Chelsea and the Meatpacking District are trendy nabes best known for their upscale bars and raging club scene. But few are aware that after the sun rises and the crowds of hipsters and scenesters dissipate, another army of fervent Manhattanites descend upon the city's nightlife nucleus – this time, in search for food. Believe it or not, Chelsea and the Meatpacking District are also home to some of the best brunch spots in Manhattan. So next time you spend the night at Le Bain or 1Oak, stick around for a Bloody Mary and some Canadian bacon at one of the following brunch spots.
Cafeteria
"Even though Cafeteria’s no longer got that new-restaurant vibe, well-dressed boys and girls keep returning, brunch after brunch and night after night," New York Magazine admits of this thirteen-years-old-but-still-happening restaurant. And it's no surprise. With its amped-up comfort food, laid-back ambiance and prime people-watching location on Seventh Avenue and 17th Street, it's a timeless spot that's loved by locals and tourists alike. It scores the title for 'Best In-and-Out Brunch' from the New York Post for serving high-quality and inexpensive brunch dishes like biscuits and gravy and croissant French toast, makes Time Out New York's Best Brunch in NYC list, and gathers plenty of love from the masses, too (especially foodie bloggers like Good Food Manhattan, Dine or Die, Taste as You Go and Eat Big Apple). We recommend their homemade crispy buttermilk waffles and light, exceptionally fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes. And it's never too early for one of their tasty, ice cold blood orange mimosas, either.
Pastis
Keith McNally seems to have New York brunch all figured out. His famed French brasserie Balthazar made our Best Brunch in SoHo and TriBeCa list, and now his follow-up Parisian bistro Pastis graces our Chelsea and Meatpacking list. The New York Magazine "Critic's Pick" eatery is not only impressively good-looking (rumor has it McNally scoured overseas flea markets for the spot's aged tiles, mirrors, brass railings and lighting fixtures), it has a brunch menu to match its class-of-its-own standard of aesthetics: brioche french toast, eggs a la basquoise (creamy polenta, spinach and bechamel), eggs hussard (ham, tomatoes, bordelaise, hollandaise), and their famous steak frites, which in this Editor's opinion is even better than Balthazar's. They also have some great brunch-only cocktails like their Bloody Marie and La Vie en Rose, reasonably priced at $11. Don't just take our word for it, though. The Little West 12th Street eatery is rewarded a 21/30 Zagat rating for their "still-trendy" ambiance and "delectable bistro classics," scores rave reviews from BlackBook and Time Out New York for its "great brunch eggs" and "quintessential Parisian bistro fare [such as] their lobster, steak and a croque-monsieur" for brunch, respectively and makes the New York Post's "Best Brunch for Health Nuts" list for its wholesome choices such as organic salmon, oatmeal with bananas and granola with fresh fruit. We still think you should order the steak frites though.
Cookshop
A "Best Brunch in Chelsea" list would be incomplete without trendy local hang Cookshop, a favorite of NearSay developer and Chelsea resident Ned Silverman and our Newsdesk foodie and Assistant Editor Sarah Spigelman (who raves about the "truly sensational" Cookshop in her blog, Fritos and Foie). Awarded a "Critic's Pick" and the title of "Best Sunday Brunch to Gird Up For Gallery-Hopping" by New York Magazine, the restaurant boasts a menu designed by Chef Marc Meyer that offers a number of refreshingly non-traditional brunch items like their frittata with cipollini onions and salsa verde, huevos rancheros and a highly-rated stone oven breakfast pizza with spinach, eggs, bacon and goat cheese. Cookshop gets plenty of love from critics and masses alike, scoring a 22/30 Zagat rating for its "perfectly executed menu" that makes the eatery a "brunch must," a "Critic's Pick" from Time Out New York and a rave brunch review from foodie blogger Amy on Food.
Nero D'Avola
For a budget-friendly prix fixe weekend brunch with unlimited cocktails (yes, that's all-you-can-drink Bloody Marys, mimosas, bellinis and Champagne for up to two hours), head right on over to Nero d'Avola on Gansevoort and Greenwich Streets. The spot deservedly makes Clubplanet's exclusive list of "Best Boozed-Up Brunches in NYC" and scores an impressive second place on Yelp's user-reviewed list of "Best Drunk Brunches in NYC" (beaten only by the East Village's Surnburnt Cow, but really – you can't compete with the Aussies and their alcohol). To soak up all that liquor, get down on some of Nero's delectable brunch menu items like brioche French toast, chocolate chip pancakes and a salmon Benedict that comes highly recommended by the foodies over at Brunch in New York. Its decor also gets a thumbs up from New York Magazine ("candlelight sexes up the simple décor of exposed brick, sturdy wooden tables, beamed ceilings, and wine bottles stacked anywhere they'll fit"). In a nutshell, Nero's a hit and is a NearSay conributor pick for "being really fun, with a DJ, cocktails and good food" (Rachel Barbarotta). Need we say more?
The Best Brunch in Chelsea and Meatpacking District
Cafeteria is located at 119 Seventh Avenue, at West 17th Street.
Pastis is located at 9 Ninth Avenue, at Little West 12th Street.
Cookshop is located at 156 Tenth Avenue, at West 20th Street.
Nero D'Avola is located at 46 Gansevoort Street, near Greenwich Street.
