat cheese; with avocado and tomato; with house-made chicken sausage and cheese (pictured) or white gravy; with bacon, tomato and gouda cheese; and with Carolina barbecue pulled pork and coleslaw. If biscuits aren’t your cup of tea, the brunch menu also features salads, granola, pancakes and more. Pair your choice with a mimosa ($7), a Bloody Mary or a Post champagne cocktail (both $10). You can fill up without having to pay more than $20. (42 Avenue B, East Village; 646-930-2724; post-nyc.com)
Brooklyn
Buttermilk Channel
Pecan pie bourbon French toast — need we say more? Buttermilk Channel is a known favorite of Beyoncé and makes you feel like you’ve stepped into the best of Brooklyn: exposed brick walls, Bloody Marys and cheddar waffles. But the star of the menu, in our humble sugar-loving opinion, is that drenched, syrupy French toast. Of course, not everyone is a sweet breakfast fan — Buttermilk Channel has you covered, too. Choose from one of three scrambles, a lox platter, short rib hash, heirloom bean stew and a whole lot more ranging from $8 to $24. There are also three types of Bloody Marys to choose from and three sparkling cocktails (a bellini, mimosa and an aperol spritz) for $11 to $14 each. (524 Court St., Carroll Gardens; 718-852-8490; buttermilkchannelnyc.com)
Clinton Street Baking Company
Yes, the brunch line is long, but once you get to your table at Clinton Street Baking Company, you won’t regret the wait. The small, 32-seat eatery is most known for its pancakes (wild Maine blueberry, banana walnut or chocolate chunk), but it serves American classics — a country breakfast, Brioche French toast, the popular eggs Benedict, the fried chicken and waffles, hash browns, double-smoked bacon and so much more from $9 to $18. Tip: Arrive by 8:30 a.m. for the first seating at 9 a.m.; if you wait, the bakery next door has pastries and coffee if you want to start before you sit. Or, go on a weekday. (4 Clinton St., Lower East Side; 646-602-6263; clintonstreetbaking.com)
Queens
The Queensboro
Jackson Heights’ The Queensboro is another cozy spot worth your time with its popular eggs Benedict, eggs Norwegian, garlic clam and avocado toast. It also has pancakes made with dulce de leche butter and maple syrup, waffles with berries and creme fraiche, chicken apple sausage, sweet potato chorizo hash and sunny eggs, and your standard brunch cocktails for $9-$10. The no-frills spot, where the its food is the star, is a favorite in the neighborhood. (80-02 Northern Blvd., Jackson Heights; 929-296-0038; thequeensboro.com)
The Alcove
Sunnyside’s The Alcove is a friendly hot spot with a tasty menu that includes a brunch burger, avocado toast, eggs Benedict, cinnamon French toast, skirt steak lollipops and a bowl of large guacamole, among other dishes that range from $7 to $17. There are a slew of brunch-appropriate cocktails for $7. Alcove also has a healthy menu of tap beers for those ready for something hoppy. The service is top notch, regulars say, and there’s a mojito flight worth trying, too. (41-11 49th St., Sunnyside; 347-813-4159; facebook.com/thealcoveny)
The Bronx
Beatstro
This hip-hop dedicated eatery celebrates Bronx pride and is a source of pride for Bronxites, who enjoy the restaurant’s “Beats & Brunch” each weekend. For $18.95, you get unlimited sangria and mimosas for 90 minutes. Menu items include your standard avocado toast but major hitters like rum cake French toast, charred okra and eggplant stew, Locrio (shrimp fried rice and beans with sunny eggs, kimchi slaw and Beatstro sauce), chicken and waffles, a mulled apple cider waffle and others, which range from $9 to $26. It’s a fun experience through and through. (135 Alexander Ave., Mott Haven; 718-489-9397; beatstro.com)
The Bronx Public
This cocktail bar and craft kitchen is another fun spot that happens to get a good brunch crowd on the weekends, and it might have something to do with its bottomless brunch ($20). Choose from the homemade butter biscuits, brunch fries or wings to start, and follow it up with steak and eggs, chicken and waffles, pancakes, banana chocolate French toast or one of the Bronx Public’s specialties (chicken biscuit sandwich), which range in price from $10 to $16. Customers love the sangria, too, which is $8 per glass or $35 per pitcher, if you don’t get the bottomless brunch option. (170 W. 231st St., Kingsbridge; 347-773-5186; thebronxpublic.com)
