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A close-up shot of a cheesy egg sandwich on a sesame seed bun with a yellow mug of coffee in the foreground. — An egg sandwich from Fairfax in the West Village.

23 Great Breakfast Options in Manhattan

Settle in with fluffy pancakes and Japanese breakfast sets or grab breakfast burritos and egg sandwiches to go

by Eater Staff Updated Dec 22, 2022, 9:43am EST

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An egg sandwich from Fairfax in the West Village.

| Eric Medsker/Happy Cooking Hospitality

by Eater Staff Updated Dec 22, 2022, 9:43am EST

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s also a meal when many New Yorkers are least likely to visit a restaurant — which is a shame because so many restaurants in this city do amazing things before noon. And, now, with rising prices, it’s the most economical meal of the day. So whether scarfing a modern Japanese breakfast, a paper bag filled with Colombian cheese breads, egg-stuffed burritos, bagels and lox, Chinese dim sum, or outrageously good banana pancakes, here's where to start a day off right.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Salento

This small panaderia and cafe in Washington Heights remains one of the best places in Manhattan for Colombian pastries and assorted South American snacks. Swing by in the morning for the sweet-salty pandebono cheese bread, chicken-filled corn empanadas, and calentado, the traditional Colombian breakfast platter of rice and beans paired with a fried egg, chicharron, and an arepa.

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2112 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10032

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A yellow corn empanada sits on wax paper in an outdoor garden — Chicken empanada.

Harlem Biscuit Company

It’s not unusual to encounter a line snaking out the door at this Harlem shop, and for good reason. Chef Melvin Johnson started Harlem Biscuit Company during the pandemic and quickly amassed fans for the shop’s buttery, flaky biscuits, sold alone and as the base for biscuit sandwiches, including the Langston, piled high with fried chicken, pickles, onions, and chile-garlic honey; or the Frederick, featuring a pork sausage patty, egg, cheese, and jerk honey.

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At 67Orange street, 2082 Frederick Douglass Blvd, New York, NY 10026

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A close-up photo of an unwrapped biscuit sandwich stuffed with fried chicken, pickles, and onion slices. — The Langston biscuit sandwich, made with fried chicken, pickles, onions, and chili garlic honey.

Old John's Diner

Upper West Side restaurant Old John’s Luncheonette was brought back to life as Old John’s Diner, a revamped take on the 7-decade-old neighborhood staple. Find breakfast diner classics like ham and cheese omelets, egg creams, and chocolate chip waffles available every day from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

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148 W 67th St, New York, NY 10023

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A person holds a bottle of carbonated water and pours some of it into a brown drink with white foam on top and a red and white straw sticking out of the side. — A chocolate egg cream at Old John’s Diner.

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Five Acres

Five Acres recently opened for breakfast from 8 a.m. till 11 a.m., seven days. Via pastry chef Alessandra Altieri, there are cookies, cakes, giant frosted crullers, breakfast pastries, and a bread service from Patti Ann’s. Coffee from Parlor Coffee.

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Rink Level, 30 Rockefeller Plaza Suite 8, New York, NY 10112

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A green-framed dining room with tables ready for customers. — Rockefeller Center’s Five Acres has just started serving breakfast.

Also featured in:

The 15 Hottest New Restaurants in Manhattan, February 2023

Margon

This Times Square lunch counter is mobbed during lunchtime, but it's peaceful in the mornings from when it opens at 7 a.m. Breakfast calls for mangu (mashed plantains) with salami, eggs, and cheese, plus a Cuban coffee. Much of the lunch menu also available if you’d like a Cuban sandwich for breakfast. Not a bad choice. This storefront can be easy to miss.

Open in Google Maps

136 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

Visit Website

A red awning over a walk-down storefront. — Unbelievably, this place persists in the modern Times Square.

Spanish Diner

Chef Jose Andres’ Hudson Yards food hall Mercado Little Spain houses a full-service diner that offers a lovely breakfast starting at 11:30 a.m. daily, or at 11 a.m. on weekends. Pair eggs with rich morcilla or nutty jamon Iberico, or try a variety of classic Spanish tortillas.

Open in Google Maps

10 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

A brightly lit dining room with an open kitchen space to the left and a dining area to the right with wooden tables and chairs — Spanish Diner at Mercado Little Spain.

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Koloman

Koloman, an Austrian newcomer just off the lobby of Nomad’s Ace Hotel, offers a full breakfast menu that includes fluffy croissants and other assorted cakes and pastries made in-house, eggs with side meats that include double-smoked bacon and bratwurst, palatschinken (sweet crepes), French toast, and a full Viennese breakfast that piles meat, cheese, a soft-boiled egg, and other goodies on a series of plates.

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16 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001

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King David Tacos

Early risers near Madison Square Park have a breakfast taco option in King David Tacos, a Prospect Park shop, series of breakfast carts, and coffee shop that’s added this cart just off Madison Square. Tacos run to BPEC (bacon, potato, egg, and cheese), Queen Bean (refried beans, potato, egg, and cheese), and Or’izo (Mexican chorizo, potato, egg, and cheese). Hours start at 7:30 a.m. until tacos run out.

11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010

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A hand holds a breakfast taco half-wrapped in foil with a view of Madison Square Park in the background. — A BPEC from the King David Tacos cart in Madison Square Park.

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Daily Provisions

The breakfast menu at this multi-branch institution may not have a ton of variety, but with the handful of options, it’s impossible to go wrong. Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches arrive hot and melty on pillowy brioche buns; the cafe’s legendary crullers are refreshed often with seasonal flavors — maple and cookies-and-cream are favorites.

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103 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

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A round dark brown donut. — Maple cruller.

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Fairfax

Gabriel Stulman's charming aesthetic got a revamp when Perla flipped to Fairfax, an all-day cafe and wine bar resembling a living room. At breakfast time, settle into one of the leather couches or large armchairs for Old Bay tots, cheesy egg sandwiches, or avocado toast with cucumber, labneh, and za’atar. Served from 9 a.m. on weekdays.

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234 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014

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A corner doorway surrounded by potted plants. — Fairfax mounts a full breakfast menu on weekdays, with brunch on weekends.

Buvette

The eggs at chef Jody Williams’s Grove Street charmer are cooked with the steam wand on the espresso machine, normally used to make a cappuccino — and they’re perfect. Starting at 8 a.m. daily, diners have the option of topping them with either smoked salmon or prosciutto. A waffle sandwich and plenty of pastries are also available at this petite restaurant.

42 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

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Bartenders dressed in white pour glasses of wine for customers who are sitting on barstools. — The bar at Buvette.

Also featured in:

Brooklyn Kolache

Order a handful of the sweet and savory Czech-Tex pastries — the jalapeño, egg, and cheese; and the cherry compote and sweet cheese options are not to be missed — and wash it down with a cup of coffee sourced from NYC roaster Kitten Coffee.

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185 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012

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A powdered sugar-topped, jam- and fruit-filled kolache pastry. — A puffy, sweet kolache.

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Little Kirin

Just the place for a late-morning breakfast, with such wacky reconfigurations of the classic BEC as the SEC (Spam, egg, and American cheese) and the hangover cure (bacon, spam, egg, hash browns, etc., etc.) A pho short rib sandwich with pho broth is another option, with the place opening at 11 a.m. every morning.

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81 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

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A piled-high egg sandwich with all sorts of crap in it. — The BEC variation called the hangover cure.

Downtown Bakery

When the morning calls for tamales, tortas, tacos or breakfast burritos, head to Downtown Bakery. The small shop run by Pueblan immigrants makes a particularly wide variety of cheesy stuffed burritos, including chorizo, steak, and veggies. The bakery — which really isn’t a bakery anymore, though it was an Italian one many decades ago — opens at 9 a.m. sharp every day.

69 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

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Two rolled flour tortilla tacos with sausage and yellow egg visible at the rolled ends. — Sausage and egg breakfast tacos.

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Thai Diner

Ann Redding and Matt Danzer’s all-day spot attracts nocturnal diners with expensive shellfish platters, spicy laab salads, and aromatic curries. But in the morning hours, patrons come for fat slices of babka French toast, designed for drenching with salty condensed milk. There’s also a fine roti wrap stuffed with soft eggs, cheese, and with fragrant Thai sausages. Breakfast is served until 5 p.m. Open from 11 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. on weekends.

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186 Mott St, New York, NY 10012

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A spread of dishes shot from overhead, including verdant cabbage rolls, phat Thai noodles with pink head-on shrimp, fried chicken larb, and Thai tea pain perdu made from marbled babka — A spread of dishes from Thai Diner.

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Davelle

Open at 8 a.m. during the week and 9 a.m. on weekends, this stylish but sparse Japanese cafe serves breakfast toasts. Choose from pretty options like honey lemon, ham and egg, spicy cod roe, and cheese curry, along with a catalog of hot-chocolate drinks in winter.

102 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A snug cafe with high ceilings, a mirror, a single table, and a coffee menu written in cursive on paper. — The compact dining room at Davelle.

Also featured in:

The Best Dishes Eater NY Editors Ate in 2019, Mapped

Shopsin's

The late Kenny Shopsin’s kids have kept this diner going in its most recent iteration inside the Essex Market inside the Market Line on the Lower East Side. The massive menu can be overwhelming to newcomers but start with the “blisters on my sister” category, where anything from enchiladas to a skillet of rice and beans comes topped with two sunny-side-up eggs. The banana pecan brown sugar pancakes are also a top choice. Note that Shopsin’s is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and breakfast starts at 10 a.m. on other days.

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88 Essex St, New York, NY 10002

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An open kitchen with wooden booths and and high-top counters in the Essex Market — Shopsin’s at Essex Market

Also featured in:

14 Decadent Mac and Cheese Dishes in NYC

Ming's Caffe

This amazing, inexpensive Hong Kong eatery right over the East Broadway stop on the F train opens every day at 7 a.m. wit breakfast, featuring eggs, Spam, and toast spread with sweetened condensed milk, along with congee, dim sum, and noodles. What more could you want?

28 Canal St, New York, NY 10002

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Two pieces of toast with bananas in between. — Banana french toast at MIng’s Caffe.

Also featured in:

Where to Eat in Manhattan’s Chinatown

Kopitiam

All-day Malaysian cafe Kopitiam made a splash with its reopening a few years ago, expanding its menu to include more savory options, too. The sunny, colorful space, owned by chef Kyo Pang, kicks off breakfast service at 10 a.m. with dishes like kaya toast, half-boiled eggs with soy sauce and pepper, and fish ball soup. Don’t forget to pick up one of the wonderful sweets, like the pulut inti: morning glory sticky rice topped with grated coconut sugar.

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151 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

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Potted plants hang from the ceiling in a naturally lit dining room with bar stools, high-top counters, and exposed brick. — The dining room at Kopitiam.

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Golden Diner

Sam Yoo’s all-day establishment in Two Bridges continues to serve nourishing diner fare with eclectic Asian overtones. Starting from 10 a.m., Yoo sends out creations like green-tea coffee cake, Thai tea tres leches cake, breakfast burritos, honey-butter pancakes, vegan nachos, and a monster of a hash-brown egg sandwich on a Chinese-style scallion bun.

123 Madison St, New York, NY 10002

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An fluffy egg sandwich with pieces of bacon and a thick hash brown patty rests on a diner plate. — An egg sandwich from Golden Diner.

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Hole in the Wall Cafe and Bar

This Australian cafe — with other locations in Murray Hill, Flatiron, and Williamsburg — offers up the breezy, down-under dishes for which the country is known. Avocado toast and flat whites are standout, as is the iced coffee come summer. Plus, there’s ample seating for a pre-work drop-by or a meeting, starting at 8:30 a.m. on weekdays.

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15 Cliff St, New York, NY 10038

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Avocado toast is topped with lemon, cheese, tomato, egg, and black sesame seeds — Avocado toast from Hole in the Wall.

George's

Since the 1950s, George’s has been fueling the Fidi office crowd ahead of a day’s work. The no-nonsense diner is serving breakfast essentials like chocolate chip pancakes, corned-beef hash, waffles, and omelets. The familial staff and setting at George’s are hard to find elsewhere, and it opens most days at 7 a.m.

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89 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006

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The exterior of George’s with a large restaurant sign spelling out “George’s” displayed over the entrance. — George’s in FiDi.

Tin Building

By the south entrance to this food court and market project from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, you will find a counter called Double Yolk selling multiple variations on the city’s famed bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. The roll is a brioche or an English muffin rather than a kaiser, and the other optional ingredients are similarly premium — things like smoked salmon, guacamole, roasted mushrooms, and Calabrian chile vinaigrette.

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96 South St, New York, NY 10038

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A counter with high stools and a yellow neon sign above. — Where to get a vamped-up BEC.

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Salento

2112 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10032

This small panaderia and cafe in Washington Heights remains one of the best places in Manhattan for Colombian pastries and assorted South American snacks. Swing by in the morning for the sweet-salty pandebono cheese bread, chicken-filled corn empanadas, and calentado, the traditional Colombian breakfast platter of rice and beans paired with a fried egg, chicharron, and an arepa.

Open in Google Maps

2112 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10032

Visit Website

A yellow corn empanada sits on wax paper in an outdoor garden — Chicken empanada.

Harlem Biscuit Company

At 67Orange street, 2082 Frederick Douglass Blvd, New York, NY 10026

It’s not unusual to encounter a line snaking out the door at this Harlem shop, and for good reason. Chef Melvin Johnson started Harlem Biscuit Company during the pandemic and quickly amassed fans for the shop’s buttery, flaky biscuits, sold alone and as the base for biscuit sandwiches, including the Langston, piled high with fried chicken, pickles, onions, and chile-garlic honey; or the Frederick, featuring a pork sausage patty, egg, cheese, and jerk honey.

Open in Google Maps

At 67Orange street, 2082 Frederick Douglass Blvd, New York, NY 10026

Visit Website

A close-up photo of an unwrapped biscuit sandwich stuffed with fried chicken, pickles, and onion slices. — The Langston biscuit sandwich, made with fried chicken, pickles, onions, and chili garlic honey.

Old John's Diner

148 W 67th St, New York, NY 10023

Upper West Side restaurant Old John’s Luncheonette was brought back to life as Old John’s Diner, a revamped take on the 7-decade-old neighborhood staple. Find breakfast diner classics like ham and cheese omelets, egg creams, and chocolate chip waffles available every day from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Open in Google Maps

148 W 67th St, New York, NY 10023

Visit Website

A person holds a bottle of carbonated water and pours some of it into a brown drink with white foam on top and a red and white straw sticking out of the side. — A chocolate egg cream at Old John’s Diner.

Five Acres

Rink Level, 30 Rockefeller Plaza Suite 8, New York, NY 10112

Five Acres recently opened for breakfast from 8 a.m. till 11 a.m., seven days. Via pastry chef Alessandra Altieri, there are cookies, cakes, giant frosted crullers, breakfast pastries, and a bread service from Patti Ann’s. Coffee from Parlor Coffee.

Open in Google Maps

Rink Level, 30 Rockefeller Plaza Suite 8, New York, NY 10112

Visit Website

A green-framed dining room with tables ready for customers. — Rockefeller Center’s Five Acres has just started serving breakfast.

Margon

136 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

This Times Square lunch counter is mobbed during lunchtime, but it's peaceful in the mornings from when it opens at 7 a.m. Breakfast calls for mangu (mashed plantains) with salami, eggs, and cheese, plus a Cuban coffee. Much of the lunch menu also available if you’d like a Cuban sandwich for breakfast. Not a bad choice. This storefront can be easy to miss.

Open in Google Maps

136 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

Visit Website

A red awning over a walk-down storefront. — Unbelievably, this place persists in the modern Times Square.

Spanish Diner

10 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001

Chef Jose Andres’ Hudson Yards food hall Mercado Little Spain houses a full-service diner that offers a lovely breakfast starting at 11:30 a.m. daily, or at 11 a.m. on weekends. Pair eggs with rich morcilla or nutty jamon Iberico, or try a variety of classic Spanish tortillas.

Open in Google Maps

10 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

A brightly lit dining room with an open kitchen space to the left and a dining area to the right with wooden tables and chairs — Spanish Diner at Mercado Little Spain.

Koloman

16 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001

Koloman, an Austrian newcomer just off the lobby of Nomad’s Ace Hotel, offers a full breakfast menu that includes fluffy croissants and other assorted cakes and pastries made in-house, eggs with side meats that include double-smoked bacon and bratwurst, palatschinken (sweet crepes), French toast, and a full Viennese breakfast that piles meat, cheese, a soft-boiled egg, and other goodies on a series of plates.

Open in Google Maps

16 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

King David Tacos

11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010

Early risers near Madison Square Park have a breakfast taco option in King David Tacos, a Prospect Park shop, series of breakfast carts, and coffee shop that’s added this cart just off Madison Square. Tacos run to BPEC (bacon, potato, egg, and cheese), Queen Bean (refried beans, potato, egg, and cheese), and Or’izo (Mexican chorizo, potato, egg, and cheese). Hours start at 7:30 a.m. until tacos run out.

11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010

Visit Website

A hand holds a breakfast taco half-wrapped in foil with a view of Madison Square Park in the background. — A BPEC from the King David Tacos cart in Madison Square Park.

Daily Provisions

103 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

The breakfast menu at this multi-branch institution may not have a ton of variety, but with the handful of options, it’s impossible to go wrong. Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches arrive hot and melty on pillowy brioche buns; the cafe’s legendary crullers are refreshed often with seasonal flavors — maple and cookies-and-cream are favorites.

Open in Google Maps

103 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

A round dark brown donut. — Maple cruller.

Fairfax

234 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014

Gabriel Stulman's charming aesthetic got a revamp when Perla flipped to Fairfax, an all-day cafe and wine bar resembling a living room. At breakfast time, settle into one of the leather couches or large armchairs for Old Bay tots, cheesy egg sandwiches, or avocado toast with cucumber, labneh, and za’atar. Served from 9 a.m. on weekdays.

Open in Google Maps

234 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A corner doorway surrounded by potted plants. — Fairfax mounts a full breakfast menu on weekdays, with brunch on weekends.

Buvette

42 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

The eggs at chef Jody Williams’s Grove Street charmer are cooked with the steam wand on the espresso machine, normally used to make a cappuccino — and they’re perfect. Starting at 8 a.m. daily, diners have the option of topping them with either smoked salmon or prosciutto. A waffle sandwich and plenty of pastries are also available at this petite restaurant.

42 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

Bartenders dressed in white pour glasses of wine for customers who are sitting on barstools. — The bar at Buvette.

Brooklyn Kolache

185 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012

Order a handful of the sweet and savory Czech-Tex pastries — the jalapeño, egg, and cheese; and the cherry compote and sweet cheese options are not to be missed — and wash it down with a cup of coffee sourced from NYC roaster Kitten Coffee.

Open in Google Maps

185 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

A powdered sugar-topped, jam- and fruit-filled kolache pastry. — A puffy, sweet kolache.

Little Kirin

81 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

Just the place for a late-morning breakfast, with such wacky reconfigurations of the classic BEC as the SEC (Spam, egg, and American cheese) and the hangover cure (bacon, spam, egg, hash browns, etc., etc.) A pho short rib sandwich with pho broth is another option, with the place opening at 11 a.m. every morning.

Open in Google Maps

81 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

A piled-high egg sandwich with all sorts of crap in it. — The BEC variation called the hangover cure.

Downtown Bakery

69 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

When the morning calls for tamales, tortas, tacos or breakfast burritos, head to Downtown Bakery. The small shop run by Pueblan immigrants makes a particularly wide variety of cheesy stuffed burritos, including chorizo, steak, and veggies. The bakery — which really isn’t a bakery anymore, though it was an Italian one many decades ago — opens at 9 a.m. sharp every day.

69 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Two rolled flour tortilla tacos with sausage and yellow egg visible at the rolled ends. — Sausage and egg breakfast tacos.

Thai Diner

186 Mott St, New York, NY 10012

Ann Redding and Matt Danzer’s all-day spot attracts nocturnal diners with expensive shellfish platters, spicy laab salads, and aromatic curries. But in the morning hours, patrons come for fat slices of babka French toast, designed for drenching with salty condensed milk. There’s also a fine roti wrap stuffed with soft eggs, cheese, and with fragrant Thai sausages. Breakfast is served until 5 p.m. Open from 11 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. on weekends.

Open in Google Maps

186 Mott St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

A spread of dishes shot from overhead, including verdant cabbage rolls, phat Thai noodles with pink head-on shrimp, fried chicken larb, and Thai tea pain perdu made from marbled babka — A spread of dishes from Thai Diner.

Related Maps

Davelle

102 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002

Open at 8 a.m. during the week and 9 a.m. on weekends, this stylish but sparse Japanese cafe serves breakfast toasts. Choose from pretty options like honey lemon, ham and egg, spicy cod roe, and cheese curry, along with a catalog of hot-chocolate drinks in winter.

102 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A snug cafe with high ceilings, a mirror, a single table, and a coffee menu written in cursive on paper. — The compact dining room at Davelle.

Shopsin's

88 Essex St, New York, NY 10002

The late Kenny Shopsin’s kids have kept this diner going in its most recent iteration inside the Essex Market inside the Market Line on the Lower East Side. The massive menu can be overwhelming to newcomers but start with the “blisters on my sister” category, where anything from enchiladas to a skillet of rice and beans comes topped with two sunny-side-up eggs. The banana pecan brown sugar pancakes are also a top choice. Note that Shopsin’s is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and breakfast starts at 10 a.m. on other days.

Open in Google Maps