WORLD BREAKFASTS
Panya Bakery – Japanese
Panya offers a complete range of foods from morning pastries to full hot lunches. And if you’re looking for a traditional Japanese breakfast without a midtown restaurant price tag, there’s no better place. Rice, miso soup, nori (seaweed), a good sized cut of broiled fish (usually salmon), a small salad, hijiki and carrot, sliced daikon with bonito flakes, and natto (fermented soy beans) with a quail egg is yours for less than $10 every morning before 11 AM. 8 Stuyvesant St, New York, NY 10003, (212) 777-1930
Casa La Femme – Egyptian
Casa Le Femme occupies an East Villiage space with all the ambiance you could ask for. Curtained tables ring a sunken level of open seating in the dining area; a beautifully tiled floor and velvet chairs greet you in the bar. Elegant decor aside, however, this is one place to come for traditional Egyptian food. Once you’ve gotten over the interior of the restaurant, sit down and help yourself to fuul medames (pureed fava beans) and zabadi (yogurt with cucumber and garlic). You won’t find yourself in a hurry to leave. www.casalafemmeny.com
The Dubliner – Irish
New York as a city was hugely impacted and influenced by the Irish. You can hardly throw a stone without hitting an Irish pub. But you’ll be hard-pressed to beat The Dubliner for authenticity and traditional Irish food. Under a pressed tin ceiling and warm light, you can take your pick of dark wood tables. The full Irish breakfast is something to behold: Irish sausage, rashers, your choice of black or white pudding, hash browns, baked beans and eggs in your style of choice – you won’t need lunch after this. www.dublinernyc.com
Prime Meats – German
Beautifully appointed with pressed tin and polished wood, Prime Meats has all the feeling of old world luxury while being comfortable enough to show up in jeans. The menu will be particularly delightful to lovers of Germanic fare, and this small restaurant is one of the few places where a real breakfast sausage, alone or with the farmer’s breakfast, is available. You may only be able to get them for brunch on the weekend, but that shouldn’t stop you from coming in for some wurst the rest of the day and calling it breakfast. www.frankspm.com
Pars Grill House & Bar – Iranian
While not strictly on the menu under breakfast, you can still treat yourself to a breakfast at Pars Grill House and Bar. With its bright blue exterior and warm brick-and-paint interior, this restaurant has a relaxing atmosphere at any time of day. Start your meal with their flat bread and have some yogurt, or go straight in for the grilled portobello and feta sandwich and you won’t be far off a traditional Iranian breakfast, especially if you wash it down with some of their homemade tea (available iced and hot). www.parsgrillhouse.com
Al Naimat Restaurant & Sweets– Indian
For a menu dedicated to traditional Indian breakfasts, Al Naimat Restaurant & Sweets is your best bet. They offer four kinds of breads – plain with butter, stuffed with potato, stuffed with cauliflower, and stuffed with minced chicken – as well as two types of fried puri in chickpea gravy for those needing something a little heavier. A hop, skip and a jump off the 7, E, F, M, and R in Queens, come and enjoy the cheerfully blue dining room and friendly service, then stick around for the sweets promised in the name. 3703 74th St., Jackson Heights 11372, (718) 476-1100
The Russian Tea Room– Russian
The Russian Tea Room – one of the best-known and certainly among the most expensive – is the only place to come if you’re looking for Oladi. The gilded Russian elegance may make you forget that you’re here to eat, but you’ll remember soon enough when these Russian-style pancakes come out topped with sour cream and trout roe. Or if oladi don’t suit, try the Russian toast: walnut and raisin brioche sautéed with vanilla and spices and topped with cream. You won’t leave disappointed. www.russiantearoomnyc.com
Smorgas Chef – Scandanavian
You can have your choice of the Smorgas Chef in the West Village or on Wall Street, or the Scandinavia House on Park Avenue. Each restaurant offers very modern decor to gaze at during your morning meal, inspired by nature, light, and up-cycled bottles. Come in for eggs done in the Norwegian style, waffles done the Scandinavian way, or the herring quartet, a staple fish of all good Scandinavian cuisine. 53 Stone St. 10004 (212) 244.3500, 283 W/ 12, 10014 (212) 422-.7073
El Castillo De Jagua – Spanish
The kind of very homey restaurant that New Yorkers treasure as their hole-in-the-wall, El Castillo De Jagua is the bare bones of decor. If it’s breakfast you’re looking for, eggs (with home fries and toast) you will have, be that with cheese, bacon, sausage, ham, or all of the above. But if you’re looking for a true Dominican breakfast, try the Mangu (mashed plantains) or Dominican-style oatmeal. You won’t find much better short of hopping a plane. 113 Rivington St, New York 10002, (212) 982-6412
Little Poland – Polish
No frills decoration, no frills presentation, all good food. Little Poland is a diner that probably hasn’t seen a change in interior since it opened, but the staff is friendly and the food made with love by people who know Polish food. Here you can get French toast made of challah, babka French toast, eggs (with kielbasy), farina, and stuffed cabbage. If you make it before noon, the breakfast special offers a choice of home fries, kasha, or French fries, toast and butter, and coffee or tea and juice. No small fare for an economical price. 200 2nd Ave, New York 10003, (212) 777-9728
Cafe Mogador – Moroccan
A trip to New York without a visit to Cafe Mogador would be a mistake. This adorable St. Mark’s Place cafe offers outdoor seating on a tiled sidewalk in the summer and a comfortable, well-lit interior for the rest of the year. Eggs, Moroccan style (poached with a spicy tomato sauce) or in an omelette with Moroccan sauce and feta, goat or Grafton cheddar cheese, Moroccan-style sausage, and tea in delightful Middle Eastern teapots at your table, Cafe Mogador is as close to Morocco as you want. www.cafemogador.com
La Palapa – Mexican
Wooden floors, marble bar counter, and plenty of light; you can’t do much better than that for a relaxing brunch. For those who prefer their breakfasts light, try the Pan Frances Estilo Torrejas – French toast done Mexican style in vanilla batter and cinnamon syrup with sliced bananas. For those who need something heartier, try the eggs on corn tortillas with black beans and green tomatillo with salsa and guacamole. www.lapalapa.com