For a change during our April '18 trip to NYC for the Met and shows we have decided to stay at the Crosby Street Hotel. I like Firmdale hotels but have never been a big fan of their breakfast offerings so we opted for a non-breakfast rate. Standard breakfast fare is fine and as long as the place is clean with decent service I am sure we'll be happy. Does not have to be exactly nearby; willing to walk a bit. We will be in town from Monday until the subsequent Sunday morning when we have a very early flight home from LGA.

Thanks for the help which is appreciated.

I have only been to NYC once but took time to go down to Balthazar for breakfast. Enjoyed it very much.

How about Veselka in the East Village? Old style Ukranian place with "normal" American breakfast fare. Diner-ish.

Or for more upscale, Lafayette in Nolita. Or The Smile,, with breakfast all day:

https://www.thesmilenyc.com/location/the-smile/#menus/



Russ and Daughters Cafe on LES but not far from hotel.

Thanks very much, MichelleY and Ekscrunchy for these suggestions. "Diner-ish" is not a problem for us

Watch it Eks, the last time I gave Dukey advice about NY, he turned on me for no reason.

It's definitely a splurge, but Balthazar has a great breakfast. But if you just want something simple, you can grab pastries and coffee at the bakery next door to the restaurant. It's definitely one of the better bakeries in NYC. Dominique Ansel Bakery (home of the original cronut) would also be a good choice for pastries, and unlike Balthazar, they do have some seats in the cafe.

Thank you, Doug. We are not pastry and coffee types so the Balthazar sounds promising.

We had a great breakfast at Jack's Wife Freda.

What about bagels? NYC is famous for them. They're delicious. Plus they'll be kind to your wallet and allow you to splurge on lunch or dinner.

An interesting bagel option might be Black Seed, but it sells Montreal-style bagels, which are a bit sweeter than NYC-style bagels. The best example of the latter might be at Kossar's over on Grand Street. They are known particularly for delicious bialys, but I'm very impressed by their bagels. Another option for breakfast would be Chef's Club Counter on Spring St.

Such great help from Stephensp, and again from you, Doug. Thanks to you both as I knew we would be better off venturing out of the hotel for breakfast.

I am not a fan of Balthazar. You can do better for that price, and for less. Just my take.

Ekscrunchy, am I correct in assuming that your original suggestions would be some of the "better for that price and for less" venues? I appreciate your feedback. Was there anything else about Balthazar besides the price with which you were less than impressed? the menu? the service? Thanks for any further details.

Yes, my first ideas were for good price/value ratio. I have not been many times to Balthazar. The food is not at all bad, and can be very good. But it is a big scene, with a lot of tourists and many French-speaking persons. Seating is very tight and breakfast is a big power scene nowadays. I just do not think it is worth the annoyance to go there when there are better options. But by no means is it a "bad" place. You have many days, so you could try it once and try some of the others recommended here as well. Do you like the Jewish-style smoked and cured fishes..nova, lox, sable, etc? If so, Russ and Daughters Cafe and Sadelle might be worth trying. But just for a regular breakfast, I think you might like Veselka.

Prune is near your hotel; not sure if they do weekday breakfast/brunch but that seems to be very popular with visitors although I've only eaten there for dinner a few times.

>

I liked Balthazar. I was a tourist and I loved the French host who got me a seat and was very attentive. I am a country girl, so loved everything in NYC!

Ekscrunchy, thanks very much for that detailed explanation which I can relate to. Unfortunately, we are not into smoked fish but appreciate the suggestion. MichelleY, thank you for your explanation as well and which I totally understand.

I went to Balthazar for dinner few years back and liked it quite a lot. What ekscrunchy said about the atmosphere reflects my experience there also. But I actually liked the bustling atmosphere. I can't remember what we ordered but I do remember that we liked the food.

There are times when a bustling atmosphere seems to be good and there are times when one prefers something quiet and perhaps more "refined." I know that feeling. We often stay at the Savoy Hotel in London (we also stay at the nearby Amba Charing Cross and the two places are, in some ways, like night and day) and the breakfasts at the Savoy are not a buffet type affair but rather one orders off a menu. The eating space is quiet. OTOH there are mornings when we like to go to the nearby Delaunay which is much more noisy with lots of "movement."

All of this to say it can be a "mood" thing as much as anything and as long as the food and service are good I usually come away pleased.