Brunch in the east village?

anyone have any recommendations that won't break the bank? Great bloody marys are a big plus.

Thanks!

[iFat]

No love for Westville on here huh? That's my #1 go-to EV spot for brunch... They've never left me hanging! Egg scramble sandwich with mashed home fries... so good. The Smith is great too, it's just a little too much to handle sometimes because of the college kid infestation for brunch. The food is great though...

www.immaculateinfatuation.com

[YummyInTheCity]

I like Five Points as well and I also really like The Smith - huge french toast and dishes like potato pancakes with creamed spinach. Also love the Croaker - toasted sourdough rye, ham, fried eggs, and topped with gruyere cheese...yummm

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Five Points
31 Great Jones St, New York, NY 10012

The Smith
55 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10003

[eastvillagebruncher]

Why no one has mentioned 7A or Yuca is beyond me. Sunburnt Cow is a great - and cheap - boozy brunch option (emphasis on boozy). Freeman's is great, yes, but I think you're going to be spending a bit more. Mogador is fantastic but it's not the brunchiest of brunch places. If you're in the mood for a good ol' fashioned Irish breakfast, One and One will satisfy. The places surly mentioned are all good (well, to be honest, I've never been to # 5 or 6) but not cheap, necessarily. Prune, especially, is not the place to go on a budget. Clinton Street is fantastic but I can't remember how well priced. It's been a while since I've been but, based on the paucity of times I remember going when I actually lived on 1st Street, I'm going to assume that it's not all that cheap. I know there are places I'm forgetting - and it's driving my crazy - but if you're looking for a good, cheap East Village brunch option that will really give you that East Village brunch experience, I would just go to 7A or Yuca across the street.

[kathryn]

This thread is old old old and 7A and Yuca have been mentioned in countless other brunch threads! :)

[eastvillagebruncher]

Well, since this thread is the first one to pop up on a Google search of "east village brunch", they might as well be listed here as well!

[Lucia]

Wow--I thought Yuca was pretty gross the one time I went.

[EVchickadee]

It's more Nolita than EV, but Public on Elizabeth has an amazing brunch. They also have a variation on the standard bloody mary called the bloody ceasar, made with clamato juice. yumm.
The wait can be a bit long, but shouldn't be too bad if you go before noon.

[js587]

The Stanton Social and Essex get my votes.

[sam1]

not a huge secret and not in the east village but freemans for brunch is pretty damn cheap, has amazing bloody marys, and the best brunch food i can think of.

clinton baking is good but heavy...and the lines can be ridiculous. reminded me of dottie's true blue diner in san fran a little bit.

[wdt212]

I'd second Freemans. The wait isn't bad, and the vibe is chill.

[eattreat]

i also love 9th street market-- eggs in a basket. lots of food for around $10, and good "bad" coffee.

[gikid]

Just tried Papricka on St. Marks: excellent.

[keith]

If bloody mary's are NOT a necessity, I would recommend, 9th Street Market. I think it's the best brunch the East Village has to offer, but I'm not sure they have a liquor license.

[carbonara]

If the Bloody Mary is a driving motivator, Essex (LES) has something like a $15 prix-fixe brunch that includes three alcoholic drinks. Bloody Marys are an option. The first time I tried it we had a lot of fun, but a few caveats:

1. After about noon, the wait can be atrocious, with or without a rsv. I think we've waited an hour and a half for a party of four. Before noon, the wait is no problem. 11:45 is an ideal time, as they can't serve alcohol until noon.

2. The last time we went there, food quality had declined noticeably. Stale-tasting fries, etc. That said, the copious quantites of alcohol numbed our taste buds and we left happy regardless

Also, a couple of streets into the LES, Little Giant does a tasty brunch.

[wleatherette]

mogador thirded. cafe orlin does a great brunch as well.

[piccola]

both are equally good, but the menu is larger at orlin. although has anyone noticed that the two places look identical inside?

[kenito799]

yes we went to Mogador today for the first time, and I thought for a second that we had been there before, but no, we had just been to Orlin many times.

Mogador has a an excellent brunch, overall food quality better than what I remember at Orlin, which is also good. Fabulous poached organic eggs benedict in about 6 styles, the Moroccan (spicy tomato sauce) and Blackstone (bacon and roasted tomato) were both really good. Good cappucino and fresh squeezed OJ, $11. Didn't have mimosas. At 11:30 on Sunday Orlin was packed but there was a lot of room at Mogador.

One of those places that makes you feel like the EV is the best place in the universe to be. Will return to try their couscous.

[emilia]

I believe Orlin and Mogador are the same or related owners. ACtually I believe they're Israeli.

Try Café Mogador on St. Marks. Dunno about bloody marys, but the food and atmosphere are great (so was the service, despite the crowd).

[Pan]

I'll second Mogador. Excellent food, nice selection.

Sunburnt Cow - comes with unlimited Bloody Mary's, Mimosas, or Fosters.

[emma]

i think the food at sunburnt cow is ok at best, but the unlimited booze makes up for it.

There is a new place on East 4th - Knife + Fork that just started brunch this weekend. Interesting menu, very diverse and won't break the bank. Excellent bloody mary made with Sake!

[kathryn]

Tried to go to brunch here this afternoon having been once already. The place was dark and empty -- they were closed! Ran into the chef who apologized, said they were having trouble finding waitstaff. He said they might try to start doing brunch again in the winter.

six recommendations that are moderately priced, in no particular order:

1) prune
e. 1st st btwn 2nd/1st aves
one of the best brunches in the city. it's small and cramped, so not necessarily good for large groups. not sure if you can rsvp for brunch but if so, definitely take advantage of that option. almost everything's great here, but definitely don't miss out on the sausages.

2) great jones cafe
cajun dive on great jones st btwn lafayette st & bowery in noho, very close to the east village. good brunch and fun times in a small, cramped, honky-tonk style cajun eatery. they have good cocktails, including vodka lemonade, dark and stormy (dark rum and ginger ale), and yes, good bloody marys.

3) five points
great jones st btwn lafayette st & bowery in noho, across the street from great jones cafe. one of the best brunches in the city. not sure if they have bloody marys but i'd bet that they do, based on their drink selection. good for groups, and i'm pretty sure you can rsvp for brunch as well. nice, modern setting.

4) clinton street baking company
clinton st btwn houston/stanton sts, lower east side
just south of the east village. probably my favorite brunch place downtown; their wild blueberry pancakes are crave-worthy. only thing is that brunch waits are horrendous (1 hour +), so get there early (i think they open at 10am, but you should call to confirm this) to avoid lengthy waits. good lunch items (burgers, soups) as well.

5) flea market cafe
avenue a btwn e. 9th st/st. marks place
nice, casual french bistro with solid but unspectacular brunch. it's particularly nice when the weather is pleasant, as they have floor-to-ceiling windows that are opened up when the weather cooperates. lunch here is an especially good deal.

6) general store
ave b btwn e. 3rd/e. 2nd sts
classic, traditional american food in a faux-retro "americana" eatery with 5-and-10 store decor.

I was at Flea Market Cafe for brunch recently. They do a $9.95 brunch, which seemed like a pretty good deal - you get your choice of entree (french toast, omelettes, and a few other choices I can't remember), orange juice and either coffee or tea. I had the french toast which came with a fruit salad (it unfortunately consisted mostly of bananas and mangos which I don't like). The french toast was good, but there were only two slices, which left me a little on the hungry side. I probably would have been fuller had I ordered an omelette that came with a salad and hash browns. It's nice when they open up the front on nice days.

General Store closed down. I definitely second Clinton Street Bakery and Prune as the best brunch options in the neighborhood.