Whether you’re an egg-lover who wants to start the day with a towering stack of pancakes or a cured and smoked fish lover who needs to make it to Central Park in time for an 8am brunch, NYC has some amazing breakfast spots that will have your taste buds drooling.
Great Jones Cafe
The Great Jones Cafe is a classic Noho staple that opened in 1983. The Cajun-Creole restaurant has served up cult-favorite eats to locals for years and has long been a hub of Noho’s art and music scenes.
When Great Jones closed last year following owner Jim Moffett’s death, locals were saddened that a true downtown icon had passed away. Fortunately, it’s back.
Fabrique Bakery
Fabrique Bakery is an artisanal bakery started by David and Charlotta Zetterstrom in Sweden in 2008. The company has 19 locations in Stockholm and six in London.
They have an impressive line of pastries and sourdough breads, with their famed cardamom buns topping the list. They’ve also got a variety of sweet treats, including cinnamon buns and raspberry jam cakes.
Gertie
Despite the all-day counter service, it’s breakfast that really sets Gertie apart from other Williamsburg counter-service places. It’s a place where you can sit by the big windows, eat an egg sandwich, and soak up the sun, or drink rose in a bathrobe, which is a rare thing to find in Williamsburg.
Gertie’s menu is a little limited (a tuna melt, veggie gyro, and chicken dinner with rice and beans are all on the list), but it’s still an excellent start to your day. You’ll need to plan ahead, but you’ll be glad you did!
Sadelle’s
One of New York’s most beloved brunch institutions, Sadelle’s brings quintessential appetizing selections — like hand-rolled bagels, lox towers, chopped salads, sandwiches and decadent French toast — to a fun, refined level.
It’s a one-of-a-kind dining experience with a cheeky ambiance. The restaurant features garden green velvet lounge chairs, peppermint-striped staff uniforms and ocean blue accents to create a peaceful vibe for diners.
Spreads
If you’re bored of butter and jam on your toast, try some of these spreads instead. They are tasty, relatively healthy and super easy to make.
Dairy spreads are also a good option. However, they often contain sodium, which can be a problem for some individuals.
Morning Star
Whether you’re trying to cut back on meat or just want to try something new, Morning Star has a plethora of options for you. From their famous sausage burgers to their newest entrants from their Incogmeato line, they have your plant-based needs covered.
The best part is that they come in a variety of sizes to suit your budget and your lifestyle. They also have a variety of breakfast entrées from biscuits with veggie gravy to a stack of pancakes with a side of fruit.
Balthazar
From the moment Keith McNally opened his Soho brasserie in 1997, Balthazar has been a hothouse of both good and bad energy. Some of its most ardent regulars include Anna Wintour, Michael Jordan and Salman Rushdie.
For an experience that’s reminiscent of a Parisian brasserie, a table at Balthazar is still worth the price tag. It’s hard to go wrong with a scrumptious French onion soup or a towering seafood feast.
Le Pain Quotidien
Founded in 1990 in Brussels, Belgium, Le Pain Quotidien is a bakery-restaurant group with over 210 locations worldwide. Its signature ingredient is a good old-fashioned sourdough bread made from organic stone meal, salt and water.
Le Pain Quotidien serves up a variety of specialty French breakfasts, as well as many other items to delight your taste buds. It also has a few other notable gimmicks, like their frothy latte snoot or a full basket of rustic European bread.