10 Best Brunch Spots In NYC's Little Italy

24 October 2016

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Don’t let the cannolis fool you; there’s more to Little Italy than mere pasta and pies. Just ask the area’s tourists and locals alike who flock each weekend to feast on lamb meatballs, refreshing acai bowls, and maybe a slice or two. Here are 10 Little Italy brunch spots that go beyond caffèand cannolis.

Egg Shop | Courtesy of Egg Shop

Egg Shop

Cafe, Sandwich Shop, Bodega, Restaurant, Contemporary, $$$

Your bodega BLT getting you down? Egg Shop’s classic breakfast sandwiches are anything but boring thanks to exciting add-ons, such as pulled pork carnitas, chimichurri relish, and house-made maple sausage. With the cafe’s exciting everyday breakfast menu as well as its wine, beer, and cocktail selection, Egg Shop leaves your go-to breakfast cart in the dust.

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Rubirosa

Bar, Restaurant, Italian, $$$

Mmm... pizza night | © jeffreyw/Flickr

Celebrated for its top-notch vodka slice, Italian-American joint Rubirosa also boasts a menu of unique brunch selections. Smoked salmon and mascarpone pizza, poached eggs with mashed meatballs, and an antipasto board featuring locally sourced salumi and house-made mozzarella, are just a sampling of the restaurant’s innovative menu items.

Two Hands

Bar, Cafe, Restaurant, Australian, $$$

For a mid-morning meal that won’t weigh you down, try Two Hands, a Pinterest-perfect cafe serving up light fare. Ricotta-topped banana bread, bacon and egg avocado toast, and loaded acai bowls round out the cafe’s menu of feel-good food. With its friendly staff, high-quality coffee, and sun-soaked interior, Two Hands is sure to warm up your weekends.

Pepe Rosso Social

Restaurant, Italian, $$$

For a brunch that won’t leave you hungry but may prompt a carbohydrate hangover, look no further than Pepe Rosso Social. Boasting an affordable menu of quality nouveau-Italian cuisine, this no-frills neighborhood spot offers enticing dishes, including wild mushroom-truffle bruschetta, octopus and chorizo salad, and house-made black ink fettuccini.

Red Egg

Restaurant, Chinese, $$$

Chinatown doesn’t have a monopoly on dim sum. Little Italy’s Red Egg serves up sharable spreads of classic Cantonese cuisine, including flavorful dishes such as pork and peanut dumplings, veal chops, and sweet coconut pudding.

Emporio

Restaurant, Italian, French, $$$

In a sea of Italian-American haunts, Little Italy’s Emporio stands out for its can’t-miss house-made pastas and boundary-bending menu items. Serving up duck confit with cheddar grits, prosciutto-burrata eggs benedict, and Amarena cherry French toast, the restaurant’s cuisine defies categorization and delivers satisfaction.

Randolph at Broome

Bar, Cocktail Bar, American, 0

A New American joint known for its inventive coffee cocktails, Randolph at Broome offers a boozy brunch no New Yorker can refuse. Serving up garlic-ginger fried chicken, maple-bacon Brussels sprouts, and croissant breakfast sandwiches, Randolph’s drinks aren’t the only buzz-worthy items on the menu.

Banh Mi Saigon

Restaurant, Vietnamese

For on-the-go brunchers, don’t miss the savory snacks at popular Vietnamese sandwich shop Banh Mi Saigon. Loaded with paté, pork chops, and more, the shop’s classic ethnic staple has captivated New York’s in-the-know foodies for over three decades. With Banh Mi’s extensive selection of East Asian baked goods, beverages, and desserts, this grab-and-go spot provides everything you need to enjoy this weekend’s brunch on the road.

Ferrara

Bakery, Cafe, Restaurant, Italian

Serving New Yorkers since 1892, Little Italy’s Ferrara offers something for tourists and locals alike. Part bakery, part old-school Italian restaurant, Ferrara invites brunchers to dine on house-made waffles with gelato, prosciutto and fig pizza and, of course, quality Italian desserts.

Little Rascal

Restaurant, Turkish, $$$

Who says sticking out is a bad thing? In the Lower East Side’s medley of Italian and Asian restaurants, Little Rascal’s Mediterranean fare provides a welcome change of pace. With a menu featuring lamb meatballs, octopus casserole, and baba ganoush, the restaurant offers brunchers non-conformist cuisine you won’t forget in a hurry.

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