In New York City, crocus sprouts are beginning to line the sidewalks and the sun is staying above the horizon past dinnertime. After a particularly brutal, frigid winter, New Yorkers are emerging from hibernation; we’re dusting off our light jackets, renewing our Citi Bike memberships, and—my favorite harbinger of spring—making brunch plans (Second Winter be damned).
As the designated reservation-maker of my friend group and family, I took it upon myself to prepare for brunch season by revisiting a few iconic New York City dining spots. Are the places we once clambered to get into still delivering good vibes and great food?
Because no one wants to be the person who books an old standby for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch only to end up with soggy eggs and goopy hollandaise, I made reservations to check in on Locanda Verde, Sarabeth’s, and Lafayette. After eating all the pastry, pancakes, and quiche my stomach could handle, I have some thoughts. Read on for where to go, what to order, and what I’d skip.
Watch my video reviewLocanda Verde (Tribeca)
Located on the corner of North Moore and Greenwich, Locanda Verde is a stone’s throw from Bubby’s, another longstanding brunch hotspot. But unlike Bubby’s, which is as famous for its waits as it is for its pancakes, Locanda takes reservations for weekend brunch—a must when you’re the one in charge of making sure your group can be seated before anyone gets hangry. Inside, the restaurant is well-lit and spacious. Its high ceilings made the space feel grand, but the tufted leather banquets invited us to get comfortable and stay a while. Service was friendly and attentive during my visit.
Because brunch is only offered on weekends and we dined at 10:45 a.m. on a Friday, we technically ordered off the breakfast menu—but brunch has many of the same offerings. The menu is full of classics, many with an Italian flair. We ordered the signature pastry basket, frittata caprese, lemon ricotta pancakes, Anson Mills steel cut oats (available only on the breakfast menu), and a side of breakfast sausage, all of which arrived at our table in record time.
The pastry basket had a nice variety of items (like a pistachio coffee cake and some sort of truffle-scented scone), but if you’re craving a sweet shareable dish, you’re better off ordering the lemon ricotta pancakes. The pancakes were fluffy on the inside and lacy at the edges, topped with a generous dollop of Meyer lemon curd and a handful of gloriously plump blueberries. They hardly needed syrup, but we doused them in it anyway.