Supercore is a cozy little diner serving light Japanese fare such as curry, soba, and a personal favorite – beni-tori, chicken slowly simmered in soy-sauce and ginger. Great occasional change-up from the regular western brunch on weekends. Nice chill space with warm wooden interior. Bonus points for serving kimchee.

Online Menu

Calexico
645 Manhattan Ave
(between Bedford Ave & Norman Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Neighborhood: Greenpoint
(347) 763-2129
www.calexicocart.com
Menu

This place is kinda awesome. It’s not traditional $2-truck hole-in-the-wall Mexican or fancy Mexican. It’s just spot on good. Really creative flavor combos, chill vibe, good location. Wasn’t too crowded on a Sunday late brunch. Def recommended.

i think this beef burrito is how it all got started

crunch w slaw good combo. usually prefer not battered but these are just as good.

something like a crazy 7-layer torta. goodness

cant go wrong with melty cheese and peppers

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: French (cafe/bistro)
Favorite Dish(es): Croque Monsieur, Merguez Baguette

Lazy Sunday summertime brunches have never been better than this. Start with a strong iced espresso to jolt your hungover brain back into action, and then fill your belly with an awesome French breakfast sandwich. Take your pick, they’re all damn good. The Croque Monsieur is a toasty ham and cheese with perfectly melted Gruyere cheese on top and the Merguez is a spicy lamb sausage recipe borrowed from the Berbers (ref?) that has a decent kick. Either will help soak up last night’s booze while you pine away about how nice it would be to be in Paris right about now…

Merguez. Baaaa!

Online Menu

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Italian, Sandwiches
Favorite Dish(es): Soppressata panini w hot peppers, asiago, and basil pesto $9

This place has by far the tastiest paninis i’ve ever eaten. Crispy toasted bread with high quality ingredients in amazing combinations. We got delivery this time around, but If you’re ever in Astoria, you’ve got to check this cool little place out for brunch or lunch.

the spread...

Tomato fresca, rosemary ricotta and black olive oil Crostini (appetizer)

Soppressata, hot peppers, asiago, and basil pesto. Winner.

Online Menu

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: American, Pizza
Favorite Dish(es): The Beast Master ($17)

For our anniversary we wanted to go somewhere low-key and unpretentious, instead of doing a fancy reservation-only spot. Upon recommendation from my friend (and new daddy) David, a true man about the town, we trekked over to the far industrial reaches of Bushwick for Roberta’s Pizza. This is no ordinary New York brick-oven pizza joint by any means (go to Lombardi’s, John’s or Grimaldi’s for that). Their ingredients are unconventional, super fresh, and many are grown right on the premises in their cool little DIY greenhouse out back. The service is better than top notch – you’re bound to learn a thing or two. Roberta’s is a really special place – almost magical if you will. You should make sure to add to your must-go list.

Let’s get right down to the pizza. The crust is simply amazing. It’s super light and crispy on the outside with big bubbles (for those who love them), and chewy and tender on the inside. It almost has the consistency of a super light naan (the Indian tandoori-oven baked bread). The ingredients are right on par with the crust in their quality, using really fresh mozzarella and just the right amount of ripe tomato sauce. Their toppings are the real star. The “Specken Wolf”, one of their trademark pizzas, features Speck, a salty, smoky ham originating from Austria and Italy, sliced super thin and accompanied by mushrooms, oregano, onions, and mozzarella. The “Beastmaster”, our favorite, is a monster of a pizza combining seven toppings: tomato, mozzarella, gorgonzola, capers, onions, Berkshire pork sausage, and jalapenos. It’s a flavor rollercoaster ride of salty, savory, sour, and sweet that puts any “Supreme” pizza to shame. The other pizzas also have a good combination of toppings, and we’re definitely aiming to try each and every one.

Shpecken ze Wolfen?

You can't Master this Beast at the Hut.

It’s also worth mentioning that we started off with a homemade pasta dish that we shared as an appetizer. “Orechiette (little ear-shaped pasta) with braised oxtail and parmagiano”. It had good flavor and was seasoned well, but the portion was a bit on the tiny size, even for one person, so it’s definitely only fit as an appetizer. In retrospect we could have done without the pasta and just ordered more pizza – which we ended up doing in the middle of the meal. We split 3 pizzas between the two of us, with 2 slices left over for a midnight snack.

Roberta’s is more than just a pizza spot, with a warm inviting ambiance, and plenty of areas to lounge. The interior is super low-brow, decorated in a homey way with a hodge-podge of random trinkets and little bits of artwork. There’s a decent size bar area for people waiting for takeout orders. The backyard is a special spot, with a cozy fireplace with another bar that serves warm mulled (spiced wine) during cold weather. There’s even a small local internet radio station that shares part of the patio, and the greenhouse is built directly on top of their room, that you can walk up to and check out. Roberta’s is like a Romper Room for big kids to hang out at for hours on end. Brooklynites in the area should consider themselves truly lucky.

Online Menu

Cafe Du Soleil
2723 Broadway, at 104th St
(212) 316-5000

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit-Down
Cuisine: French
Favorite Dish(es): Moules De Bruxelles (dinner $17.95) – steamed mussels, beer and shallots; Veal Sausage (Brunch); Pommes Frites a L’Ail (side $2.95) – garlic french fries

Nice Parisian style cafe perfect for weekend brunches with friends and family. They open their doors to the outdoor seating patio during spring and summer when the NYC weather is nice and warm. Basically all the dishes are semi-fancy with good, garlic and herby flavors. They have, in my opinion, THE yummiest garlic fries in authentic European style- thin, crispy & lightly seasoned. Try their steamed moules frites cooked in beer or white wine. Both excellent. They have great weekly specials including 1/2 price wine night and Steak Night for $12.95. Check out their website for details!

*Update 10/13/09: Added New Pics!*

Moules Frites - Mussels with French Fries

Garlic french fries. Arguably the best fries in NYC.

A very nice rainbow trout, prepared however you like it.

Online Menu

Popover Cafe
551 Amsterdam Ave, at 86th St
(212) 595-8555

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: American
Favorite Dish(es): Eggs Popeye ($13.95) – a split popover with smoked salmon, spinach, 2 eggs, and lemon hollandaise; Granny Tab Sandwich ($10.95) – turkey breast, turkey bacon, apple slices, melted cheddar, red onion, watercress, dressing; The Butler Did It ($10.95) – smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomato, cucumber, red onion, and watercress; Tara’s Tarantella ($10.95) – smoked chicken breast, melted mozzarella, red onion, tomato, watercress, mustard herb dressing

In my opinion, the best sandwich melts I’ve eaten so far in New York. They’re generous with the meats, got plenty of watercress and red onions for a fresh flavor, and they put this fig-type spread over some of the sandwiches that just pushes it up to the next level of sweet & savory. And the bread. It comes fresh from Eli’s for their melts, sandwiches, and burgers- I personally love the nuttiness of their whole grain with my melts.

“Popovers” are huge, light, hollow rolls served with a sweet strawberry butter, definitely a must-have at this place. All sandwiches/melts come with a side of pasta salad, do eat this. Very good.

The restaurant itself is a quaint yet spacious cafe always buzzing with the brunch crowd on weekends. Expect to wait about an hour between noon – 2pm on the weekend.

comfy and quaint with pillows, art, and plenty of sunlight

Sake Tu Me - sake, pomegranate, lime

the Popover as it comes w/ strawberry butter

the inside- warm, moist, crispy

Granny Tab melt w/ side pasta salad

Online Menu

Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: American, Diner, Eclectic
Favorite Dish(es): Huevos Rancheros $8.75, Corned Beef Hash $4.50

Cool, funky little diner-style restaurant with outdoor seating in the heart of Park Slope. Great for brunch on a nice Sunday afternoon, but be prepared to wait a little bit during peak brunch hours. They’ve got a fairly eclectic menu ranging from Tex-Mex and Asian to classic American diner cuisine, but you’ve got to try the Huevos Rancheros, Mexican-style eggs with beans and salsa. Their corned beef hash is made fresh from scratch, and is mostly all beef. They serve assorted mini-muffins and cornbreads before the meal arrives which are pretty good, but you could just save them for dessert. Their cook staff are amazingly fast and fun to watch in action. Servings are generous, and come with whole wheat bread, in healthy Brooklyn style. Work it off with a brisk walk through the park a few blocks away.

mini muffins to start

hard at work on a gazillion eggs

huevos rancheros

homemade corn beef hash

Online Menu

Metro Diner
2641 Broadway, at 100th St
(212) 866-0800

Pricing: Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: American, Diner
Favorite Dish(es): BLT ($4.95), Cobb Salad ($12.50), Chicken Souvlaki ($11.95)

A diner is a diner, right? Wrong. Most diners in NYC have pretty bland, poorly cooked food with unfresh ingredients. Anything but the eggs is hardly edible. So why would we put a diner on the site? The fries. Metro has some of the best fries we’ve had in NYC. Crispy, seasoned, and the perfect length. They actually taste like potatoes. These are the kind with a little bit of the skin on each end, about the same length as the longest McD’s fry but thicker with much more substance. (McD’s is good every once in a while too.) The rest of Metro’s food is much better quality than most, their portions are ginormous and served superfast. You can’t go wrong with most of the stuff on the menu, although their prices are a bit higher than the 24-hr places. The place is clean, spacious, and there usually isn’t a wait unless it’s Sunday at brunch. As far as diners goes, Metro rates pretty high on our list. City Diner on 90th is owned by the same owners and is pretty good as well, but we prefer Metro.

Online Menu

726 Amsterdam Ave, between 95th and 96th
(212) 595-7000

Pricing: Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: Cuban
Favorite Dish(es): Meat Empanadas (Appetizer, $4.25), Cubano Sandwich ($6), Cream of Black Bean Soup (3.50), Huevos Rancheros ($6.50)

This is a small, casual Cuban food restaurant with ample seating indoors and a few outdoor tables. Nothing fancy or spectacular here, just simple, homey food, consistent in quality and decently priced. You can always count on their crispy empanadas, and their huevos rancheros for brunch are excellent. It’s hard to find a good Cubano sandwich with decent quality pernil (roast pork) and ham, but theirs is always a sure fire bet and is usually big enough for a leftover lunch.

Online Menu