I waited a long time before checking out Clinton Baking restaurant here in New York. It is a highly recommended place in the city – and its pancakes were rated the best in the city by New York Magazine. I always saw photos and videos on social media and I was dying to go. Soon, we try to organize ourselves and go check the place up close. Last week, by the way, I uploaded a video on my channel showing everything, but since I am one of those people who like to have the content on both platforms, here I am to write about it!
When chef-husband & wife, Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman, opened in April 2001, their only mission was to make the best baked goods in the city, hand-mixed in small batches. But soon the locals stumbled in, and murmurs of Neil’s simple yet delicious omelets, sandwiches and soups moved people to cluster — then crowd — the block. New York Magazine voted Neil’s blueberry pancakes best in the city (twice!). The restaurant is located in the East Village neighborhood, trendy place in the city. The demand is so huge that the place has two spaces – the restaurant itself, more spacious, which is right around the corner, and the bakery, which is behind, in a smaller space. We got there around 10.15am on a Saturday morning and, as the place only accepts dinner reservations, we already knew we would face a wait. We gave our name and waited – but to our surprise, our table was ready in just 15 minutes!
The breakfast / brunch menu includes several classic brunch options, such as omelet, eggs benedict and of course pancakes. Thiago and I have the habit of sometimes ordering dishes to share and that’s what we did on this day. We ordered the eggs benedict ($ 16), a portion of sweet potato fries and of course the pancakes (blueberry! $15). As is it happens every place offering brunch, the pancakes are served in a generous portion. For you to have an idea, we did not eat for the entire portion! Prices range from $12 to $17.
Everything was delicious. Thiago loved the eggs benedict! Bonus: the menu with typical brunch dishes is served every day – including at night! To check all the menus, just click here.
Clinton Baking is open every day – at 8am on weekends and at 9am at weekends. If your itinerary is flexible and you do not want to wait, I suggest going during the week.
Address: 4 Clinton Street.
Laura Peruchi is a Brazilian blogger, author, and entrepreneur. She has lived in Manhattan with her husband since 2014. Since then, she has shared on her blog varied content about the Big Apple. From travel tips, including unusual things to do, shopping tips, etiquette, restaurants, and a lot more, her blog has become a reference in Portuguese (also available in English) for anyone planning a trip to New York City.
