Man Vs. Brunch: The Definitive Guide to Brunching in NYC

Brunch is a staple of New York City. It’s usually a blast. You and your friends getting weird with some bloody mary's and tasty grub. Nothing better. 

But, sometimes brunch is a sticky situation. We're sure you’ve read about our other types of brunch, but this is different because sometimes you don’t get your perfect brunch situation. We're sure you already know about boozy brunches. And we're sure you know how to survive them. 

Sometimes your parents pull the old pop-in or your buddies visit from out of town. Maybe you even got lucky last night and your typical brunch plans go out the window. 

But, no worries we’re here to get you through it.

Every brunch situation is different, but they all require two key things: liquor and delicious food. No matter what situation you encounter, here's where to handle the business. 

As Bear Grylls once said, “the rules of survival never change, whether you’re in a desert or in an arena.” In our opinion, when it comes to brunch, wiser words have never been spoken.


1. Parents - Sarabeth's (various locations)

sarabethsofficial Team French Toast vs. Team Pancakes - might need to taste test both! Happy #Sunday! (📷 @morvern80)


You wake up hungover and realize that you’re parents are arriving at your apartment in ten minutes to take you out to brunch. This is a very delicate situation. We’d suggest Sarabeth’s

There’s excellent grub, particularly the pancakes, and the seating is far enough apart that your parents won’t get too strong a whiff of last night’s decisions. Parents, as a species, have a heightened sense of smell when it comes to late-night, drunken mistakes.


2. Friends - The Crooked Knife (29 East 30th Street)/ PS 450 (450 Park Avenue South)

be_byself Brunch with bottomless mimosas.


This is the best brunch. Blacking out before noon on a Sunday might make The Walking Dead a little blurry, but it’s totally worth it. 

For this brunch you want the best bottomless deal that you can get your hands on because let’s be honest, you’re there for the liquor drinks not the grub. For that reason, we’d suggest The Crooked Knife.

Its $34 for bottomless mimosa’s or blood mary’s and an entrée. Also, we’ve never seen it super crowded so you can get rowdy with your friends and flag down the servers for refills pretty easily. 

Another good spot to get weird is PS 450. A lot of people say this place is more like a club than a brunch spot. Personally, we prefer sports bars to clubs at night, so we're not looking for a club at noon on a Sunday. But, if you’re into that kind of thing then this is the place for you and your friends.


3. Co-workers - Poco (33 Avenue B)

poconyc Come by tomorrow to our boozy #brunch from 11am-4pm and start the weekend off right!👌🏻@torunnlee


You want this to be a very low key brunch. A very under the radar brunch, so to speak. You don’t want this to be the kind of brunch that everyone remembers as “The Time I Threw Up on Marsha from HR’s Pancakes.” 

We're going to suggest Poco. The food here is unreal and the drinks are good, but you don’t feel pressure to drink eleven of them in an hour and a half because their bottomless deal is $26 for three hours of unlimited drinks.

,

4. One night stand (good) - Penelope (159 Lexington Avenue)/ Amy Ruth's (113 West 116th Street)

lapetiteboutiqueparis Repas de 24h.


You wake up next to the guy/girl of your dreams. They are perfect. Somehow you convinced them to come home with you the night before and you will do anything to keep hanging out with them, so you invite them on an adorable brunch date. Take them to Penelope

This spot has super intimate seating, the food is delicious, and it’s perfect for couples or what you hope will one day be a couple. 

However, there’s always the danger that you’re both super hungover and don’t want to go somewhere too classy. If that’s the case, then make moves to Amy Ruth’s. It’s pretty casual and super chill. The waffles will blow your mind and hopefully make him/her want to hang out with you again.


5. One night stand (bad) - Bagel Express (1804 2nd Avenue)

cristallelaurel A taste of New York... brings back memories of NYC in every bite. The only difference is I'm sweating while eating this. 😂 welcome home @ivorie_a and @ljadperez10 Thanks for the pasalubong. MISS YOU MOM! @leartiste8 trivia: A bagel is equal to 6 slices of bread...but it's worth it.👍#bagelexpressnyc #nyc


Last night is a blur. You wake up and you’re not super stoked about whose lying next to you. Maybe, in the last eight hours his hair line mysteriously receded four inches. Maybe, that beauty mark isn’t quite as adorable in the daylight. Who knows? 

The point is, you’re starving and you want this one night stand out of your life forever. You suggest going to brunch, but you need somewhere that moves fast because you want to escape this situation as quickly as possible. You might want to try Bagel Express

We know. This isn’t technically a brunch place, but they have some of the best bagels on the Upper East Side and you can get in and out in under fifteen minutes. 

Plus, he/she will be so upset with what you constitute as brunch that you won’t have to have that awkward conversation about the night before and he/she will just disappear from your life forever. Nothing says goodbye like a sausage, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel.


6. Boyfriend/girlfriend - Banc Café (431 3rd Avenue) 

lil.kitchin.livin The best breakfast is for dinner 🐣 #Nyc #Newyork #newyorkcity #new #city #blog #blogger #fitness #healthy #healthy #lifestyle #life #happy #fit #girl #recipe #food #foodporn #eggs #avocado #restaurant #breakfast #dinner #bbg #kaylaitsines #kaylasarmy #good


The date brunch is pretty chill, but you’ve got to be careful not to end up at the same restaurant every weekend. We're not claiming that we're relationship experts like Dr. Neil Warren from those E-Harmony commercials, but we’ve heard that variety is essential. 

So, if you’re looking for a new brunch spot for date brunch check out Banc Café . There’s great service, good food, and outdoor seating. Outdoor seating is almost a necessity when it comes to date brunch.

Check out 8 Sweet Guilty Pleasures in NYC Absolutely Worth Splurging for.

get spoiled in your inbox

recent