If you are looking for good brunch places to go to in NYC I recommend Penelope in Midtown East and Elephant & Castle in the West Village.
I must warn you though that if you want to go to Penelope make sure you leave a block of time for brunch as there is a good chance there will be a wait for a table and they unfortunately don't take reservations. Y had actually tried to take me here last time I was in NYC, but I had a bus to catch so we didn't have the time to wait for a table. This time around we made sure there were no time constraints. We were told the wait would be about 45 mins for a table even though we arrived for a later brunch at around 2 pm and were only 2 people. In fact when we got seated I was surprised to hear that the wait was still around 45 mins. It seems that this place doesn't have a lull for their brunch. Upon looking at the menu and looking around at the drinks at people's tables I realized that one of the reasons this place is so loved (besides the main reason of the food being great) is that they have a good prix-fixe brunch. For $14.50 you get an entree and your choice of either an apple cider mimosa, coffee, tea, or orange juice. Apple cider mimosa! That is another reason why this is a great place. Their menu is inventive, but still classic. For example instead of your standard Nutella crepes they instead serve Nutella French Toast (which is what Y ordered, pictured above), their waffles were pumpkin waffles, and even with their Farmer's Market Omelette (which I got with sausage, onions, and cheese) they mixed it up a bit by serving it with french fries instead of the classic home fries. Both their menu and their food was fresh and tasty. I really enjoyed it.
Now if you are looking for food that is a little bit fancier, Elephant and Castle (which was another awesome choice by J) fits the bill. It also has amazing food such as my meal of Eggs'n Apples Benedict on French Toast with Maple Syrup and Bacon. Another great thing they have on the brunch menu is not a cup of hot chocolate, but a bowl of hot chocolate. Their normal lunch/dinner menu also looks very good with desert crepes and interesting sandwiches.
I was hoping to get to try some of the other items on the menu as there is an Elephant & Castle in DC. I have only been to the one in DC briefly to meet a few friends for a drink so did not take much notice of the logo or font. So when I passed this restaurant front (pictured to the right) in of all places Dublin Ireland I thought maybe this was the same restaurant as in DC. So image my surprise when I showed up in front of the restaurant in New York City and saw this same font and logo as the one in Dublin. I even pulled the picture up on my phone to be sure it was the same. I knew then that at least this NYC one and the Dublin one must be the same which made me feel the one in DC must also be part of the same chain. Alas upon some internet research I found that the Elephant & Castle in DC, although is a chain, is not affiliated with the Elephant & Castle in NYC. However the Elephant & Castle in NYC and the one in Ireland are indeed the same. Their website states: "The Dublin Elephant & Castle was opened in 1989 when one of our Irish chefs was denied entry into the U.S.A., so we decided to move to Dublin instead. If Mohammed cannot come to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed." So random I happened to be near the two of them within 6 months! Too bad I didn't stop to eat at the one in Ireland. And too bad the one in DC is not the same as the others. I guess I will just have to go back up to New York City (or Dublin :P ) to try out their other menu items.
I must warn you though that if you want to go to Penelope make sure you leave a block of time for brunch as there is a good chance there will be a wait for a table and they unfortunately don't take reservations. Y had actually tried to take me here last time I was in NYC, but I had a bus to catch so we didn't have the time to wait for a table. This time around we made sure there were no time constraints. We were told the wait would be about 45 mins for a table even though we arrived for a later brunch at around 2 pm and were only 2 people. In fact when we got seated I was surprised to hear that the wait was still around 45 mins. It seems that this place doesn't have a lull for their brunch. Upon looking at the menu and looking around at the drinks at people's tables I realized that one of the reasons this place is so loved (besides the main reason of the food being great) is that they have a good prix-fixe brunch. For $14.50 you get an entree and your choice of either an apple cider mimosa, coffee, tea, or orange juice. Apple cider mimosa! That is another reason why this is a great place. Their menu is inventive, but still classic. For example instead of your standard Nutella crepes they instead serve Nutella French Toast (which is what Y ordered, pictured above), their waffles were pumpkin waffles, and even with their Farmer's Market Omelette (which I got with sausage, onions, and cheese) they mixed it up a bit by serving it with french fries instead of the classic home fries. Both their menu and their food was fresh and tasty. I really enjoyed it. |  |
Now if you are looking for food that is a little bit fancier, Elephant and Castle (which was another awesome choice by J) fits the bill. It also has amazing food such as my meal of Eggs'n Apples Benedict on French Toast with Maple Syrup and Bacon. Another great thing they have on the brunch menu is not a cup of hot chocolate, but a bowl of hot chocolate. Their normal lunch/dinner menu also looks very good with desert crepes and interesting sandwiches.
I was hoping to get to try some of the other items on the menu as there is an Elephant & Castle in DC. I have only been to the one in DC briefly to meet a few friends for a drink so did not take much notice of the logo or font. So when I passed this restaurant front (pictured to the right) in of all places Dublin Ireland I thought maybe this was the same restaurant as in DC. So image my surprise when I showed up in front of the restaurant in New York City and saw this same font and logo as the one in Dublin. I even pulled the picture up on my phone to be sure it was the same. I knew then that at least this NYC one and the Dublin one must be the same which made me feel the one in DC must also be part of the same chain. Alas upon some internet research I found that the Elephant & Castle in DC, although is a chain, is not affiliated with the Elephant & Castle in NYC. However the Elephant & Castle in NYC and the one in Ireland are indeed the same. Their website states: "The Dublin Elephant & Castle was opened in 1989 when one of our Irish chefs was denied entry into the U.S.A., so we decided to move to Dublin instead. If Mohammed cannot come to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed." So random I happened to be near the two of them within 6 months! Too bad I didn't stop to eat at the one in Ireland. And too bad the one in DC is not the same as the others. I guess I will just have to go back up to New York City (or Dublin :P ) to try out their other menu items.
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