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A plate of pancakes on a red cutout table. — Cocina Consuelo’s pancakes.

The Best Breakfast in Manhattan

Settle in with fluffy pancakes, egg sandwiches, and Japanese breakfast sets

by Eater Staff Updated Nov 15, 2024, 4:41pm EST

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Cocina Consuelo’s pancakes.

| Emma Orlow/Eater NY

by Eater Staff Updated Nov 15, 2024, 4:41pm EST

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s also a meal when many New Yorkers are least likely to visit a restaurant — which is a shame because so many restaurants in this city do amazing things before noon. And, now, with rising prices, it’s also the most economical meal. So whether scarfing a modern Japanese breakfast, egg-stuffed burritos, bagels and lox, Chinese dim sum, or outrageously good banana pancakes, here's where to start a day in Manhattan off right.

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Cocina Consuelo

What began as a pandemic supper club from the apartment of Karina Garcia and her husband, Lalo Rodriguez, is now an all-day cafe in Harlem. It is a casual space that still feels like an extension of their home right down to the piano. The breakfast here is outstanding, from the masa pancakes to its tortilla with fried eggs and hoja santa.

130 Hamilton Place, New York, New York 10031

Also featured in:

Old John's Diner

Upper West Side restaurant Old John’s Luncheonette was brought back to life as Old John’s Diner, a revamped take on the seven-decade-old neighborhood staple. Find breakfast diner classics like ham and cheese omelets, egg creams, and chocolate chip waffles.

148 W 67th St, New York, NY 10023

A person holds a bottle of carbonated water and pours some of it into a brown drink with white foam on top and a red and white straw sticking out of the side. — A chocolate egg cream at Old John’s Diner.

Also featured in:

Animo!

This newcomer Mexican breakfast spot spotlights concha, as well as scrambled eggs with barbacoa, chilaquiles, and more. Its Midtown location is fitting for a morning meeting.

1004 2nd Avenue, New York, New York 10022

Russ & Daughters

The newest location of Russ & Daughters which opened in July 2023 is 4,500 square feet and located on the edge of Hudson Yards. Inside, there’s a seated counter, an open kitchen, and online ordering for takeout and delivery. There’s smoked and cured salmon as well as herring other fish as well as bagels and bialys. Consider the borscht or matzo ball soup, too.

502 West 34th Street, New York, New York 10001

(212) 475-4880, ext. 1

(212) 475-4880, ext. 1

Russ & Daughters interior. — A menu inside Russ & Daughters.

S&P

Eric Finkelstein and Matt Ross, the owners of Court Street Grocers, are behind S&P, a restaurant located in the former home of Eisenberg’s, one of Manhattan’s last old-school lunch counters that closed during the pandemic. There’s pork roll egg and cheese; matzo brei; a Denver omelet; and the Lil’ Shonda, with scrambled eggs, pastrami, muenster, and pickled tomato on rye.

174 5th Ave (at W 22nd St), New York, NY 10010

Customers hunch over a counter at a restaurant in Manhattan, S&P Lunch. — Customers at S&P.

Also featured in:

Daily Provisions

The breakfast menu at this multi-branch institution may not have a ton of variety, but with the handful of options, it’s impossible to go wrong. Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches arrive hot and melty on pillowy brioche buns and the cafe’s legendary crullers are refreshed often with seasonal flavors: maple and cookies-and-cream are favorites.

103 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

A round dark brown donut. — Maple cruller.

Also featured in:

Waverly Diner

Waverly is now four decades old, and vying to be New York City’s best-known diner. Egg breakfasts are picturesquely served sizzling in a skillet, and will likely include the restaurant’s hash browns — made, as few diners now do them — from freshly shredded potatoes darkly browned. Pancakes, omelets and other breakfast fare are offered in abundance.

385 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014

An exterior of a corner diner in the Village. — The Waverly Diner.

Also featured in:

Diners We Adore in NYC

Buvette

The eggs at Jody Williams’s Grove Street charmer are cooked with the steam wand on the espresso machine, normally used to make a cappuccino — and they’re perfect. Diners have the option of topping them with either smoked salmon or prosciutto. A waffle sandwich and plenty of pastries are also available at this petite restaurant.

42 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

Bartenders dressed in white pour glasses of wine for customers who are sitting on barstools. — The bar at Buvette.

Also featured in:

Smør

Though the team recently expanded with a larger restaurant in Clinton Hill, their East Village spot is as good as ever at breakfast. The cafe serves plenty of egg sandwiches, as well as Danish-style crepe pancakes with berries and lemon zest, as well as standout banana bread.

441 E 12th St (at Ave A), New York, NY 10009

Smor — Smør in the East Village.

Veselka

This Ukrainian East Village classic serves breakfast all day, every day, with dishes as plain as oatmeal and a fried egg sandwich. It also features hearty fare like omelets, waffles, and the weekday breakfast of four pierogies with two eggs; bacon, sausage, or kielbasa; and a side of beet-horseradish salad, with coffee.

144 2nd Ave (at E 9th St), New York, NY 10003

A cup of bright red borscht on a white plate with a slice of bread and sour cream and spoon next to a yellow flyer and cup of coffee. — Borscht at Veselka.

Also featured in:

Revelie Luncheonette

This tiny jewel box of a restaurant from the family behind Raoul’s offers newfangled luncheonette fare, including pain perdue with caramelized apples, lemon pancakes, boudin blanc and eggs, or an omelet with French ham and Comte.

179 Prince St (btw Thompson & Sullivan), New York, NY 10012

A chocolate milkshake. — A chocolate milkshake at Revelie.

Also featured in:

The Hottest Lunch Spots in NYC Right Now

Gem Home

Gem Wine opened a home goods store and cafe in Lower Manhattan, that’s a relaxing place to read a book at one of the long, dining hall-style tables owner Flynn McGarry built himself. Pastries and sandwiches rotate, but recently including a greens sandwich with anchovies and a parsnip cake. Coffee is top-notch as well.

181 Mott Street, New York, New York 10012

Davelle

This stylish but sparse Japanese cafe serves breakfast toasts. Choose from pretty options like honey lemon, ham and egg, spicy cod roe, and cheese curry.

102 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002

A snug cafe with high ceilings, a mirror, a single table, and a coffee menu written in cursive on paper. — The compact dining room at Davelle.

Also featured in:

S Wan Cafe

Named after its proprietor, S Wan is a low-key walk-down space on Eldridge just south of Grand, one of a handful of new cha chaan tengs (tea restaurants) that appeal to a broad range of diners. The room has a row of small tables along each wall and its principal feature is a giant menu printed in Chinese and English, listing among dozens of dishes a series of Hong Kong-style breakfasts designated with capital letters. In one order, the eggs were cooked over easy, diner style, so the yolks flowed yellow when cut into. The biggest surprise were the waffles, which were Eggo sized, spread with peanut butter, and sprinkled with white sugar.

85 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002

A waffle and meat in a to-go container. — The waffle at S Wan Cafe.

Also featured in:

The 40 Best Affordable Places to Eat in NYC

Chang Lai Fishballs Noodles

On the same block where lines round down the block for a taste of Mei Lai Wah’s famous pork buns, is a breakfast option where there’s no wait. Chang Lai Fishballs Noodles, originally a locally beloved food cart, relocated to this permanent takeout spot last year — and it’s been a morning staple for us ever since. There are just a couple of counter stools here but it’s well worth your time and wallet. Go for the curry fishballs over rice noodles and ask for all the sauces.

55 Bayard Street, Manhattan, NY 10013

Chang Lai fishballs noodles in a bowl. — Chang Lai Fishballs Noodles, once a cart, is now a standalone location.

Golden Diner

Sam Yoo’s all-day establishment in Two Bridges continues to serve nourishing diner fare with eclectic Asian overtones (even with the lines). Yoo sends out creations like green-tea coffee cake, Thai tea tres leches cake, breakfast burritos, honey-butter pancakes, vegan nachos, and a monster of a hash-brown egg sandwich on a Chinese-style scallion bun.

123 Madison St, New York, NY 10002

An fluffy egg sandwich with pieces of bacon and a thick hash brown patty rests on a diner plate. — An egg sandwich from Golden Diner.

Also featured in:

Conwell Coffee Hall

Conwell Coffee Hall is probably the most beautiful room you can have in lower Manhattan right now. Enter through gold revolving doors, and step into a Prohibition-era lobby with high ceilings, Art Deco decor, and a floor-to-ceiling mural spanning one wall. The breakfast menu features toasts in different preparations: with avocado and preserved lemon; bacon, egg, and cheese; or whipped ricotta and poached rhubarb. The food is secondary to the space.

6 Hanover Street, New York, New York 10005

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Cocina Consuelo

130 Hamilton Place, New York, New York 10031

What began as a pandemic supper club from the apartment of Karina Garcia and her husband, Lalo Rodriguez, is now an all-day cafe in Harlem. It is a casual space that still feels like an extension of their home right down to the piano. The breakfast here is outstanding, from the masa pancakes to its tortilla with fried eggs and hoja santa.

Open in Google Maps

130 Hamilton Place, New York, New York 10031

Visit Website

Old John's Diner

148 W 67th St, New York, NY 10023

Upper West Side restaurant Old John’s Luncheonette was brought back to life as Old John’s Diner, a revamped take on the seven-decade-old neighborhood staple. Find breakfast diner classics like ham and cheese omelets, egg creams, and chocolate chip waffles.

Open in Google Maps

148 W 67th St, New York, NY 10023

Visit Website

A person holds a bottle of carbonated water and pours some of it into a brown drink with white foam on top and a red and white straw sticking out of the side. — A chocolate egg cream at Old John’s Diner.

Animo!

1004 2nd Avenue, New York, New York 10022

This newcomer Mexican breakfast spot spotlights concha, as well as scrambled eggs with barbacoa, chilaquiles, and more. Its Midtown location is fitting for a morning meeting.

Open in Google Maps

1004 2nd Avenue, New York, New York 10022

Russ & Daughters

502 West 34th Street, New York, New York 10001

The newest location of Russ & Daughters which opened in July 2023 is 4,500 square feet and located on the edge of Hudson Yards. Inside, there’s a seated counter, an open kitchen, and online ordering for takeout and delivery. There’s smoked and cured salmon as well as herring other fish as well as bagels and bialys. Consider the borscht or matzo ball soup, too.

Open in Google Maps

502 West 34th Street, New York, New York 10001

(212) 475-4880, ext. 1

(212) 475-4880, ext. 1

Visit Website

Russ & Daughters interior. — A menu inside Russ & Daughters.

S&P

174 5th Ave (at W 22nd St), New York, NY 10010

Eric Finkelstein and Matt Ross, the owners of Court Street Grocers, are behind S&P, a restaurant located in the former home of Eisenberg’s, one of Manhattan’s last old-school lunch counters that closed during the pandemic. There’s pork roll egg and cheese; matzo brei; a Denver omelet; and the Lil’ Shonda, with scrambled eggs, pastrami, muenster, and pickled tomato on rye.

174 5th Ave (at W 22nd St), New York, NY 10010

Visit Website

Customers hunch over a counter at a restaurant in Manhattan, S&P Lunch. — Customers at S&P.

Daily Provisions

103 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

The breakfast menu at this multi-branch institution may not have a ton of variety, but with the handful of options, it’s impossible to go wrong. Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches arrive hot and melty on pillowy brioche buns and the cafe’s legendary crullers are refreshed often with seasonal flavors: maple and cookies-and-cream are favorites.

103 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

A round dark brown donut. — Maple cruller.

Waverly Diner

385 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014

Waverly is now four decades old, and vying to be New York City’s best-known diner. Egg breakfasts are picturesquely served sizzling in a skillet, and will likely include the restaurant’s hash browns — made, as few diners now do them — from freshly shredded potatoes darkly browned. Pancakes, omelets and other breakfast fare are offered in abundance.

Open in Google Maps

385 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

An exterior of a corner diner in the Village. — The Waverly Diner.

Buvette

42 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

The eggs at Jody Williams’s Grove Street charmer are cooked with the steam wand on the espresso machine, normally used to make a cappuccino — and they’re perfect. Diners have the option of topping them with either smoked salmon or prosciutto. A waffle sandwich and plenty of pastries are also available at this petite restaurant.

42 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

Bartenders dressed in white pour glasses of wine for customers who are sitting on barstools. — The bar at Buvette.

Smør

441 E 12th St (at Ave A), New York, NY 10009

Though the team recently expanded with a larger restaurant in Clinton Hill, their East Village spot is as good as ever at breakfast. The cafe serves plenty of egg sandwiches, as well as Danish-style crepe pancakes with berries and lemon zest, as well as standout banana bread.

441 E 12th St (at Ave A), New York, NY 10009

Visit Website

Smor — Smør in the East Village.

Veselka

144 2nd Ave (at E 9th St), New York, NY 10003

This Ukrainian East Village classic serves breakfast all day, every day, with dishes as plain as oatmeal and a fried egg sandwich. It also features hearty fare like omelets, waffles, and the weekday breakfast of four pierogies with two eggs; bacon, sausage, or kielbasa; and a side of beet-horseradish salad, with coffee.

144 2nd Ave (at E 9th St), New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

A cup of bright red borscht on a white plate with a slice of bread and sour cream and spoon next to a yellow flyer and cup of coffee. — Borscht at Veselka.

Revelie Luncheonette

179 Prince St (btw Thompson & Sullivan), New York, NY 10012

This tiny jewel box of a restaurant from the family behind Raoul’s offers newfangled luncheonette fare, including pain perdue with caramelized apples, lemon pancakes, boudin blanc and eggs, or an omelet with French ham and Comte.

179 Prince St (btw Thompson & Sullivan), New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

A chocolate milkshake. — A chocolate milkshake at Revelie.

Gem Home

181 Mott Street, New York, New York 10012

Gem Wine opened a home goods store and cafe in Lower Manhattan, that’s a relaxing place to read a book at one of the long, dining hall-style tables owner Flynn McGarry built himself. Pastries and sandwiches rotate, but recently including a greens sandwich with anchovies and a parsnip cake. Coffee is top-notch as well.

Open in Google Maps

181 Mott Street, New York, New York 10012

Davelle

102 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002

This stylish but sparse Japanese cafe serves breakfast toasts. Choose from pretty options like honey lemon, ham and egg, spicy cod roe, and cheese curry.

102 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A snug cafe with high ceilings, a mirror, a single table, and a coffee menu written in cursive on paper. — The compact dining room at Davelle.

S Wan Cafe

85 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002

Named after its proprietor, S Wan is a low-key walk-down space on Eldridge just south of Grand, one of a handful of new cha chaan tengs (tea restaurants) that appeal to a broad range of diners. The room has a row of small tables along each wall and its principal feature is a giant menu printed in Chinese and English, listing among dozens of dishes a series of Hong Kong-style breakfasts designated with capital letters. In one order, the eggs were cooked over easy, diner style, so the yolks flowed yellow when cut into. The biggest surprise were the waffles, which were Eggo sized, spread with peanut butter, and sprinkled with white sugar.

85 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002

A waffle and meat in a to-go container. — The waffle at S Wan Cafe.

Chang Lai Fishballs Noodles

55 Bayard Street, Manhattan, NY 10013

On the same block where lines round down the block for a taste of Mei Lai Wah’s famous pork buns, is a breakfast option where there’s no wait. Chang Lai Fishballs Noodles, originally a locally beloved food cart, relocated to this permanent takeout spot last year — and it’s been a morning staple for us ever since. There are just a couple of counter stools here but it’s well worth your time and wallet. Go for the curry fishballs over rice noodles and ask for all the sauces.

Open in Google Maps

55 Bayard Street, Manhattan, NY 10013

Chang Lai fishballs noodles in a bowl. — Chang Lai Fishballs Noodles, once a cart, is now a standalone location.

Related Maps

Golden Diner

123 Madison St, New York, NY 10002

Sam Yoo’s all-day establishment in Two Bridges continues to serve nourishing diner fare with eclectic Asian overtones (even with the lines). Yoo sends out creations like green-tea coffee cake, Thai tea tres leches cake, breakfast burritos, honey-butter pancakes, vegan nachos, and a monster of a hash-brown egg sandwich on a Chinese-style scallion bun.

123 Madison St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

An fluffy egg sandwich with pieces of bacon and a thick hash brown patty rests on a diner plate. — An egg sandwich from Golden Diner.

Conwell Coffee Hall

6 Hanover Street, New York, New York 10005

Conwell Coffee Hall is probably the most beautiful room you can have in lower Manhattan right now. Enter through gold revolving doors, and step into a Prohibition-era lobby with high ceilings, Art Deco decor, and a floor-to-ceiling mural spanning one wall. The breakfast menu features toasts in different preparations: with avocado and preserved lemon; bacon, egg, and cheese; or whipped ricotta and poached rhubarb. The food is secondary to the space.

Open in Google Maps

6 Hanover Street, New York, New York 10005

Related Maps