Brunch in Manhattan has become a masochist's sport: 2-hour waits for $35 eggs benedict, watered-down mimosas, hurried servers. Brooklyn does it differently. Seven places where real New Yorkers eat on Saturday, 30-minute waits, serious food, and a check that doesn't sting. Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Park Slope — no tourists, no theater.
7 min read
You can spend Saturday morning in Manhattan, waiting two hours at Buvette or Sadelle's to pay $38 for eggs benedict I've had better at the corner deli. You'll leave with an Instagram photo. You'll leave without the morning.
Brooklyn does it differently.
You take the L or the G, cross the East River, and 20 minutes later you're in a neighborhood where brunch is still food, not performance. Thirty-minute lines are normal. The plate arrives whole. The server doesn't rush you to free the table.
Seven places. Three neighborhoods. No tourists.
1. Egg — Williamsburg
TL;DRAddress: 109 N 3rd St, Williamsburg. Signature: Country Ham & Egg Sandwich, $14. The mother house of Southern brunch in Brooklyn. Opened in 2005 on a corner when Williamsburg was still industrial.
Address: 109 N 3rd St, Williamsburg. Signature: Country Ham & Egg Sandwich, $14.
The mother house of Southern brunch in Brooklyn. Opened in 2005 on a corner when Williamsburg was still industrial. Today the neighborhood is an open-air mall, but Egg stays the same: open kitchen, 30 seats, sidewalk line.
The Country Ham comes on a house buttermilk biscuit, real cured Virginia ham (not factory), fried egg with runny yolk, melted cheddar. Side of stone-ground grits. $14 is 2018 pricing.
Order the cheddar grits ($8) too. Comes to $25 per person with drip coffee.
Hack: Arrive at 9 am, the opening. No line. After 10:30 expect 40 minutes.
2. Five Leaves — Greenpoint
TL;DRAddress: 18 Bedford Ave, at Lorimer (Greenpoint). Signature: Five Leaves Burger with ricotta, $22. The place Heath Ledger helped finance before he died in 2008.
Address: 18 Bedford Ave at Lorimer (Greenpoint). Signature: Five Leaves Burger with ricotta, $22.
The place Heath Ledger helped finance before his death in 2008. The partners kept the project alive. Today it's an institution: open 7 days, kitchen from 8 am to 1 am.
The burger is the reason for the line. 7-oz grass-fed patty, house ricotta on top, roasted beet, grilled pineapple, fried egg. Sounds loaded; it works. Comes with thin, crispy fries.
For pure brunch: ricotta pancakes ($18) with warm maple syrup and blueberries. Eggs benedict ($19) with pork jowl instead of bacon.
No reservations. 45-minute line on Saturday after noon. Go at 10 am or 3 pm.
Hack: Sit at the counter if you're solo or a duo. Skip the whole line.
3. Sunday in Brooklyn — Williamsburg
TL;DRAddress: 348 Wythe Ave, Williamsburg (near the East River). Signature: Hazelnut Maple Pancakes, $19. Three floors, rooftop with Manhattan skyline view.
Address: 348 Wythe Ave, Williamsburg. Signature: Hazelnut Maple Pancakes, $19.
Three floors, rooftop with Manhattan skyline view, kitchen by Adam Landsman. The pancake is the most photographed brunch item in Brooklyn the past 5 years — and it's still good.
Three thick pancakes, caramelized hazelnut butter on top, dark Vermont maple syrup, toasted walnut crumb. Honest sugar, not over-sweet.
Order family style: pancakes to share + a savory plate (chicken sandwich $21 or shakshuka $18). Comes to $35 per person with coffee.
Hack: Book on Resy a week ahead for a third-floor (rooftop) table. The view earns it.
4. Dimes — Park Slope
TL;DRAddress: 143 Division St (the Park Slope unit opened in 2023 on 5th Avenue). Signature: Avocado Toast with pistachio and honey, $16. Honest Californian style.
Address: 143 Division St (Park Slope on 5th Avenue). Signature: Avocado Toast with pistachio and honey, $16.
Honest California-style cooking. Light kitchen, vegetables first, protein in sane portions. Not heavy pancake-and-bacon brunch.
The avocado toast isn't a cliché here. Long-fermented sourdough toasted fresh, smashed avocado with lime, chopped pistachio, orange-blossom honey, chili flakes. Add a poached egg ($4).
Also strong: Turkish eggs ($18) — poached eggs in goat-milk yogurt, smoked-paprika butter, fresh dill, warm pita.
Check comes to $28 per person. The house green juice at $9 is worth it.
5. Frankel's Delicatessen — Greenpoint
TL;DRAddress: 631 Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint. Signature: Pastrami, Egg & Cheese on Everything Bagel, $13. Real Jewish New York deli, in Brooklyn.
Address: 631 Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint. Signature: Pastrami, Egg & Cheese on Everything Bagel, $13.
Real Jewish New York deli, in Brooklyn. The Frankel brothers opened it in 2016 to honor the kind of deli disappearing from Manhattan (Katz's became a tourist stop, Russ & Daughters became a chain).
The sandwich is simple: warm everything bagel, thin-sliced pastrami, scrambled egg, melted American cheese. Comes wrapped in brown paper, no plate. $13. The best brunch in Brooklyn at that price.
Also order: latkes ($7), whitefish salad ($11), classic bagel with lox ($14).
Small space, 15 seats. Most people order to go and eat in McCarren Park (3 blocks).
Hack: Weekdays at 10 am are empty. Skip Saturdays.
6. Glasserie — Greenpoint
TL;DRAddress: 95 Commercial St, Greenpoint (industrial zone near the river). Signature: Mediterranean Brunch Plate, $24. Hard to reach. Worth it.
Address: 95 Commercial St, Greenpoint. Signature: Mediterranean Brunch Plate, $24.
Hard to reach. No close subway (G train + 15-minute walk). Worth it.
Chef Sara Kramer's place (formerly at Estela). Honest Eastern Mediterranean: za'atar, labneh, harissa, pita baked in a brick oven on the spot.
The brunch plate: 2 eggs any way, labneh with olive oil and za'atar, tomato salad with sumac, hummus, warm pita. Coffee included. $24.
Also order shakshuka ($19) with Basque chorizo. And a glass of Lebanese rosé (natural, $13).
Big space, natural light, no loud music. Adult brunch.
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7. Win Son — East Williamsburg
TL;DRAddress: 159 Graham Ave, East Williamsburg. Signature: Taiwanese-style Fried Chicken Sandwich, $16.
Address: 159 Graham Ave, East Williamsburg. Signature: Taiwanese Fried Chicken Sandwich, $16.
Taiwanese-American brunch. The owners grew up eating their grandmother's cooking in Taiwan, went to culinary school in New York, opened in 2016 to do what no one else was doing.
The fried chicken sandwich: chicken marinated 24 hours in soy, fried in sweet potato starch, on a flat bao bun, Taiwanese pickles, toasted sesame mayo. Crunchy outside, juicy inside.
Another must: Big Breakfast ($22) — house-smoked bacon, scrambled eggs with scallions, ham fried rice, milk bread (yes, real), pickles.
Small room, moderate line (20 min on Saturday), fair price. $28 per person with oolong tea.
Why skip Manhattan brunch
TL;DRSadelle's, Buvette, Pastis, Jack's Wife Freda — 2-3 hour waits, $35 eggs benedict, $18 mimosa, server rushing you to free the table.
You can insist and cross the bridge into Manhattan. Sadelle's, Buvette, Pastis, Jack's Wife Freda. I know the argument: "you have to go once." I went. Not worth it.
What you get: pretty photo for Instagram, $35 eggs benedict, $18 mimosa, server rushing to clear the table in 75 minutes.
What you lose: 2 to 3 hours on the sidewalk (yes, even with a reservation — they overbook), table conversation gone because the room sounds like an airport, the calm of a Saturday morning.
Buvette in the West Village is the worst case: 22 tables, 2-hour Sunday line, $28 croque madame from the microwave. Sadelle's in SoHo charges $42 for the bagel tower (bread + cream cheese + lox), with a line starting at 8 am.
Saturday brunch is for slowing down. Not for performing.
Brooklyn brunch logistics
Getting there:
- Williamsburg: L train from Union Square (Manhattan), get off at Bedford Ave. 8 min from midtown.
- Greenpoint: G train (no direct Manhattan connection — take L to Lorimer, transfer). Or Uber $18 from midtown.
- Park Slope: F or R train, get off at 7th Ave or 4th Ave-9th St. 25 min from Manhattan.
When to go:
- Best Saturday window: 10-11:30 am or after 2 pm.
- Worst window: noon-1:30 pm (peak, triple line).
- Sunday equal traffic.
- Wednesday to Friday, any time — empty room, same kitchen.
Cost:
- Brooklyn brunch average per person: $28-35 with non-alcoholic drink.
- With mimosa or bloody mary: $40-50.
- Same meal in Manhattan: $50-70.
Reservations: Resy is the New York standard. Egg, Sunday in Brooklyn, and Glasserie accept it. Five Leaves, Frankel's, and Win Son are walk-in only.
What NOT to do at Brooklyn brunch
- Don't show up after 1 pm on Saturday. The line nearly doubles between noon and 2 pm.
- Don't order bottomless mimosa. $25 for 90 minutes of weak sparkling wine. Pay $9 for one good one à la carte.
- Don't double up on two brunches the same day. Your stomach won't survive. One per Saturday across 7 weekends.
- Don't try Williamsburg AND Greenpoint same morning. Walking distance (20 min) is fine, but you'll lose the calm. Focus on one neighborhood.
- Don't drive. Williamsburg parking on Saturday is torture. Subway or Uber only.
Common visitor mistakes
The 5 most frequent mistakes:
1. Accepting 2+ hour waits in Manhattan ($140 for a mediocre meal). Buvette, Sadelle's, Jack's Wife Freda charge $45-65 per person with a line. Same food in Brooklyn is $28 with no line.
2. Ordering bottomless mimosa thinking it's a deal ($25 for 90 min). Cheap champagne + industrial OJ. Table has to leave in 90 min. Cheaper and better: 1 fresh mimosa for $11.
3. Taking an Uber from Manhattan ($35 each way). L train is $2.90 and faster at rush. Uber only worth it at night.
4. Ordering premium items unnecessarily (lobster benedict $42). Brunch kitchens aren't for lobster. Order classic done well (eggs benedict $18) and spend the money on a real dinner.
5. Reserving on OpenTable instead of Resy. New York runs on Resy. OpenTable lists 30% fewer places. Download Resy before the trip.
Where to stay in Brooklyn for easy brunch
If you're planning 2-3 brunches on different weekends, sleep in Brooklyn.
- Wythe Hotel (80 Wythe Ave, Williamsburg) — design boutique, Manhattan view from the rooftop. $320-450/night.
- The William Vale (111 N 12th St, Williamsburg) — modern tower, rooftop pool. $280-420.
- Ace Hotel Brooklyn (252 Schermerhorn St, Downtown Brooklyn) — Mark Morris Building, clean design. $250-380.
Skip Williamsburg Airbnbs on Saturday night (street noise until 3 am).
Getting to NYC (US travelers)
Domestic, you fly in: JetBlue, Delta, American, United, Southwest all run domestic NYC routes. JFK and LaGuardia (LGA) serve Manhattan and Brooklyn; Newark (EWR) is best if you're coming from the West Coast.
From JFK to Williamsburg: AirTrain to Jamaica Station ($5), E or J train into Manhattan, transfer to L to Bedford Ave. 1h-1h15 total, $12. Flat-rate taxi $80 + toll + tip = $100. Uber $65-85.
From LGA: Q70 SBS bus to Roosevelt Ave/74th St ($2.90), transfer to subway. 45 min, $5. Cheapest route to Brooklyn from any NYC airport.
From EWR: AirTrain + NJ Transit to Penn Station, transfer to subway. 50 min, $17. Newark is closer to Manhattan than JFK; for the West Coast crowd it's the play.
Practical appendix
Tipping: 18-22% standard in NYC. Brunch spots expect 20%. Comes as a card suggestion; you can change it.
Cash: Card everywhere. Frankel's is the only one that prefers cash (3% discount).
Language: English everywhere. Williamsburg and Greenpoint have a large Hispanic community — Spanish works at local delis.
Brunch + walk combo: after brunch in Greenpoint, walk to McCarren Park (10 min) and lie on the grass. In Williamsburg, cross to Domino Park (East River view). In Park Slope, Prospect Park is 5 min away.
Weather:
- Summer (Jun-Sep): rooftop brunch, 82-90°F. Sunday in Brooklyn rooftop peaks.
- Fall (Oct-Nov): 55-68°F, ideal. Prospect Park foliage earns the walk.
- Winter (Dec-Feb): 28-40°F. Indoor spots get cozy. Egg and Frankel's shine.
- Spring (Mar-May): variable. May is great.
Brooklyn brunch rewards arriving early, ordering one honest plate, and not being in a hurry. Saturday morning is for existing, not performing.
Map of places mentioned
Tap any place to open in Google Maps.
Key points
Frequently asked questions
Five Leaves in Greenpoint. Institution, honest menu, perfect ambiance, fair price ($30/person). Egg in Williamsburg is second-best for Southern classic.
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About the author
Curadoria Voyspark
2 years in the Voyspark editorial team
Time editorial da Voyspark — escritores, repórteres, fotógrafos e fixers em Lisboa, Tóquio, Nova York, Cidade do México e Marrakech. Coletivo. Sem voz corporativa. Cada peça com checagem cruzada por um editor regional e um chef ou curador local.
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