Best New York City Brunch Spots

By Jessie Garten

Choosing a brunch spot in NYC can get overwhelming, especially when new spots are popping up on your Instagram feed daily. Forget the trendy places: these five spots will have you brunching like a true New Yorker.

1. Sadelle's

Looking for a place to brunch with friends in the heart of Soho? At the top of everyone's list is none other than Sadelle's. Coming from the masters behind other city favorites like Carbone and Santina, this brunch never disappoints This iconic breakfast spot is famous for its essential tower stacked with trays of tuna, lox, whitefish salad, egg salad, and whitefish. Voted "23 Best Restaurants for Brunch in NYC" by Harper BAZAAR and listed on Cosmopolitan's "2017 Best Brunch Spots in NYC ", this go-to spot has reinvented the New York classics. Infiltrating social media is Sadelle's creative inverted grilled cheese sandwich, which combines the classic grilled cheese with an everything bagel; think layers of buttery slices of American and muenster cheese on a toasted bagel. Both a sit-down restaurant and take-out bakery, sweet and savory carbs are available to you even if you don't have time to enjoy a full meal. From sticky cinnamon buns, to babka, danishes, and the best monkey bread, Sadelles floods with customers at all times of day. Bloomberg.com even shares that chef Weller's bagels are "springy, crunchy, and full of flavor, the way bagels are meant to be. But her Everything 2.0, glittering with poppy, sesame, caraway and fennel seeds, is my everything."

2. Jack's Wife Freda

With courage and a passion for hospitality and food, Dean and Maya welcomed customers on January 13th, 2013, after finding a perfect location 2 years prior on Lafayette Street in honor of Dean's grandparents, Jack and Freda. The lively bistro combines American and Mediterranean classics in Soho and the West Village. Jack's Wife Freda includes a variety of dishes, including aspects of their history from South Africa and Israel, to New York. The Middle Eastern cuisine includes unique favorites like poached eggs served over potato latkes with beet hollandaise and smoked salmon to Greek shakshuka with challah french toast. Jack's Wife Freda is known for its unique breakfast favorites like fluffy rosewater waffles, served with Lebanese yogurt, mixed berries, and the most fabulous homemade honey syrup, a spin on a staple breakfast dish. But constantly flooding the kitchen orders is the fan favorite "Madame Freda." For breakfast sandwich lovers, this dish is served pressed thinly sliced duck prosciutto, cheesy cheddar béchamel, and gruyere finished off with a gooey fried egg.

3. Ruby's Soho

Craving a true-Aussie burger? Open 7 days a week, with locations all over the country from New York to Los Angeles, Ruby’s is a must! As one of the few Australian cafés located in New York City, Ruby’s is one of my personal favorites that serve on a first-come, first-serve basis. The café serves brunch all day in one of the most friendly atmospheres. AT my favorite location on Mulberry Street in the heart of Soho, Ruby’s menu ranges from salads to bowls to burgers to booze. Established 13 years ago, Ruby still continues to pride itself on having the best food in New York City with a fresh assortment of local produce. The top-quality chicken burger and salad with roasted pumpkin, spinach, and chevre provide health-conscious options as well. But this authentic Aussie burger takes the prize as the most popular item - the Bronte burger. This burger serves top-quality beef with sweet chili and mayo. For those like me, craving breakfast, or“brekkie” as the menu calls it, until 4 pm, Ruby’s crispy ricotta hotcakes and avocado toast are served all day. Stop here for fast service, good music, and a healthy variety of food.

4. Clinton St. Baking Co

Craving a Sunday morning breakfast to cure your hangover. Clinton St. Baking Co. lures a brunch line weekly with the most delicious omelets, buttermilk biscuit sandwiches, and crispy onion rings. Their signature blueberry pancakes won the best in New York City twice for New York Magazine. The food rundown ranges from chocolate chunk pancakes to a warm Spanish scrambled filled with eggs, chorizo, melted Monterey Jack and served with only the best hash browns. Martha Stewart even shared that she thinks, “Neil can be called the King of Biscuits.” Other critics share “It’s Mayberry in Manhattan,” “New York’s #1 Breakfast Spot”, and has the “best pancakes of all time.” A meal worth the two-hour wait, Chefs Neil Kleinberg and Dede Lahman share their story about opening for a couple of locals to make the best-baked goods in the city and hand-mixed in small batches. Winning the Certificate of Excellence from 2016 to 2019, for those living on the Lower East Side or East Village - this spot is a go-to!

5. Russ & Daughters Cafe

While there are endless spots to get a classic New York City bagel, Russ & Daughters, located on the Lower East Side, serves the finest with the best Jewish cuisine like cured fish, cream cheese, and salad. With the freedom to craft your own bagel, Russ & Daughters also has creations like the Fancy Delancey with smoked tuna, horseradish, dill cream cheese, and fish, to the Pastrami Russ, a pastrami-cured salmon with sauerkraut and mustard. Serving smoked salmon, bagels, and bialys served since 1914. Russ & Daughter’s family-owned store expresses joy and love through food. Continuing 100 years of business, Russ & Daughters typically sell 150-200 classic sandwiches and 100-150 pounds of hand-sliced salmon on a busy day. With mouth-watering hot latkes made of grated potato, onion, and fried until perfectly golden, this dive serves 5-star Jewish comfort food. From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., this four-generation family establishment serves Jewish cuisine favorites like blintzes, rugelach, pickles, matzah, and chocolate-covered jelly rings.