NYCGuide
The Best Brunch In The West Village
Where to go when you want to eat anything from banana pancakes to monkfish and eggs on a day that starts with the letter S.
Finding brunch in the West Village is like looking for hay in a haystack. It’s everywhere, and a lot of it should be fed to horses. Don’t settle for horse food. Some of these places are new, some have been around for decades, and every single one is perfect for when you want to sit somewhere pleasant and eat some eggs on a weekend afternoon.
THE SPOTS
Come to The Noortwyck if you want a brunch experience that skews more grown-up than rowdy. This restaurant has a nice, relaxed atmosphere and serves food that tastes like it has a graduate degree in haute cuisine. Brunch items include matcha pistachio babka french toast and a breakfast sandwich with aged cheddar mornay, and we highly recommend going for the "all of the above" option when it comes to the sweet section of the menu.
This all-day cafe in the West Village is a popular import from LA known for its oatmeal griddle cakes, which look like pancakes but are pre-sweetened and served without syrup. We're fans, but know that this place is very popular, so get here early or be prepared to wait in a long line.
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La Bonbonniere is an old-school diner where nothing’s artisanal and most of the pictures on the wall have been taped there. Keep it simple when you’re here and get pancakes, eggs, and bacon. La Bonbonniere is reasonably priced and cash only, and it’s one of the reasons why the West Village still feels like a neighborhood and not just a well-curated collection of expensive townhouses.
The best seats in the entire West Village might be the ones outside Extra Virgin. They’re on an elevated porch, so you can both literally and figuratively look down on people while you eat banana French toast. If you get seated inside, it’s not the end of the world. Bring a date. That’s what Extra Virgin’s for.
Tartine isn’t fancy or modern. It’s a laid-back neighborhood spot that’s been open for over 20 years. The food here is French, but—aside from a few dishes like their croque monsieur—the brunch menu is pretty standard. Expect eggs florentine, corned beef hash, and good, crispy fries. On weekends, there will probably be a wait, but it shouldn't be too long.
Jeffrey’s won’t be the cheapest place you go for brunch, but it won’t be the most expensive. It’s somewhere in the middle, and that’s why we like it. It’s good for a semi-casual dinner with friends, and it's great for a hungover brunch with those very same friends. The menu is seasonal and seafood-heavy, so if you’re allergic to shellfish, bring your EpiPen. You might want a lobster roll.
Brunch reservations at L’Artusi are near-impossible to get, and the waits for walk-ins can be multiple hours. But just take that as another piece of evidence that you should eat here. L’Artusi serves some of the best Italian food in the city, and their brunch menu has everything from perfectly executed bucatini to a scramble with bacon and sausage.
In a neighborhood where last-minute dining is nearly impossible, you can easily walk into this Peruvian restaurant and eat some food that’s on par with what you'll find at other spots on the block, without all the fuss. They serve both their full regular menu and some brunch classics on weekend afternoons.
Llama San does Japanese and Peruvian-influenced Nikkei food, and they do it exceptionally well. This restaurant is on the pricier side, but if you’re looking for a truly creative brunch menu, come eat some early-afternoon monkfish and squash lorco here. Despite the prices, this place isn’t particularly formal, but it’s also not a party brunch spot polluted with everyone’s outside voices.
No matter what you go to Nat’s for, a meal at this party restaurant feels like an intimate get together full of oyster-slurping regulars who live nearby. There’s a loud scene inside and out, full of people eating glorious towers of raw fish and seafood-centric entrees under a disco ball. Their infamous seafood towers are listed on the menu under a section titled “!!BALLER SHOT CALLER TOWERS!!,” so you get the idea.
Joseph Leonard looks like a tastefully furnished studio apartment that’s 50% bar, which is exactly the kind of place where we like to be on a weekend morning. The upper level bar seats are perfect for surveying the action while you eat an omelette and exchange pleasantries about the antique light fixtures and picture frames in the room.
Berimbau is the best Brazilian restaurant in NYC, and their brunch options include everything from an acai bowl to a whole seafood stew experience. Before ordering a basket of stress ball-sized pão de queijo in the garden out back, stop at the curbside bar, and pick up a fantastic, not-too-sugary caipirinha.
Brunch at Buvette is going to be a little hectic, and there's definitely going to be a wait when you stop by—but their steamed eggs and waffle sandwich swimming in butter are worth any hassle. Put your name in for a table, get a drink elsewhere, then come back and share a few plates with someone who appreciates small, charming, and excessively French things.
Lamano
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Everything at Lamano is cooked behind the bar, and since the whole space is the size of a studio apartment, you’ll essentially bathe in the fumes of frying potatoes and searing meat no matter where you sit. The dark space is perfect for a casual brunch during which you can eat as much serrano ham and manchego as you desire.
Hudson Clearwater's backyard is in full swing during brunch, but the crowd there is mellow enough not to ruin it. Try to snag a seat on the quaint little patio, and get a good bottle off the extensive wine list to go with your classic brunch benedicts and burgers.
