hello everyone!!

I was just wonderring if anyone would recommend a good brunch or breakfast place. I am staying the the W hotel on Lexington Ave...

david burke/donatella. Food art. Expensive.

Five Points, Lafayette and Great Jones. You MUST have a reservation. Look at their menu on www.menupages.com.
The lemon ricotta pancakes are to die for.

Artisanal at 2 Park Ave. (entrance on 32nd St.) has great brunches. Here is the web site:

www.artisanalcheese.com/restaurants.asp#bistro

thank you!!

If you want a regular breakfast on a weedkay morning, there are a number of coffee shops/sandwich shops along Lexington Ave., from your hotel up to around 54 st. Ess-A-Bagel on 3rd ave. & 50th st. has great bagels. (it's cafeteria style serve yourself).

For something a little fancier nearby and more "New Yorky" the Cafe at St. Barts church (Park Ave. & 50 st) serves breakfast.(opens at 9 I think). You're also across from the back door of the Waldorf Astoria and you can get breakfast there (pricey but nice).

For a weekend brunch, Cibo and La Mangeiore are nearer to the hotel than the other options you've gotten, but not as special as those. Check out reviews etc. on menupages.com You can also do a search yourself since they now let you chose the meal and special features.

Most of the destination brunch (and breakfast) places tend not to be in midtown. Balthazar in Soho is know for both their weekday breakfast (they have their own bakery) and is also popular for brunch.

Two very popular, casual brunch favorites .. both an easy subway ride or nice walk north:

Googie's, 2nd Ave at 78th (a favorite with several Yankees)

E.J.'s, about 73rd on 3rd Avenue.

Be prepared for a wait on weekends, and Googie's won't take credit cards on weekends 'cause they slow things down.

(Take the 6 train UPTOWN to 68th or 77th to get to these two favorites.)

I second La Mangeiore! Tons of character and delicious affordable food.

I think if you're going to take the subway uptown to the UES, I'd go to Atlantic Grill for brunch.

thank you ALL soo much!! this is such a helpful community!!

Atlantic Grill, a BR Guest restaurant, is wonderful for brunch, but it's EXPENSIVE compared to other UES options.

Another nice UES spot is Sarabeth's.

But for a hearty delicious brunch, you can't beat E.J.'s or Googie's!

La Mangeiore is yummy. So is Comfort Diner, a little farther south on E45th between 2nd and 3rd Aves. Good American diner food, with a twist (but not too much - it's still comfort food!). Serves breakfast all day. They also have another location on 23rd and Broadway. www.comfortdiner.com

Along Lex, especially as you walk south towards Grand Central, there are little chain cafes such as Metro, Cafe Europa / Europa Cafe, and Pax (they're all over the city). These places sell muffins, bagels, eggs in the a.m., premade sandwiches, salads, fresh o.j., fruit salad, coffee... They're a good option when you just want to grab something on the go but don't want anything too heavy or time-consuming.
This goes to a link for the shops:
http://tinyurl.com/szuyn