Delicious Brunch...nom nom nom
August 30, 2011 3:28 PM Subscribe
My husband and I are traveling to New York for a wedding Labor Day weekend. I'd like to find a great place to enjoy brunch on Sunday in New York or Brooklyn.
Great to us means delicious food, decent service, comfortable seating, not waiting for hours unless we know ahead of time and it is worth the wait (magnificent food or local color). We veer toward local foods and have been known to travel to cities specifically to get certain sandwiches (Hello Louisville, home of the Hot Brown!) or get up super early on a vacation eat somewhere fantastic (Hello Rick Bayless' Chorizo Torta...nom nom nom)
We are flexible on: Money and Location (we are staying in Brooklyn)
Not flexible on: Bloody Mary's please!
Bonus points if places have a great story or are legendary in some fashion.
Great to us means delicious food, decent service, comfortable seating, not waiting for hours unless we know ahead of time and it is worth the wait (magnificent food or local color). We veer toward local foods and have been known to travel to cities specifically to get certain sandwiches (Hello Louisville, home of the Hot Brown!) or get up super early on a vacation eat somewhere fantastic (Hello Rick Bayless' Chorizo Torta...nom nom nom)
We are flexible on: Money and Location (we are staying in Brooklyn)
Not flexible on: Bloody Mary's please!
Bonus points if places have a great story or are legendary in some fashion.
Best answer: Morandi's, in the West Village. Done and done. Ask for the Bloody Marys extra spicy.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:30 PM on August 30, 2011
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:30 PM on August 30, 2011
Best answer: Shameless self-link-- I made a list of great NYC brunch places on my blog (please excuse the comment spam there).
posted by deanc at 3:34 PM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by deanc at 3:34 PM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
My favorite brunch place, if I was in the city I'd see you there: Hundred Acres in Soho.
Emphatically meets your requirements, though worth attempting a reservation because it gets busy.
posted by keasby at 3:44 PM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Emphatically meets your requirements, though worth attempting a reservation because it gets busy.
posted by keasby at 3:44 PM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Sorry--didn't want to limit the list. We are staying in Brooklyn Heights. I do realize Manhattan and Brooklyn are huge, but if there was some great place on the upper east side we had to go to, we would. We prefer local, classic American, French-inspired brunch, or Latin American.
posted by fyrebelley at 4:06 PM on August 30, 2011
posted by fyrebelley at 4:06 PM on August 30, 2011
Response by poster: Also, yeah, I realize I said New York instead of Manhattan now--blurg...
posted by fyrebelley at 4:40 PM on August 30, 2011
posted by fyrebelley at 4:40 PM on August 30, 2011
Calle Ocho on the Upper West Side is nuevo latin and I don't know about the bloody mary's but its known for its unlimited sangria in a bunch of different flavours.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 4:59 PM on August 30, 2011
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 4:59 PM on August 30, 2011
Elephant and Castle in the West Village.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:00 PM on August 30, 2011
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:00 PM on August 30, 2011
Best answer: Also, yeah, I realize I said New York instead of Manhattan now--blurg...
That's quite alright. I was born and raised in Manhattan, and to me, only Manhattan is New York City (not joking in the least).
A couple other options--on the Latin side, you might try Good in the Village. Frenchy, my mom likes Pascalou on the Upper East Side (though I've never been wowed)--or Tartine (which is pretty small; you may need to wait--also in the Village). Alternatively, Balthazar is a big bistro, and kinda fun if you're in a bistro mood. Spotted Pig is quite good (probably a wait).
There really are a million options, though I still think Morandi's is the best, plus you can sit outside!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 5:06 PM on August 30, 2011
That's quite alright. I was born and raised in Manhattan, and to me, only Manhattan is New York City (not joking in the least).
A couple other options--on the Latin side, you might try Good in the Village. Frenchy, my mom likes Pascalou on the Upper East Side (though I've never been wowed)--or Tartine (which is pretty small; you may need to wait--also in the Village). Alternatively, Balthazar is a big bistro, and kinda fun if you're in a bistro mood. Spotted Pig is quite good (probably a wait).
There really are a million options, though I still think Morandi's is the best, plus you can sit outside!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 5:06 PM on August 30, 2011
Sweet Life Cafe - corner of Greenwich St and Christopher.
posted by blaneyphoto at 5:34 PM on August 30, 2011
posted by blaneyphoto at 5:34 PM on August 30, 2011
Best answer: I LOVE Bogota in Park Slope, not too far from Brooklyn Heights. It can get crowded but you can make an advance reservation on Opentable.
Fort Defiance in Red Hook is also quirky and fun, and known for its cocktails.
posted by mlle valentine at 7:15 PM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Fort Defiance in Red Hook is also quirky and fun, and known for its cocktails.
posted by mlle valentine at 7:15 PM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
(And it's okay about New York/Brooklyn—I grew up in the first, live in the second, and still say I'm heading "into the city" when I go to meet my folks.)
posted by mlle valentine at 7:16 PM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by mlle valentine at 7:16 PM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Where do you plan to go after brunch? That may help us determine where is best to suggest you go. There is Isabella's right by the park, 359 Columbus Ave at 77th St. There is also the Sunburnt Calf 226 West 79th between Broadway and Amsterdam for a good deal.
Sounds like a cliche, but try brunch at Waldorf Astoria. Staying on the East side, there is St. Bartholomew's church 325 Park Avenue. They have a beautiful outdoor cafe that they operate in the warm weather and it's really lovely.
Please try The River Cafe in Brooklyn, 1 Water Street if you are thinking of Brooklyn. I really love Junior's, but that's because when we came to the US in the mid 70s, I spent a lot of time there with my parents.
That's where I will stop because I am now hungry and I should go to bed.
posted by Yellow at 7:47 PM on August 30, 2011
Sounds like a cliche, but try brunch at Waldorf Astoria. Staying on the East side, there is St. Bartholomew's church 325 Park Avenue. They have a beautiful outdoor cafe that they operate in the warm weather and it's really lovely.
Please try The River Cafe in Brooklyn, 1 Water Street if you are thinking of Brooklyn. I really love Junior's, but that's because when we came to the US in the mid 70s, I spent a lot of time there with my parents.
That's where I will stop because I am now hungry and I should go to bed.
posted by Yellow at 7:47 PM on August 30, 2011
Best answer: A good brunch place in Brooklyn is Bubby's, right next to the waterfront. Afterwards walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to burn some calories and get a fantastic view of the city.
posted by mark7570 at 7:55 PM on August 30, 2011
posted by mark7570 at 7:55 PM on August 30, 2011
Response by poster: Thank you--these are all great suggestions and just what I was looking for.
And thanks for forgiving my Manhattan/New York slip. What makes that worse is I lived in upstate NY for 5 years and every time I told someone I lived in NY, they'd ask me about the city. So, yeah, I know better.
posted by fyrebelley at 7:56 AM on August 31, 2011
And thanks for forgiving my Manhattan/New York slip. What makes that worse is I lived in upstate NY for 5 years and every time I told someone I lived in NY, they'd ask me about the city. So, yeah, I know better.
posted by fyrebelley at 7:56 AM on August 31, 2011
Best answer: the farm on adderly is a great place for brunch on cortelyou in kensington brooklyn
posted by alkupe at 12:01 PM on August 31, 2011
posted by alkupe at 12:01 PM on August 31, 2011
Best answer: I was at Bubby's a couple of weeks ago. Totally worth it for the sourdough pancakes. The waterfront location is a big differentiator from the other suggestions.
I really don't think there's "a" brunch place you should go to in NYC. Instead, you should visit NYC regularly and go to a different brunch place each time. The experiences and food are so varied that unless you want suggestions for a place with a specific cuisine with a specific kind of ambiance in a specific area, you'll simply have a large list from which choosing one won't be different than looking your choices up at Zagat's.
posted by deanc at 1:47 PM on August 31, 2011
I really don't think there's "a" brunch place you should go to in NYC. Instead, you should visit NYC regularly and go to a different brunch place each time. The experiences and food are so varied that unless you want suggestions for a place with a specific cuisine with a specific kind of ambiance in a specific area, you'll simply have a large list from which choosing one won't be different than looking your choices up at Zagat's.
posted by deanc at 1:47 PM on August 31, 2011
Best answer: Minetta Tavern. Possibly best brunch in the city now that M. Wells has closed. Oozes history. If you squint, you might mistake the folks in the booth down the hall for the Rat Pack. Says their site:
Minetta Tavern was opened in Greenwich Village in 1937. The Tavern was named after the Minetta Brook, which ran southwest from 23rd Street to the Hudson River.
Over the course of its long history, the Tavern was frequented by various layabouts and hangers-on including Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O'Neill, E. E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, and Joe Gould, as well as by various writers, poets, and pugilists.
Otherwise: Shopsin's. Local color x 1000. Not recommended if you ask for modifications or are shocked by the errant f-bomb. Worth the wait. Family owned and operated, and dad sure is cranky. Watch "I Like Killing Flies" before you go, or flip through his insane cookbook. Slutty pancakes, sandwiches with French toast as the bread, legendary sliders, mac and cheese pancakes, and a floor show starring Kenny and his kids.
Minetta Tavern and Shopsin's are in my top five favorite brunch places in NYC, with The Breslin, Locanda Verde, and Clinton St Baking Co. falling close behind. But I think those two are "only in NYC" experiences.
posted by kathryn at 11:48 PM on August 31, 2011 [1 favorite]
Minetta Tavern was opened in Greenwich Village in 1937. The Tavern was named after the Minetta Brook, which ran southwest from 23rd Street to the Hudson River.
Over the course of its long history, the Tavern was frequented by various layabouts and hangers-on including Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O'Neill, E. E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, and Joe Gould, as well as by various writers, poets, and pugilists.
Otherwise: Shopsin's. Local color x 1000. Not recommended if you ask for modifications or are shocked by the errant f-bomb. Worth the wait. Family owned and operated, and dad sure is cranky. Watch "I Like Killing Flies" before you go, or flip through his insane cookbook. Slutty pancakes, sandwiches with French toast as the bread, legendary sliders, mac and cheese pancakes, and a floor show starring Kenny and his kids.
Minetta Tavern and Shopsin's are in my top five favorite brunch places in NYC, with The Breslin, Locanda Verde, and Clinton St Baking Co. falling close behind. But I think those two are "only in NYC" experiences.
posted by kathryn at 11:48 PM on August 31, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: As a follow up, we went to Bogota on Sunday, and Bubby's on Monday for brunch. Both were great and for completely different reasons.
Bogota's food was amazing--I had Daisy's Eggs, eggs baked in aji sauce (spicy tomato sauce) with chorizo and avocado. Yum! And we really enjoyed walking the neighborhood and watching (staring with our big old midwestern eyes) at all the people strolling about.
Bubby's sourdough pancakes were super delicious, and I had the corned beef hash, which was pretty tasty, but the Bloody Mary was divine. However, the view was the best part--just about under the Brooklyn Bridge with a great view of the water and Manhattan.
Thanks MetaFilter--once again you deliver!
posted by fyrebelley at 7:24 PM on September 5, 2011
Bogota's food was amazing--I had Daisy's Eggs, eggs baked in aji sauce (spicy tomato sauce) with chorizo and avocado. Yum! And we really enjoyed walking the neighborhood and watching (staring with our big old midwestern eyes) at all the people strolling about.
Bubby's sourdough pancakes were super delicious, and I had the corned beef hash, which was pretty tasty, but the Bloody Mary was divine. However, the view was the best part--just about under the Brooklyn Bridge with a great view of the water and Manhattan.
Thanks MetaFilter--once again you deliver!
posted by fyrebelley at 7:24 PM on September 5, 2011
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posted by millipede at 3:30 PM on August 30, 2011