Upper East Side - Best Brunch
NYC is home to great brunch spots. These are on the Upper East Side.
The Upper East Side of New York City isn't as homey a part of town as its neighbor across the park. The top brunch restaurants here tend to be less casual, too.
All cities have their neighborhoods, with different parts of town having different personalities. In New York City, the Upper East Side is known to be a haven for old money; a stuffy, staid part of the Big Apple where hedge fund and money managers come home to roost. With one of the highest income brackets in the country, you'd expect that the Upper East Side has some pretty great brunch restaurants - and you'd be right.
Many people think brunch is best when it's casual; homey decor, comfort food, and friendly waitstaff. There's plenty of this in the Upper West Side of NYC, but the top quality brunches on the Upper East seem to fall more often in the fancy end of the restaurant scale. This means, usually, a more stuffy and monied feel to the brunch experience. I've tried to find the best brunches that are both tops in the quality of the food, and the quality of the dining experience. After all, who needs snobbishness on a late Sunday morning?
The top brunch restaurants in the Upper East Side of New York:
The Atlantic Grill, at 1341 Third Ave. The Atlantic Grill is a sister restaurant to the Blue Water Grills in New York and Chicago, but believe me, the brunch here stands on its own. This is a top dinner spot for seafood, and the best brunch items here are also seafood related. The lobster eggs benedict is my favorite, although the pumpkin pancakes are also a crowd pleaser. Seafood really is king here; try the cold lobster salad if you want more lunch than breakfast for your brunch.
Cafe Pierre, Fifth Ave at 61st St. The Pierre is a luxury hotel overlooking Central Park. Popular with luxury travelers (and business travelers), this hotel's two restaurants are both very, very good - but the best is Cafe Pierre. Brunch at Cafe Pierre is French cuisine with a twist, and the waitstaff are relatively friendly for a French restaurant in a luxury hotel. My favorite brunch here, so far, is the asparagus, truffle and ham omelet. Don't saunter in off the street in your sweatpants: You'll need a reservation, and the Sunday brunch is casual elegant. A jacket is required.
L'Absinthe, 227 E. 67th St. This is one top dollar French restaurant; at brunch, the cheeseburger is 21 bucks. Now, a patron can get a mini cheeseburger off the children's menu for only 13 dollars, but you'll need to have a kid with you. L'Absinthe is one of the best brunch restaurants in New York City, with what Zagat calls a "posh clientele" (this IS the Upper East Side, after all). The entrees here lay at the lunch end of the brunch scale, with French food served in an Art Nouveau setting. L'Absinthe has the best Croque Monsieur I've ever had. The older, well-heeled brunch guests reflect the appeal of a solidly upper class restaurant in this solidly upper class part of NYC. If you're looking for casual brunch fare, look elsewhere - but you'll miss out on a great meal.
Sarabeth's Kitchen, 1295 Madison Ave., and 945 Madison Ave. What? The Upper East Side gets TWO Sarabeths? Well, it seems fair, I suppose. My favorite brunch spot in NYC, if not the country, surely can grace this upscale part of town with two outposts. The fresh baked muffins and pastries here are the best, and top off your brunch by coming with egg dishes. My favorite is still the garden omelette, although the classic tomato and cheese red omelette also makes for one of the best brunches in the city. The 945 Madison Ave Sarabeth's is adjacent to The Whitney, and the 1295 Madison Ave. one is close to The Guggenheim: After the best brunch around, a tourist can stroll to one of these world-class museums. Sounds like an ideal Sunday morning for a trip to New York City.
Related, on Suite 101:
NYC Best Brunch, Upper West Side
Top Chicago Brunch Restaurants
Copyright Jennifer Miner and Suite 101.
