The best brunch in the West Village

At Jody Williams's tiny, Gallic-themed Buvette, she's got just enough space to feed a neighborhood following. And a neighborhood following's she got—the gastroteque is an area favorite for brunch, during which the kitchen rolls out dishes like scrambled eggs with prosciutto, walnut-cranberry tartness with honey butter and a classic Croque-Madame.

Pop into Gabriel Stulman's minuscule spot—with just seven tables and a few barstools—for brunch items like Bloody Marys fixied with bacon-wrapped brussels sprouts, croissant egg sandwiches with manchego and sriracha, and chicken-and-waffles for two with sausage gravy and scrambled eggs.

At some restaurants, bread is an afterthought—baskets of chalky, uninspired dinner rolls shuffled out with chilled, foil-wrapped butter. Here, it is the meal. In the morning, it takes the form of pillowy, amply poppy-seeded potato rolls that come piled high with shaved pastrami, spiced hash and a farm egg in the Pastrami & Hash ($13); or it’s the buttery biscuit, popping with black pepper and subdued with sage, that hugs a cloud-soft egg, malted sausage and melty aged cheddar in the kitchen’s gorgeous send-up of a breakfast sandwich ($13).

It took only a few word-of-mouth whispers to draw hordes to this Village bistro from Odeon owner Lynn Wagenknecht. Though its cuisine is urban bistro—think dishes like brioche French toast, duck-confit hash and short rib bravas for brunch—the decor is all country: A corner bar separates two artfully cluttered mushroom-gray rooms festooned with antlers, taxidermy and framed vegetable prints.

The lively all-day bistro offers American-Mediterranean cooking & classic cocktails in understated digs. Brunchtime yields modern Middle Eastern-inspired plates like green-tomatillo shakshuka with challah toast, rosewater waffles topped with Lebanese yogurt and a burger topped with a grilled tomato and fried onions.

Brittany-born owner Thierry Rochard’s prototypical Gallic café still draws lines after 18 years. The inevitable wait and tight space are worth enduring for the crisp, salty frites; the BYOB policy with no corkage fee adds to the bohemian allure. Staples like cheesy, decadent croque-monsieur and house-baked brioche French toast with smoked bacon dominate the brunch menu.

Perk up with a flat white at this ten-seat café, the second location of the Aussie-themed java joint. Along with Sightglass coffee, find pastries from local bakeries (Balthazar, Bondi Bikkies) and toasts topped with almond butter, honey, jam or Vegemite.

We sometimes want to relive our childhoods through food, but we now have adult taste buds to please. Owner-cook Jay Strauss resolves the conflict with his brand of designer school-cafeteria food. During brunch, diners can get a grilled cheese with cheddar and gouda on a Portuguese muffin, fried eggs over turkey hash and a New York strip with eggs.

After two years of construction, Ahmad’s bakery gets a West Village brick-and-mortar location, which has enough room to host baking classes and events. For the first time ever, savory goods will have their place on the menu, as well as new brioche morning buns and fresh tarts, alongside longtime favorites (dark-chocolate brownies) and a full-service coffee-and-espresso bar to boot. The 30-seat, blue-hued café is lined with gray banquettes and round tables facing the glass-encased treats on display, warmly lit by drop-down globe lights.

If it looks like a steakhouse and walks like a steakhouse and talks like a steakhouse, is it a steakhouse? By definition alone, Quality Eats—the latest project and first downtown venture from Quality Branded, the group behind the Smith & Wollensky chain and midtown restaurants Quality Italian and Quality Meats—is a steakhouse in that it specializes in beefy butcher cuts, but it delights in subverting the classic totems of the chophouse. Just look to brunch for proof: You'll find a Caesar salad with cured lemons and peppadew peppers, thick-cut bacon with peanut butter and jalapeno jelly, and fried eggs with the steak du jour.

The saucy moniker suits this sexy spot, but it officially refers to the premium olive oils liberally poured over chef Joseph Fortunato’s dishes. Share an order of crisp, slender fries and a bowl of rich Gorgonzola fondue, then move on to the roasted artichoke with poached egg or braised short-rib sliders with brussels sprout slaw.