Whether you count down the hours until Saturday morning or wouldn’t touch a two-hour wait for eggs with a ten-foot pole, brunch is a part of NYC life that’s hard to escape. And Williamsburg might as well be Brunch Disneyland. It has pretty much every kind of food and setting you could ever want—which means that picking a brunch spot in the neighborhood can feel stressful and overwhelming. Where do you go? This guide will help you answer that question, and it'll provide some solid back-up plans when you do inevitably encounter a two-hour wait.
THE SPOTS
Sunday in Brooklyn attracts a brunch crowd for three reasons: the food, the space, and the fact that it’s called “Sunday in Brooklyn.” It’s the kind of place where people would go even if the food were hot garbage, but the good new is: It’s not. The hazelnut maple praline pancakes here are famous for a reason, and you've probably seen them on every single social media feed that you've ever encountered. This place may look like the beautiful home in Williamsburg that you'll never own, but at least you can own those pancakes (or the shakshuka or the steak and eggs).
With its chalkboard accents and wood-paneled ceiling, this Jewish cafe/grocery store in Williamsburg looks like it’s been around for at least 75 years (despite having opened in 2022). The smoked arctic char here is thick and silky, and the custardy Syrniki pancakes are worth a trip all on their own. Served with tart currants and thick sour cream, these savory-leaning pancakes are perfect for anyone who's morally opposed to eating dessert for brunch.
Brunch at Four Horsemen is so un-brunchlike, they call it lunch. If you want a proper meal with excellent coffee and not just a hangover cure set to bad music, this is the Williamsburg brunch spot for you. The menu changes regularly, but one thing they seem to always have is the ham and cheese sandwich. Don’t let the simplicity fool you—it’s made with 18-month comté, gets some added zip from pepperoncini and grainy mustard, and is served on extremely fluffy focaccia. Should you come here just to eat this sandwich? Yeah, maybe. Four Horsemen serves their lunch menu on Fridays, too, making it a rare weekday brunch spot.
This bright, airy restaurant serves jiggly soufflé pancakes and a chicken katsu sando the size of your face. If you’re looking for a place to take a big group, this is one of the best options in the area, because they have a separate menu just for that. Book for a group of eight or more, and you can get their family-style brunch for $55 per person. It starts with a pitcher of boozy punch and includes a bunch of shareable plates for the table as well as your choice of entree.
We’d happily move into the backyard at Aldama, which looks like the physical embodiment of a Pinterest board called “desert minimalism,” complete with bamboo torches perched in clay pots. The food here is modern Mexican, and whatever you do, you should start with an order of guac for the table. Their granola and yogurt is also pretty solid, but the best brunch options here are the chilaquiles and the tostada de aguachile rojo. For $40 per person, you can get unlimited cocktails for an hour and a half. It’s worth noting that they don’t serve coffee, so be sure to caffeinate beforehand.
You could bring just about anyone to Lighthouse, and they’d have a good time. Most of the food skews Mediterranean, although they do have a really good burger in addition to things like chilaquiles, ceviche, and salad. By the time you’re done eating here, you’ll probably wish that you lived closer.
Reunion looks like a little coffee shop, but it’s actually an Israeli cafe that does brunch all day. There’s some nice sidewalk seating when the weather is decent, and if you stop by on a Saturday, most of that sidewalk seating will probably be occupied. This place gets busy at brunch, but don't let that deter you from putting your name in for a table. This is one of the best weekend-afternoon spots in the neighborhood, and you should eat some shakshuka or a Yemenite pancake here.
Rabbithole serves brunch every day of the week. Their coffee and drinks are strong, the pastries are made in-house, and the menu is long and covers every possible craving besides maybe Doritos. Also, there’s a beautiful back patio with big umbrellas. This is a classic Williamsburg brunch spot for a reason.
Juliette
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There’s a pretty good chance that your first brunch experience in Williamsburg happened at Juliette. People mob this place for its atmosphere: part French bistro, part well-kept jungle. You’ll want to be eating on the roof if it’s warm, but the plant room (which is covered in vegetation) is a very good backup plan. As for the menu, it has totally serviceable, French-ish food. But the food isn’t really why you come to Juliette.
Brunch should be a comfortable experience. What’s the point of getting out of bed and maybe even brushing your teeth only to go sit in a rickety chair that digs into your butt and eat off a table that rocks every time you try to cut something? Brunch at Meadowsweet is an experience that won’t have you wishing you were sitting on your couch. And it’s not just comfortable. The food (poached eggs, duck pastrami hash, etc.) is excellent, and brunch is a great way to try the place on a leaner budget.
You don’t have to love fried chicken, or waffles, or even the combination of the two, to appreciate brunch at Pies N Thighs. You do, however, need to love heavy, buttery food that tastes incredibly good. Even if you insist on ordering the one salad on the menu, do yourself a favor and get a donut.
When you want something more than just pancakes or eggs benedict, come to Mogador. At this Williamsburg outpost of the East Village classic, you can get a Middle Eastern breakfast with hummus and tabouli or a Tunisian sandwich with spicy merguez. The space feels homey, and there's a greenhouse-like area in the back where you can eat.
At Okonomi, you can get an awesome traditional Japanese set breakfast. The meal consists of a bowl of rice, a miso soup, a piece of fish, and a few small sides—with optional add-ons like uni and ikura. The experience feels special and communal, as you’re one of only 12 customers in there, and you’re all eating the same thing. Just be aware that you currently have to make a reservation in order to dine here.
You probably know that Diner is one of those restaurants you really need to try already. You probably know that it has a legendary burger. But what you might not know is that it’s a truly excellent place for brunch in Williamsburg. Just like at dinner, the brunch menu changes daily—and while we advise you try the breakfast sandwich or brisket and eggs or pancake, you really can’t go wrong.
