The best brunch places for groups in NYC

You know this place is cool because it offers a Kimye-themed menu for Valentine’s Day. But patrons come to this Cobble Hill eatery year-round for an Italian take on brunch. The friendly staff serves mouthwatering dishes such as a pork-belly sandwich topped with a fried egg; grits-style polenta with meatballs; and fried eggs over ragù, risotto and Borlotti beans. The short stools can sometimes be a bit awkward to sit on, but overall you’ll want to re-create the cute decor, including the ceiling fans made from welded-together personal fans and the cartoony world-map wallpaper, at home.—Tazi Phillips

Serving classic New Orleans dishes, Catfish is a true Prospect Heights gem. At this cozy hideaway, you can savor bona fide Southern dishes like spicy, flavorful jambalaya or shrimp and grits. Enjoy a strong spring cocktail on the outdoor patio, like the Lady Laveu, a refreshing, flavorful mix of absinthe, St. Germain and cucumber lemonade. But be warned—alcohol isn’t served until noon. Until then, there’s no shortage of delectable eats.—Evelyn Derico

For a chill dining experience filled with burritos, tacos and fantastic huevos rancheros, visit this Long Island City restaurant and comedy theater, which houses two stages and a separate dining area. At each table you’ll get unlimited tortilla chips and homemade salsa. Check out the patio or the downstairs bar and performance space, which hosts a variety of acts. The kitchen serves all kinds of savory Tex-Mex standbys, but for a twist, try the “yoga” burrito (avocado and fresh goat cheese) or the seafood burrito (fried shrimp or fish with wasabi sauce).—Evelyn Derico

Expect this neighborhood favorite, conveniently located one block from Prospect Park, to be packed to capacity any time the sun’s shining. Its classic brunch foods—hearty omelettes, enormous waffles, a mouth-watering take on eggs Benedict with chorizo and ancho-lime hollandaise sauce—are worth the wait, and the minimuffins handed to waiting diners should keep even the hungriest customer going until a table opens up. One word of advice: If you’re dining outside, sit as far from the little kiddy ride in the corner as you can, unless you want “It’s a Small World” to play relentlessly in your head all afternoon.—Nick Leftley

A short stroll from the Chambers St subway stop, Edward’s is a sunny, relaxed Tribeca eatery that feels, due to strategically placed mirrors, refreshingly large and airy. In keeping with the French-brasserie decor, the brunch menu has a robust range of stomach-filling goodies, from buttermilk pancakes to crab-cake sandwiches. (The chilaquiles currently seem to be missing from the menu, but it’s worth a shot ordering them anyway—maybe the kitchen will be feeling generous. Edward’s gets bonus points for its well-stocked bar and numerous group-friendly seating arrangements.—Nick Leftley

It’s a food-world trope that big-league chefs hate brunch, feeling confined by the hallowed 11am–3pm space between breakfast and lunch. But this Food & Drink Award–winning Nolita alcove—from former Isa talent Ignacio Mattos—doesn’t slack off for the early meal. Rather, Mattos issues elegant reimagined staples made to share, though you won’t want to: whipped ricotta with citrus and coconut, a yogurt-parfait update; a fish-sauce-spiked Bloody Mary; and Bien Cuit tebirke layered with a sunny-side-up egg, crispy pancetta and aioli-topped avocado. You’ll initially damn how hard it is to spot the restaurant’s nondescript doorway, but after a thoughtful meal at the airy white-marble bar, you’ll be grateful that all those shopping-bag-toting passersby aren’t crowding your newfound brunch favorite.—Christina Izzo

There’s something for every palate at any of Sarabeth’s five NYC locations: The swanky restaurant’s extensive brunch menu features standout savory dishes such as lobster rolls alongside scrummy sweet fare like lemon-and-ricotta pancakes. We recommend ordering a basket of Sarabeth’s signature fresh scones and muffins, served with homemade jams, and if you’ve always wanted to have afternoon tea, stop by from 4 to 5pm on Saturday or Sunday. Take heed that Sundays get crazy busy (this is an Oprah fave, after all), so you’ll want to make reservations.—Evelyn Derico

Israeli-born Maya Jankelowitz met her South African husband, Dean, while working at Balthazar, and the patrons at their charming, sunlit Soho nook look like holdovers from that late-breakfast bastion—i.e., tiny-waisted ladies who brunch, and the men who love them. But the Jankelowitzes’ café offers Jewish-tinged bites as warm and comforting as anything your bubbe ever made you: rosewater waffles with Lebanese yogurt and honey, and the hard-to-pronounce but easy-to-eat green shakshouka (eggs baked in a chili- and cumin-spiced tomato sauce). With one (or three) refreshing cantaloupe mimosas, chowing down next to hoards of lithe brunch ladies ain’t so bad after all. In fact, it’s pretty damn great.—Christina Izzo