Best brunch places in East Village: The weekend starts here

Inside this antiques-filled dining room, chef Joe Dobias (Savor NY) gives life to his wildest, and most successful, impulses: An appetizer of griddled challah smeared with chicken liver takes on a subversive (and delicious) edge when sandwiched with smoky bacon and caramelized onions. An inventive entrée features tender slices of beef served with sesame spaetzle and a gorgeous curl of bok choy, petrified in a translucent batter. The dining masses have yet to catch on—get in before they do.

After the success of their brunch-only pop-up at Resto Leon, new-wave Filipino darlings Nicole Ponseca and Enzo Lim have finally found a permanent home in the East Village. Fans of their daytime fare can revisit hits like eggs Imelda (poached eggs on pan de sal with taro leaves, coconut milk and prawns) and Sizzling Sisig (a spiced mix of shredded pig’s snout, ear, cheek and belly). New to this iteration: dinner plates, including Southeast Asian spins on American classics, like chicken and purple-yam waffles and a spiny-lobster roll laced with fermented shrimp-paste mayo. Lim, also a barkeep at Minetta Tavern, slings tropical concoctions, such as the Manileño, which mixes brandy, pineapple, maraschino, Peychaud's Bitters and lime.

Tiny, well-lit Prune is still as popular as it was the day it opened. Gabrielle Hamilton’s French mother developed this fearless chef’s palate early on: Expect creative dishes like Manila clams with hominy and smoked paprika butter, and roasted suckling pig with pickled tomatoes, black-eyed-pea salad and chipotle mayo. This is the area’s go-to brunch spot, so beware: The wait for a table can stretch over an hour.