Weekend brunch in the East Village has the potential to be not only a meal but an event—it’s a great way to gather your tribe, people-watch in the sunshine, and start your day with a little bit of glamour. The best brunch spots near the East Village luxury rentals at EVGB rate high on atmosphere and are equally delicious.

Lamia’s Fish Market is the sort of place you hear about before you go—friends, acquaintances, and social media will report that there is a restaurant in the East Village where mermaids deck the walls and diners feast on octopus and squid in turquoise grottos. Not the stuff of myth, the restaurant took Lamia Funti two years to build from the restaurant space formerly inhabited by Le Souk, which was owned by her husband. Not surprisingly, Florence Fabricant of the New York Times swooped in when it first opened to marvel at the decor, which she found as pleasing as the food: “Forget the typical seagoing décor often found in fish restaurants: running lights, ropes and nets, and taxidermied sailfish. Lamia Funti has taken an over-the-top approach. There’s a glittering mermaid amid gilded fish in relief, mirrors that look like barnacles, octopus murals, glowing blue and gold accents, and a marble raw bar.” That marble bar is backed by a wall of bottles that looks like the inside of a submarine from a 1960s Bond movie, and the whole experience of the restaurant’s three floors is of being transported into an undersea fantasy world. The brunch menu reflects some of the restaurant’s standouts, such as the oysters and a whole branzino, but also includes beloved classics with a seafood twist, like eggs Benedict with crab cakes, as well as shakshuka with octopus, calamari, and shrimp.

The cheeky name of local favorite Pardon My French belies the level of casual elegance this spot oozes from its pores. Grab a table in the back patio and get a taste of Paris in the form of crepes, brioche French toast, and a croque monsieur with just the right amount of bechamel on the inside and crispiness on top. While a glass of wine is tres chic any time of day, you might be tempted to opt instead for bottomless brunch cocktails and ride the mimosa wave well into late afternoon. Either way, it’s the sort of place you remember like a scene from a Godard movie and will want to return to whenever you want to take your brunch game up a notch.

Lil’ Frankies, which is cash-only, bases its fare around the brick oven that serves up pizzas with charred pillowy bubbles topped with everything from baby meatballs to homemade sausage to prosciutto with a sunny-side-up egg. You can also opt for the lumberjack breakfast or an omelet with an Italian spin, like the one filled with fontina and cremini mushrooms. Whichever you choose, the three-for-one drink special means you can drink three bellinis, mimosas, or screwdrivers for the price of one—enhancing that East Village attitude that you are somehow always at a special occasion, even when that occasion is soaking up the atmosphere of these destination brunch spots and the East Village itself.

Looking for the ideal home in the heart of the East Village? Contact our leasing team to learn more about the rental apartments at EVGB.