Clinton Street Baking Company has slung blueberry pancakes in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2001. Wood-walled room, 40 seats, 90-minute weekend waits.
Must order: Blueberry pancakes with warm maple butter.
Tip: Weekday brunch walks in. Weekend reservations are not taken; line up by 09:30 to get the first seating.
Address: 4 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002, New York City
Ayesha Nurdjaja's Chelsea Israeli room serves a saluf-and-eggs brunch in New York City. The hearth-baked saluf is the centrepiece; spreads, zhoug and labneh on the side.
Order: Saluf with sunny eggs and zhoug.
Tip: Brunch starts at 11:00 weekends; the first hour books up six weeks out. Walk in at 14:00 for an easy seat.
Minetta Tavern on MacDougal has run Keith McNally's French bistro in Greenwich Village New York City since 2009. The Black Label burger is the canonical brunch order.
Order: Black Label burger or steak frites.
Tip: Reservations open 28 days ahead at midnight on Resy. The bar serves the full brunch menu for walk-ins.
Sadelle's on West Broadway runs the city's most theatrical Jewish brunch in New York City. Major Food Group's bagel-and-lox cart wheels through the SoHo dining room.
Order: The Sadelle's Tower: bagels, lox, whitefish, sturgeon, the tableside cart.
Tip: The Sunday booking is the hardest seat in SoHo. Weekday 11:30 walks in at the bar without waiting.
Five Leaves on Bedford Avenue has run Greenpoint brunch in New York City since 2008. Antipodean-style all-day breakfast, ricotta pancakes, fish-shop ceilings.
Order: Truffle fries and the ricotta pancakes.
Tip: Walk in at 10:30 to claim a sidewalk table; the wait runs 60 minutes after 11:30. Quieter on Mondays.
Jody Williams's Grove Street gastrotheque has poured espresso and steamed eggs in the West Village New York City since 2011. No reservations; the line is the institution.
Order: Steamed eggs and tartine au jambon.
Tip: Weekday 09:30 is the fast seat; weekends run 60 minutes by 11:00. The tartine au jambon is the brunch order.
The Smith on Third Avenue runs a full-service American brunch in the East Village New York City. Truffled egg toast, four locations citywide, family-friendly weekend rooms.
Order: Truffled egg toast and crispy potatoes.
Tip: Mimosa-and-mimosa pitchers are the table order. Reservations open four weeks ahead on OpenTable for weekend brunch.
