Clinton Street Baking

Another recommendation for breakfast (specifically pancakes) was Clinton Street Baking all the way in the Lower East Side. The Lower East Side is far less glamorous than other parts of midtown and uptown but nevertheless there appears to be a whole host of highly regarded places to eat in the area.

As it turns out, Clinton Street Baking is an exceptionally popular destination for brunch. It has previously been voted as New York’s Best Pancakes by New York Magazine in 2005 & 2008 and frequently appears in best breakfast/brunch lists, which goes some way to explain the popularity. Upon arrival there was a sizeable throng of people waiting outside the small venue and the wait for our table was around 45 minutes. By the time we were seated I was particularly hungry and had rather tall expectations.

Inside is small with maybe 10 or so tables whilst the interior is simple & nothing memorable, clearly the food must do all the talking here. I chose the pancakes with warm maple butter, banana & walnut whilst my brother ordered vanilla buttermilk waffles, apricot compote, toasted pecans and vanilla bean whipped cream.

Inside

Their arrival was an extremely welcome sight, not too dissimilar to the departure of George Bush from office. First of all the pancakes were exceptional, soft and immensely fluffy whilst not being too sweet. Banana and walnut had even been cooked into the pancake whilst the maple butter was beautifully warming and nowhere near as sickly as traditional maple syrup. Such an excellent alternative. The waffle had a similar consistency to the pancakes and light vanilla cream tempered the sweet apricots.

Pancakes with maple butter
& banana walnut

Waffle with maple butter,
peaches, cream & cream

This was a great, not to mention filling, breakfast, the kind I had been looking forward to and expected when I decided to visit New York. The dinner menu continues with the American/Mexican influence and based on the breakfast experience I’d like to give it a try. With reasonable prices and a classic menu provided to a very high standard, this is definitely a must visit, but try and get there early, you’re going to have to wait.

Price: Breakfast mains roughly $10-15

Where to go before/next: For something a little different you could check out the Tenement Museum on Orchard street. If it's a nice day head over to the East River Park and check out a performance at the amphitheatre.

Website: Click here

Location: 4 Clinton Street 10002

Nearest Subway: Delancy St or Essex St

Opening Times: Breakfast 8.00 – 11.30 (Mon – Fri) Brunch 9.00 – 16.00 (Sat) 9.00 – 18.00 (sun) Lunch 11.30 – 16.00 (Mon – Fri) Dinner 18.00 – 23.00 (Mon – Sat). Word of warning, they don’t accept credit cards except at dinner.