All the Best Spots to Brunch in NYC This Summer

Best for Morning Absinthe: Maison Premiere

Williamsburg
Maybe you’ve lingered over absinthe and oysters at this beloved Williamsburg spot’s horseshoe bar, but have you ever arrived in time for brunch? Come by the back garden when the sun’s still out, and sit beneath a canopy of interwoven flora. The greenery will filter the midday rays as you nosh on brioche French toast with huckleberry compote, duck confit hash, and a little green fairy.

Best Sidewalk Seating: De Maria

NoLita
In a sea of all day cafes, De Maria is actually the sort of place you might choose to stay all day. Designed in a nod to an imagined a ‘70s SoHo artist’s studio, the space is lined with white-washed exposed brick and slats of sandy blonde wood. Tables spill out of the airy space onto the sidewalk, where guests dine on bowls packed with coconut grains, house-cured salmon, and white bean hummus.

Best for Luxe Toast: Marlow & Sons

Williamsburg
In a bold refusal to kowtow to the brunch industrial complex, Marlow & Sons divides its daytime menu into breakfast and lunch. Both are a bit spendy -- the toast is $7 and a tortilla with aioli and black pepper is $9 -- but where else can you enjoy a comforting chicken soup ($18) in the dog days of summer than in the cool comfort of this air-conditioned dining room?

Best for Fair-Weather Vegetarians: Anella

Greenpoint
The quaint, sunny backyard at this slightly off the beaten path Franklin Avenue mainstay is made for warm days and bellinis. Choose from a seasonal menu of egg dishes (like the Benedict with prosciutto), upscale takes on comfort food (bourbon-glazed pork belly sandwich), and Southern classics like the fried chicken biscuit with white gravy and coleslaw.

Best for Your Instagram Feed: Sisters

Clinton Hill
Built in the former home of a hardware store of the same name, this is the pretty, polished sister you never had. Up front, a sleek marble bar and neat file of tables are illuminated by natural light pouring from an A-line skylight. The small back room has its own bar and DJ booth. Come sundown, Sisters transforms into a splashy, vibrant dance bar, but by day, the place is a bubbling emporium of delicately plated egg dishes and brunch cocktails. Opt for photogenic smoked whitefish toast, with a decorative melange of sliced radish, avocado, and lemon, or stick with the savory pork belly-topped French toast.

Best Heirloom Tomatoes: Cookshop

Chelsea
Schedule a trip to Cookshop in August, when fresh heirloom tomatoes are in season; the place is best known for its attentiveness to seasonal produce. Fish is cured in-house, poultry is raised locally, and meat is grass-feed. The floor to ceiling windows and the sidewalk seating are merely a bonus. Start with Jersey strawberries and house-made almond butter, move on to a frittata studded with zucchini, spring onions, basil, and goat cheese, and top off your order with a plate of house-made sausage. And if you’re really leaning into the whole “brunch” thing, order the Lovely Rita with muddled cara cara orange, cilantro, agave, and tequila-adjacent liquor chacho aguardiente.

Best for Reminiscing About Your Semester Abroad: Sauvage

Greenpoint
If you aren’t tossing back kirs at sidewalk cafes in the Marais district, Sauvage is the next best thing. The corner bistro faces McCarren Park, with a tidy row of al fresco two-tops out front. Sunlight pours through broad windows, while the A/C battles the heat. The menu draws inspiration from the season’s best produce, boasting options like French toast topped with fresh peach, apricot, and creme fraiche. A killer Bloody Mary is garnished with thyme and watermelon radish.

Best Bushwick Bushes: Forrest Point

Bushwick
True to its name, Forrest Point is Bushwick’s very own woodland territory. Once a gas station, the place is now a thicket of overgrown flowers and trees, sheltering many a packed table from the sun (a strange site in a throng of Bushwick warehouses). Choose from items like a smoked salmon Benedict, a BEC with home fries, and salsa-topped chilaquiles. Order guac for the table while you lounge in the oasis-like garden, and try a frozen Irish coffee -- or slide into the spot’s cabin-like interior when you need to escape the heat.  

Best Neighborhood Secret: Esme

Greenpoint
Esme is a staple for G train hostages -- the crowd skews mostly local. Folks here seem to know each other, know the waiters, know which tables they like best. Once you’re seated in the sunny dining room, it’s hard to get up again, and steaming brunch plates like pork belly eggs Benedict with Tabasco hollandaise, and thick-cut Parmesan French toast topped with slow-poached eggs won’t make it any easier. On your way out, make nice with the hostess. Chances are you’ll be back for dinner.

Best for Escaping the Bunch Scene: La Bonbonniere

West Village
Some weekends scream brunch, while others simply call for tolerable bottomless coffee, stiff white toast, and frill-free scrambled eggs. Take a detour from extravagant brunch cocktails and elaborate morning meats and hit La Bonbonniere, where you’ll dine in a cramped room lined with an array of thoroughly mismatched artwork (a signed portrait of Molly Shannon hangs beside a landscape of rural Peru). It’s the dive bar of diners, with an apathetic wait staff and a menu of unfussy basics -- and yet, the dining room remains packed, weekend after weekend.

Best (Affordable) Michelin-Starred Spot: Narcissa

East Village
Brunch is a slightly more affordable time to sample Michelin-starred chef John Fraser’s Narcissa menu, where dinner includes a $40 half chicken. Seasonal, farm-to-table dayside bites like the duck hash and lobster scramble hover around $20. Your basic Bloodies and Bellinis are available alongside more daring cocktails like the Fly Me to Tulum: tequila, mezcal, pomegranate, and chili. A darling secluded garden is cloistered from the East Village chaos.

Best Backyard: Le Fanfare

Greenpoint
Brunch at Le Fanfare is an impressive affair, with lemon-ricotta pancakes and pane frattau, a Sardinian flatbread topped pecorino and sunny eggs. The interior is charming and cozy -- naked lightbulbs hang above wooden booths and checkered floors -- and a homey backyard is outfitted with string lights and wicker furniture.

Best for Villa Dining: LaRina Pastificio & Vino

Fort Greene
Imagine entering your stone-tile villa and gliding to the courtyard, secluded by brick, and adorned in streams of ivy. Now imagine a little less and remember it isn’t yours, exactly, but rather a temporal escape you’ve paid to enjoy for like, two hours, max. This is LaRina Pastificio & Vino. The menu is small, but touches all the bases, with Nutella French toast for the sweet tooth, poached eggs with prosciutto for the Benedict loyalist, and gnocchi al pomodoro, for the one who just wants lunch, goddammit.

Best for Greenwich Village Devotees: Dante

Greenwich Village
As Dante Alighieri once wrote, “beauty awakens the soul to act.” Was he inspired by an aesthetically pleasing poached egg? We may never know. One thing’s for sure -- you’ll have no problem acting on egg dishes, sourdough flatbreads, hazelnut granola, and Italian sandwiches at this downtown staple. The space is narrow and minimalist in design, with tons bar, table, and sidewalk seating.  

Best for Pedestrian-Watching: Esperanto

East Village
This Brazilian Latin restaurant has been bringing ã ê í õ and ú to Alphabet City through South American and Caribbean flavors since 1999. Esperanto’s menu features ovos rancheros on crispy tortillas and cheesy breakfast burritos (served with home fries), as well as a lighter blended açaí fruit bowl. A $15 all-you-can-drink supplement will make you want to linger at your street-side table all day, but, alas, the special lasts but 90 boozy minutes.

Best for Tequila at an Inappropriate Time of Day: Gran Eléctrica

Dumbo
Tequila enthusiasts and bat advocates can finally share some common ground at this authentic Mexican restaurant located in one of Brooklyn’s confirmed tourist districts. The bar serves certified “bat friendly” spirits, meaning the makers allow the not so cuddly creatures to nosh on a percentage of their agave crops every year. It’d be a shame to waste this place on Brooklyn Bridge gawkers; post up in the spacious garden and dig into chilaquiles, tacos, and Bloody Marias.

Best for an Italian Feast: Uva

Upper East Side
The proper brunch at Uva is synonymous with a Sunday meal in Italy -- a stretch of day with no foreseeable end, a mosaic of colorful plates scattered on the table, and an uncompromising generosity of spirit (aka sharing bites of your pancake with the tablemate who chose egg whites instead). Uva serves an Italian country-style brunch on a rustic patio, and the restaurant’s reputation as a top-notch wine bar is deserved. The menu is lengthy, but standouts start on the first page: Think hot focaccia filled with Nutella cream, and strawberry/mascarpone pancakes. Then stop thinking and get your culo over there.

Best for Apartment Inspo: Otway

Clinton Hill
These folks sure have a sense of humor peddling a $13 “Bodega BEC,” in the same breath as a foie gras torchon with a glass of sauternes, but, in spite of the restaurant’s preciousness, this is solid neighborhood dining. The fatty duck liver/sweet wine pairing is the authoritative combination, after all, and what New Yorker wouldn’t be excited to regale tales of overpriced corner store staples back at the office come Monday morning? Gently designed interiors and sweet treats like donuts, chocolate chip cookies, and daily cakes make this a calm place to shake off the wilds of the weekend.

Best for Gluten-Opposed Imbibers: Brooklyn Cider House

Bushwick
This cidery housed in a former warehouse boosted its Brooklyn brunch esteem by opening an outdoor deck area -- but popular dishes like the Hangover Helper (Spanish chorizo with eggs, baguette, and fried potatoes) are good enough to enjoy in a broom closet. Pair Spanish omelets, chicken (wings) and waffles, and rib-eye steak and eggs with sour proprietary ciders.

Best for Fans of Little House on the Prairie: Loosie's Kitchen

Williamsburg
Stationed beside sister bar Loosie Rouge, Loosie’s Kitchen is like a little white treehouse. The narrow space gives way to a small patio, featuring minimal seating and a plant-filled bathtub. The space is flooded with light, spilling over mismatched chairs and tables where heaping plates of home-style comfort food await. Cure your weekend hangover with a plate of warm cornbread, topped with five-day-cultured butter and tomato-bacon jam, move on to fried chicken and waffles doused in spicy syrup, and finish with a pile of warm beignets with whipped Nutella.  

Best for Morning Pasta: Colonie

Brooklyn Heights
Known for locavore dishes year-round, Colonie recalibrates its farm-forward menu for warm weather, when tomatoes, beets, and strawberries are in their top form. Stop in for cacio e pepe (scrambled eggs with mascarpone and toasted filone), or buttermilk pancakes with whipped creme fraiche and strawberry-rhubarb preserves, before taking a riverside stroll in nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Best for Masala: Baar Baar

East Village
After successful turns in New Delhi, London, and San Francisco, chef Sujan Sarkar puts a modern spin on classic Indian dishes at his NYC gastro bar. Expect fried duck eggs with tandoori mushrooms and chili chutney, chicken liver masala, and rajma curry with pulled pork vindaloo or jackfruit. Brunch in the gaze of a feminine mural inside the colorfully appointed dining room, or under the clouds at a sidewalk table. Come in on a Sunday for live music from rotating musicians like Pawan Benjamin.

Best for Families: Buttermilk Channel

Carroll Gardens
At Buttermilk Channel, you won’t waste a moment of your precious brunch apologizing for your squealing child. The crowded, rustic dining room is broad and sturdy, and the endless thrum of chatter and clanking plates will drown out any pesky tantrums. Either that, or the other kid having a tantrum will make yours look less bad. The place is a neighborhood mainstay, as evidenced by the locals who continue to make it a brunch go-to, even after they’ve procreated. Take a seat at the lengthy communal table, and dive into a Bloody Mary and a plate of fried pork chops with Cheddar waffles -- and tack on a stack of fat buttermilk pancakes for the little ones.
 

Best for Time Travel: Vinegar Hill House

Vinegar Hill
Situated in the narrow sliver between Brooklyn Navy Yard and Dumbo, you’ll rarely hear this neighborhood’s name referenced outside of its eponymous restaurant. Farmhouse shtick is amplified by mismatched tables and chairs, distressed walls, and weathered wood. Wholesome dishes like dense sourdough pancakes, French omelets, and Cheddar grits pair equally well with a mug of bottomless La Colombe coffee, or a Bloody Mary -- and even better with both.

Best Horticulture: Llama Inn

Williamsburg
Peruvian fare may not be the obvious brunch choice -- which is exactly what makes it such a good one. At Llama Inn, brunch begets beef tenderloin served with fried egg and banana, or soft, meaty omelets speckled with pickled chilis and Chinese sausage, all served in a room that better resembles a greenhouse than a restaurant. Chef Erik Ramirez slings innovative seasonal fare from the spot’s open kitchen, while bartenders at the central circular bar prepare wild cocktails like the Llama del Rey with pisco, red wine, grilled pineapple, and pink peppercorn.

Best for Live Jazz: Dirty French

Lower East Side
Tucked in the bottom of the Ludlow Hotel, Dirty French is yet another buzzy culinary success by Major Food Group (Carbone, Santina, Sadelle’s). A dazzling array of contemporary French dishes are served in a classically beautiful dining room -- with a twist. An enormous vintage mirror covers nearly an entire wall, an ink-stained French flag hangs above the bar, and the servers all wear Air Jordans. The “Dirty French” neon sign glows a pink by the front door, and much like the aesthetic, the food is a twist on traditional, stuffy French fare. Classic dishes like Parisian crepes are topped with ahi tuna, and chevre is served with pear and sunchokes. The food needs no accompaniment, but every Saturday from 12-3pm, the place livens up with a special brunch performance by a New Orleans-style jazz band. Be sure to make a reservation -- there is rarely room for walk-ins.

Best for Breakfast Tacos: Gueros Brooklyn

Crown Heights
Prepared by an assembly line of expert chefs, the breakfast (and anytime) tacos at this sunny Crown Heights cafe are the ideal savory breakfast meal. Customize your tacos with buttery scrambled eggs, chorizo, refried beans, and avocado (among other options), all of which come piled atop a warm, house-made corn tortilla -- or opt for one of the spot’s signature creations like the fried avocado and jalapeño taco with pico de gallo. They’re less than $5 apiece, so you’ll surely want to try a few.  

Best for Special Occasions: Buvette

Greenwich Village
Dollhouse-like charm and quaint Parisian character make Buvette very much at home on the corner of cobbled Grove Street. The wait may be long, but once you’ve been seated in the narrow “gastroteque,” go for the prosciutto egg plate. The eggs are scrambled with the bistro’s espresso machine wand, topped with grated Parmesan, and served with paper-thin slices of house prosciutto on toasted baguette. Between the unrivaled quality of the food, and Buvette’s irresistible interior, this is a prime spot for a date.

Best for Picky Eaters: Shopsin's

East Village
Few characters in the New York food scene are quite so inimitably crass as Kenny Shopsin. Yet it’s hard not to like the guy. Head to the Essex Street Market eatery on any given day, and you’ll find Shopsin himself roaming the diner floor and scowling from beneath his Mets cap. He may not be one for casual niceties (or smiling at his customers), but what he lacks in pleasantries, he more than makes up for with this 900-item menu -- which offers Polish kielbasa, “taco-fried steak,” and the famed Shopsin’s “slutty cakes” (enormous pancakes stuffed with pumpkin and peanut butter). Be warned, parties are limited to four people, and don’t expect much patience while you decide what to order, so make up your mind ahead of time.

Best for Crippling Hangovers: Veselka

Lower East Side
This is the place when all you want are carbs, glorious carbs. The casual, booth-lined Ukrainian diner is like a big comforting cuddle, serving up steaming omelets, golden potato pancakes, and most importantly, heaps of cheese-stuffed pierogi. Breakfast and lunch items are available all day -- so hot latkes will be ready and waiting, no matter the hour: Veselka is just as good at 4am after a night out as it is at noon the next day.

Best for Live Gospel Music: Red Rooster

Harlem
Marcus Samuelsson’s Harlem comfort food spot is worth a trip uptown on a weekend afternoon for the cornbread alone: warm and spicy, with honey butter and tomato jam. Leave room for delicacies like fried chicken and waffles, caramelized banana-topped French toast, shrimp and grits, and other staple Harlem and international dishes. Better even than the food itself is the fabulous Sunday gospel brunch, held weekly in the subterranean speakeasy under the restaurant. There’s truly nothing that elevates a Sunday meal like a live gospel choir.

Best for Fancy Brunch Cocktails: Fort Defiance

Red Hook
There’s more to Red Hook than flat-pack furniture and Swedish meatballs from Ikea. The waterside Brooklyn neighborhood is also home to a surprising number of excellent restaurants -- and when it comes to brunch, Fort Defiance is king. You won’t typically have to wait in line, but it would be rare to find the place with many empty tables. And while the bar serves a serious cocktail roster well into the night, the brunch beverages are arguably the most impressive (try the King Bee with Darjeeling-tea-infused honeycomb vodka, lemon, and cava). Pair that with a plate of poached eggs and collard greens over chili-cheese skillet cornbread, and you’ve got yourself a balanced meal (of sorts).

Best for a Date: Milk and Roses

Greenpoint
Tucked far enough into Greenpoint to keep the masses at bay, Milk and Roses is one of few top-notch Brooklyn brunch spots where you likely won’t have to wait. The food, a modern Italian riff on classic Southern fare, is reliably tasty (get the ricotta-topped soft-scrambled eggs), the coffee is excellent, and the cocktail list is lengthy. In winter, claim a pair of armchairs beside one of two fireplaces; in summer, the best place to station yourself is at a marble-topped table in the atmospheric overgrown garden. To up the romance, bring your own vinyl and the waitstaff will gladly spin it for you. 

Best for Classic Jewish Fare: Russ & Daughters

Lower East Side
Russ & Daughters is equal parts cafe and cultural institution. In a city stocked with Jewish food, it’s no small feat that the Lower East Side eatery has built itself a standout reputation. Aesthetically, it’s modern -- but the food is certainly not. The kitchen honors the age-old tradition of matzo ball soup and herring spread, and waiters in white lab coats serve classic knishes and babka French toast. Under no circumstances should you leave without inhaling a faceful of latkes and house-smoked lox (served on a board with bagels and schmear, naturally).
 

Best Dive Bar Brunch: The Commodore

Williamsburg
New York offers a dive bar for every occasion -- dancing, pounding pickle-back shots, hearing live music, and, apparently, eating brunch. At the Commodore, you can order crispy fried chicken and biscuits drizzled with honey butter and hot sauce, and wash it down with a Shiner, all in the venue where you shotgunned a Bud Light last night. The no-frills brunch menu is full of staple comfort foods, plated in sizable portions, with none of the pretense that often accompanies this sacred meeting of the meals. Stick around afterwards for more cheap beers at the bar.
 

Best for Befriending Your Waiter: Diner

Williamsburg
Stationed in a tiny Pullman car beneath the Williamsburg Bridge, this cozy eatery has been a Brooklyn staple since the ’90s. Once you’ve been seated, your server will sit down at your table to tell you about the specials (there’s not much space in the aisles), and scribble them onto your paper tablecloth, lest you forget. Once the novelty of the setting and service wears off, classic sweets and egg dishes from the daily-updated menu speak for themselves.

Best for a Fat Stack of Pancakes: Sunday in Brooklyn

Williamsburg
If you’re gluten-opposed, we suggest you maintain a healthy distance from Sunday in Brooklyn. You’re all but obligated to start your meal with some of the maple Cheddar biscuits, or one of the cinnamon-sugar-drowned buns. But the house specialty is the pancakes: a supersized tower of absurdly fluffy discs drenched in a rich, hand-whisked maple praline syrup. Plenty of other plates are well-worth sampling (e.g., biscuits in breakfast sausage gravy or the house-smoked salmon with rye sour cream, onion, pickled vegetables, and whole wheat toast), but you'd be remiss to survive the three-hour wait only to skip out on the pancakes.  

Best for Reading at the Table: Brunswick Cafe

Windsor Terrace
For all the coffee shops in New York, it can still be difficult to find a good place to read and eat (assuming you’re actually trying to read as opposed to using a Joan Didion paperback to pick up girls). At Brunswick, a tiny brick-lined Australian spot just off of Prospect Park, you’ll find your solution. While the front of the place is primarily a to-go pastry/coffee counter, the heated back patio space is flooded with natural light and makes the ideal spot to sit and work or read. The food is impressive (see the Cheddar chive biscuit egg sandwich for details), the coffee is excellent, and the friendly Aussie waitstaff will gladly leave you to enjoy your book, even at busy times. 

Best Moroccan Food: Cafe Mogador

Williamsburg & East Village
Mogador has been doing comforting Moroccan dishes in the East Village since the ‘80s, and still the place has no trouble drawing a devoted brunch crowd (even with its new Williamsburg location). If you’re tired of scrambled eggs and avocado toast, mix things up with spicy poached egg shakshuka, served steaming in its skillet. The brick-lined bistro is filled with low-hanging lanterns, ornate carpets, and notably chic waiters -- and by NYC brunch standards, it’s reasonably priced. Each brunch dish runs to $19, with home fries, a salad, juice, and coffee or tea included. 

Best for Dining in a Secret Garden: House of Small Wonder

Williamsburg
It’s hard to imagine a hideaway quite so charming as House of Small Wonder. True to its name, the place is a little haven from all-things-city, lined with ivy and wood panels, and decked out with dozens of hanging plants. The cash-only venue has a winding spiral staircase, a greenhouse-glass ceiling, and a series of personal and communal tables. The eatery serves a peculiar mix of classic brunch plates (croque madame and croissant French toast among them), and offbeat Japanese dishes. Order the sashimi zuke don -- the fish of the day, with sweet mushrooms and egg over rice -- but be sure to get there early, as supply is limited and demand is high.

Best for Brunch if You're Not Paying: The Penrose

Upper East Side
If you’re eating on the Upper East Side, odds are your parents are in town. And while the area may not exactly be rife with trendy restaurants (or young people), there is some excellent food to be had. Head to the Penrose on Second Avenue and start off with drink at the bar while you wait. The cocktail menu is excellent, replete with eye-openers like the like the cold brew negroni (cold brew, Campari, and sweet vermouth), and most importantly, a selection of four distinct Bloody Marys -- it’s polite to try them all, of course. The brunch menu itself is stocked with creative egg dishes, like a smoked salmon BLT on sourdough.

Best for Romance: Joseph Leonard

West Village
To impress a date, always go for Joseph Leonard. The intimate West Village eatery is nearly always packed, but the wait is tolerable. The crowd -- a spread of well-to-do locals -- is mild-mannered and warm, and the wait staff is just as convivial. You get the sense, while eating here, that both the service and the clientele are part of the same glowing West Village social circle. The bucolic space features a blonde wood bar, vintage suitcases stacked in the corners, and framed photographs lining walls of exposed brick. The food is equally rustic. Order some coffee, a heavily garnished Bloody Mary, and a plate of chicken and waffles for two.

Best for Bottomless Mimosas: Baby's All Right

Williamsburg
Here’s the thing about bottomless brunch: a lot of the time, the absurd quantity of alcohol is merely a tactic to distract you from the nigh-inedible food. Even so, there are places in the city well worth the fee for a limitless mimosa tap, with food that isn’t totally repulsive. Our pick is Baby’s All Right. The popular Williamsburg dance bar may seem an unlikely spot for a midday meal, but the place will surprise you. The food is respectable -- think scrambled eggs with chorizo and avocado, and pork belly-topped eggs Benedict. The mimosas aren’t excessively sugary, and a live DJ will spin while you eat, to ensure that you won’t lose day-drinking morale. In fact, you may enjoy the ambiance so much that you wind up staying well into the night (you wouldn’t be the first).

Best for Rehashing Last Night: The Bonnie

Astoria
While sustenance is certainly a factor, the best part of brunch is often recounting the misadventures of the night before. At The Bonnie, you and your chosen mid-morning company can feast on indulgent shared plates like French toast sticks and waffle-battered sausage bites, while attempting to make sense of yesterday’s debauchery. The menu is Southern, with a focus on modern, nuanced comfort food, and while the restaurant is open-plan and typically lively, it’s never too loud for a conversation. You’d be remiss to sit through a meal without trying the BEC bites -- corn-meal-crusted bacon, egg, and Cheddar balls. There’s no hangover they can’t cure. 

Best for All Things Pickled: Jacob's Pickles

Upper West Side
Naturally, the house-made pickles here are the draw, but they aren’t the only briney delicacy on offer. There are pickled eggs, beets, carrots, tomatoes, and all varieties of cucumber -- and they’re all exactly what your biscuit breakfast sandwich needs (try some fried pickles on the side). This place is a New York establishment through and through, serving greens from the Union Square Market, and fresh cuts of meat from a butcher in Queens.

Best Hair of the Dog: Enid's

Greenpoint
Not all brunch cocktails are made equal. While New York offers plenty of bottomless mimosa packages and fancy daytime cocktail menus, sometimes all you want is a classic Bloody Mary, served fast and simple. That’s where Enid’s comes in. If tomato juice and Tabasco isn’t your thing, go for the Reviver -- a mix of spicy fresh ginger, vodka, grapefruit, and lime, sure to snuff the hangover doing somersaults around your skull. Pair your beverage with a heaping plate of biscuits and gravy, huevos rancheros, or steak and eggs, and be sure to return at night, when the tables are pushed aside and the dining room transitions into a rowdy, eccentric dance floor.
 

Best for New York Bagels: Ess-a-Bagel

Stuytown/Midtown East
The New York bagel is a truly remarkable thing. You are entitled to no opinions other than this. To call yourself a New Yorker is to hold a truly religious belief in the sacred quality of the bagel. In spite of all the brunch hype in this city, there are few mid-morning eats quite so satisfying as a bagel with cream cheese -- and they don’t come any better than those at Ess-a-Bagel. Whether you’re looking for some classic schmear; a bacon egg, and cheese; or a lox-stuffed breakfast sandwich, this place will deliver -- and for a fraction of the price of a sit-down brunch. 

Best for Excellent Coffee: Alpha Dominche Extraction Lab

Sunset Park/Industry City
Alpha Dominche is not a just coffee shop, but rather a coffee lab. If you’re looking for a simple morning pick-me-up, this is not your place. Beans are hand-picked from small-scale Panamanian farms, milk and sugar are frowned upon, and the menu is limited to drip coffee. Whether you select the $4 Toby’s Estate blend, or taunt your grandparents’ ghosts with an $18 Ninety Plus Gesha Estates brew, your coffee will be prepared in an enormous glass vessel called a Steampunk Brewer. You’ll want to sip it deliberately (like a fine wine), as it’s likely the most carefully processed cup of filter coffee you’ve ever had. Once you’ve savored your opulent cup of joe, hit any number of the top-notch food establishments next door in the Industry City food hall for some sustenance.   

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