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$ | Red Hook |
Original creations like the Brookster (chocolate chip cookie dough baked inside a brownie) and delicious interpretations of whoopie pies, blondies, bars, and cookies keep this sleek bakery and café buzzing. There are breakfast items and a few lunchtime savory selections, too. Buy the cookbook so you can re-create the recipes at home.
359 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn, New York, 11231, USA
Known For
- Creative brownie recipes
- Comfy seating
- Homemade granola (take some home)
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$ | Greenpoint |
When Williamsburg's best European-style bakery wanted more space, it opened a Greenpoint outpost and included a rustic communal table, antique finishes, and hand-painted wallpaper. From house-made focaccia to financiers, there are plenty of mouthwatering choices (including vegan and gluten-free options) for breakfast and lunch. At breakfast you can watch the bakers in the open kitchen as you sip your morning coffee and snack on a raspberry pistachio muffin or Norwegian skolebrød. Soups and sandwiches on freshly baked bread are served at lunch.
105 Freeman St., Brooklyn, New York, 11222, USA
Known For
- Croissants and other European pastries
- Rustic chic vibe
- Vegan and gluten-free options
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$$$ | SoHo |
Even with long waits and loud noise levels, most people agree that it's worth the effort (make reservations) to experience restaurateur Keith McNally's flagship, a perfectly New York reproduction of a Parisian brasserie. Like the decor, entrées recreate French classics: Gruyère-topped onion soup, steak frites, and icy tiers of crab, oysters, and other pristine shellfish.
80 Spring St., New York, New York, 10012-3907, USA
Known For
- Lively scene
- A New York institution
- Outstanding brunch
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$ | Greenpoint |
Coffee aficionados head to Greenpoint for Búdin’s $10 latte—it's pricey because it's made with Danish licorice syrup, topped with licorice powder, and served on a silver tray. Come during the day for coffee by the Oslo-based roaster Tim Wendelboe, whose beans are favored by top European chefs, or after hours for wine and Nordic craft beer. The back of the shop is stocked with a rotating selection of Scandinavian-design goods .
114B Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11222, USA
Known For
- A $10 licorice-inflected latte
- Scandinavian design
- Nordic craft beer
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$$ | East Village |
This East Village dining institution, which has been serving standout Moroccan cuisine in a date-friendly, candlelit atmosphere since 1983, still draws crowds for dinner, lunch, and brunch. Start with an order of creamy hummus to share, then dig into one of the classic couscous dishes, tajine stews, or tasty kebabs.
101 St. Marks Pl., New York, New York, 10003, USA
Known For
- Yummy mezes
- Popular brunch can mean long waits
- Neighborhood institution
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Upper East Side |
In the Neue Galerie, this stately coffeehouse—open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—offers a Viennese café experience, with art deco furnishings; a selection of daily newspapers; and cases with cakes and strudels. The menu of heartier sandwiches and goulash or sausage dishes is under the direction of German-born executive chef Christopher Engel, who worked at Wallsé and Aureole, earning Michelin stars. Prix-fixe dinners are occasionally followed by a cabaret performance. Museumgoers and locals love to linger over coffee—it's sometimes a challenge to find a seat (a less aesthetically pleasing outpost of the café is in the basement).
1048 5th Ave., New York, New York, 10028, USA
Known For
- A slice of Vienna on the UES
- Delicious Sacher torte
- Goulash soup and Bavarian sausage
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. No dinner Mon.
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$$ | Lower East Side |
At this casual retro-diner restaurant, weekend brunch brings a line down the street for what many believe to be the best blueberry pancakes in the city, if not the whole country. Lunch and dinner options include a variety of burgers, sandwiches, and salads—and you can get those pancakes at dinner, too, without as long a wait.
4 Clinton St., New York, New York, 10002, USA
Known For
- February specialty pancake month
- Excellent, and busy, brunch
- Diner-type menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.–Tues.
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$ | |
At this coffee shop with roots in Bogotá, the beauty of the space is matched by the quality of the coffee, which comes exclusively from small farms in Colombia. Fresh beans are brought directly to Brooklyn, where they're roasted on-site within a few days of arrival. Take a seat on one of the leather sofas under the skylight or at a table in front of the living wall, and enjoy a cappuccino with one of the homemade medialunas or croissants. The stylish space has books, magazines, and even dominoes—perfect for a relaxing Sunday afternoon.
69 Grand St., Brooklyn, New York, 11249, USA
Known For
- Third-wave Colombian coffee
- Bright, welcoming space
- Living plant wall
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$ | |
The Soviet-era childhoods of its two owners inspired the food and decor of this casual coffeehouse that has impressed the neighborhood with its Russian-inflected lunch and brunch fare. Popular dishes include the buckwheat-and-kale salad and the avocado toast, both topped with a fried egg if desired. Cheburashka sweetened coffee, named after a character from Russian children's literature, is the signature drink. It's tempting to linger here, either in the sunny front room or, in warm weather, on the large back patio.
146 Evergreen Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11206, USA
Known For
- Cheburashka sweetened coffee
- Health-forward brunch dishes with a Russian slant
- Large back patio
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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$ | Lower East Side |
The all-American junk-food staple is elevated to high art here, with fresh seasonal ingredients, real fruit, and imported chocolate mixed into the batter. Traditionalists croon over the vanilla-bean doughnut, but there are plenty of exotic flavors to tempt taste buds: the dense, fudgy Blackout is covered in crumb topping; carrot-cake doughnuts have a cream-cheese filling. Choosing is the difficult part: options include cake doughnuts and yeast doughnuts, as well as "doughseeds." There are other locations around the five boroughs.
379 Grand St., New York, New York, 10002, USA
Known For
- Creative, seasonal flavors in cake and yeast varieties
- Fudgy Blackout doughnuts
- Fun decor
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$ | Midtown East |
If you're feeling peckish in this hurried neighborhood, slip into a favorite Manhattan café and bagel bakery that has been serving authentic family-style comfort since 1976. There's a selection of jumbo, kosher bagels onto which toppings are piled high, or choose from a variety of salads, sandwiches, and fresh-baked treats available all day.
831 3rd Ave., New York, New York, 10022, USA
Known For
- Locals' favorite bagels of various kinds
- Wide range of cream-cheese flavors
- Made-to-order sandwiches and egg dishes
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$$ | Lower East Side |
Everything and nothing has changed at Katz's since it first opened in 1888, when the neighborhood was dominated by Jewish immigrants: lines still form for the giant, hand-carved corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, soul-warming soups, juicy hot dogs, and crisp half-sour pickles. You get a ticket when you walk in and then get it punched at the various stations where you pick up your food; don't lose it, or you'll have to pay the lost-ticket fee.
205 E. Houston St., New York, New York, 10002, USA
Known For
- Pastrami sandwiches
- Formica tables and vintage deli decor
- Weeknights are more laid-back
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$$ | |
The eponymous small grocery that used to occupy this space has been completely transformed into an intimate restaurant serving inventive fare for brunch (during the week as well as weekends), lunch, and dinner. The daily-changing menu might include anything from breakfast gnocchi to a shrimp po'boy to steak with chimichurri, and snacks like simply prepared seasonal vegetables, homemade charcuterie, or chicken liver pâté. The marble bar in the front room is a convivial spot for drinking or dining, and there are a few tables inside and out.
231 Prospect Park W, Brooklyn, New York, 11215, USA
Known For
- Weekday brunch
- Market-fresh menu
- Late-night happy hour
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Tues.
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$$ | West Village |
The New York outpost of the 134-year-old pizzeria in Naples that the travel memoir "Eat, Pray, Love" single-handedly turned into a must-visit stop on the tourist trail, this West Village pizzeria opened in late 2022 and has managed to quickly become one of the best Neapolitan-style pizzerias in the city. The menu here is much more expansive than the original, treading into all-encompassing trattoria fare, such as pastas and salads, but stick to the classic Margherita pie and you'll walk out of here a very happy eater.
81 Greenwich Ave., New York, New York, 10014, USA
Known For
- One of the best pizzerias in the city
- Open early for Italian-style breakfast
- "Eat, Pray, Love"
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$ | East Village |
Despite the name—"La Cabra" means "The Goat" in Spanish—this diminutive coffee place is a caffeinated Danish powerhouse that really packs a flavor punch. The coffee supplier for many of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Denmark, La Cabra is anchored in the East Village for extraordinary cumin buns and dazzlingly delicious high-quality coffee in form of espressos and pour-overs.
152 2nd Ave., New York, New York, 10003, USA
Known For
- Excellent house-made loaves of bread for takeaway
- Perhaps the best cup of coffee in the East Village
- Perpetually packed
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$$ | Midtown West |
A nod to Midtown's famed, former Legacy Recording Studios, this chic eatery with a focus on the cuisine of northern Italy is well worth a far-west-side walk to the edge of Hudson Yards. The culinary dream team here also operates downtown's Charlie Bird and Pasquale Jones restaurants, bringing the talents of chef Ryan Hardy to these deco-style tables. Hardy focuses on the north's coastal regions and offers a crudo tasting menu, as well as more inventive dishes inspired by remote locales across Italy. The small bites and larger plates are sensational, elevated by the tantalizing cocktail program and enormous wine selection. The restaurant has a casual elegance thanks to its homey wood, leather, and brass details, with a compact dining room, lovely U-shape bar, and upstairs lounge (with limited hours).
517 W. 38th St., New York, New York, 10018, USA
Known For
- Crudo tasting menu
- Creative cocktail program
- Attentive service in casual but elegant setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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$ | Bushwick |
Artwork by local artists, some of them customers, hang on the wall at this popular hangout space that lures a large contingent of freelancers typing away on their laptops. The sandwiches are excellent, and gluten-free substitutes are available for an additional charge. Service can be slow, but there's plenty of people-watching while you wait.
941 Willoughby Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11221, USA
Known For
- Signature coffee drinks, like maple-sweetened latte and dirty chai latte
- Solid hot-pressed sandwiches and grilled cheese
- Baked goods from local artisans
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$$ | Williamsburg |
With its green-and-white-striped awning, this place looks like a vintage grocery store, but don't let that fool you. This a buzzy bistro from restaurateur Andrew Tarlow is a destination for in-the-know foodies, featuring locavore cuisine on two different menus. The grab-and-go daytime menu includes pastries, gourmet sandwiches, and salads, while the sit-down night menu features creative plates celebrating the bounties of local fishermen and farmers.
81 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York, 11249, USA
Known For
- Pioneering restaurateur
- Inspired locavore fare
- Vintage grocery store–inspired design
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$$$ | Midtown East |
Tucked between Park and Madison on 50th Street, this deco-inspired brasserie is a pretty pastel setting for a business breakfast or postshopping lunch and a flirty and chic destination for dinner. The vibes are lavish and retro; think: Miami, Mrs. Maisel, and an ever-so-elegant cruise ship, with curved banquettes, multilevel dining areas, a curved marble bar with tall geometric back, brass accents, globe lights, soft pinks and blues, and altogether lots of visual drama. Once seated, the drama continues with an expertly manned Martini Cart and tableside visits for carving and flambéing (and subsequent oohing and aahing). By night, the elegant crowd is swaying to the music at the lively bar, teetering on the edge of dancing, and you'd want to join them if you weren't saving yourself for the decadent Bananas Foster.
37 E. 50th St., New York, New York, 10022, USA
Known For
- Raw bar
- Prime rib au jus
- Glam setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch weekends
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$$ | Riverdale |
A quaint, whitewashed facade highlighted by a colorful vegetable mural gives a hint of what lies within at this sustainability-minded and kosher café: produce-forward dishes, including farm-sourced grain bowls, shakshuka (eggs in a spicy tomato sauce), salads, and sandwiches like the tasty tofu banh mi, plus homemade baked goods. Indoor seating is limited, but outdoor seating is on a relatively quiet and picturesque side street.
3260 Johnson Ave., Bronx, New York, 10463, USA
Known For
- Kosher eats
- Slower service when busy
- Sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sat.
