A Brooklyn native and the brunch expert behind brunchnista.com, Michelle Sprott did not hesitate to share recommendations for great places around the city to grab a great weekend meal with friends. These are ten of her favorites.
Less"Kokomo is my favorite brunch restaurant in Brooklyn—in New York City, period. It’s the perfect combination of upscale Caribbean cuisine and great ambiance. It’s a beautiful restaurant: You just walk in there and feel this warm, tropical feel, and the food that goes with it is amazing. They’ve done a really great job of infusing modern Caribbean culture into brunch dishes, so they have great things like oxtail flatbread pizza."
"I don’t have to travel far to go to this restaurant! It's not a brunch spot; it's really known for great wine, cognac, and a great cocktail experience. But it functions as a brunch spot on the weekend. It’s Black-owned, woman-owned, and they just reopened after Covid, so they’re coming out of the gate doing some really great brunch staples like chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits. It’s a local favorite, so I'm just really happy they were able to flourish in the brunch space."
"Charm is a newcomer since 2020, and I just love it. It’s right in the mix close to all the activities in downtown Brooklyn. It’s another restaurant that infuses Caribbean culture with brunch foods, and I really like that. I really like the location as well; it’s a great place to meet up with people coming from the city or other places because it’s right in the hub of downtown. It’s a bar, so you're going to get great cocktails, great bottomless, and great Caribbean-infused brunch."
"Patrick is run by a woman from Panama. She hated having to travel to the city for steaks, so she opened a restaurant in Crown Heights that serves steak, so she doesn't have to travel! She’s done a great job of having a bottomless brunch on the weekend in the steakhouse. In the back they have a beautiful mural and patio space. They have a DJ and really great vibes and ambiance. It's a great place to sit and hang out with your friends on a Sunday."
"There’s a huge Caribbean culture in Brooklyn, and I’m also Caribbean. Suede is close to my house, and it’s one of my go-tos if I’m meeting friends for brunch. They have a great garden area, bottomless brunch on the weekend—all Caribbean-infused—and the ambiance is just great in there if you’re celebrating a birthday party."
"Czen is Caribbean-Asian fusion, which is really special. For brunch, it’s a great vibe, and they have great cocktails and great service. You feel very welcomed when you’re there. It isn’t loud; they don’t have a DJ, so it’s a good place to bring your family. They have rum raisin french toast and spicy asian shrimp and grits; they play with your brunch favorites with Asian flair.
"Dick and Janes BarRoom is a newcomer to the scene; they have two cocktail lounges already existing in Brooklyn, and the BarRoom is their foray into the food space. This restaurant is elevated French cuisine, and I love the vibe. Usually we would have to travel to Manhattan for the kind of vibe they have, but here it's right in the heart of Bed-Stuy. You get this really elevated, sexy date night or date brunch vibe. They have great french toast and wonderful cocktails; it's new and different."
"Anytime I go to Harlem, I have to stop at BLVD Bistro. This is definitely a hangout spot: They have a DJ pumping on Fridays and Saturdays, and everyone is singing at the table. It’s Southern comfort food, and they are really serving up Southern hospitality on weekends at brunch, with stick-to-your-bones shrimp and grits and chicken and waffles. I love going up there! I’ve been there twice this month already!"
"Savvy Bistro is another one of my favorites. They do real Caribbean and Creole dishes and really great cocktails. You’re going to get the best of both worlds at this restaurant: a little bit of Caribbean and a little bit of Creole, which really go hand in hand. This is a family-friendly spot; you can take your mom or your kids and have a great Sunday brunch."
"Another Caribbean fave! We have our own Negril in Brooklyn, and the vibe is very lively—it's definitely a place where you’re going to celebrate soemthing: a job promotion, a new move to the city, a birthday—I just celebrated a birthday there. They also have a space if you want to rent that out and have a private birthday celebration. They serve lobster mac and cheese, shrimp and grits—all the brunch classics you know and love, but in their own way."