DINE IN: Brunch, and more Brunch

Confession: I have a brunch problem.

How do I know this? I've started budgeting for it. I've probably only briefly mentioned the brunch crew here before, but now that the weather is nice there are a few of us that make it our mission to boozy brunch around town every Sunday. Aside from strict Snapchat (@kolt) use, I've learned to put. down. the. phone. Quite a few mimosas in will make you say things to your mom you wish you hadn't.

Lately we've been sticking to the West Village. Tolache and Cuba are a couple of our favorites thus far. Mexican cuisine seems to be what we're drawn to (huevos rancheros y sangria, anyone?). No complaints here, but please help us get out of our comfort zone and suggest something different.

Cuba: 222 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012

Cuba is kind of tiny, and we were a little misled when we were told it had "outdoor seating" (the front windows/walls open up to allow the breeze flow in and give it an outdoor feel, just guessing).

As always someone was running late - not me this time! - so we decided to go ahead and start our bottomless 2-hour drinks without them. The waiter didn't seem to be too appreciative of that since we waited for the missing person of our party to order, but I digress because he seemed to warm up to us not too long after our friend's arrival.

Definitely keep this place in mind if you have a small group. The food and the sangria was delicious although we did all hold back from the huevos rancheros.

Cuba on Twitter // Facebook // Instagram // Brunch Menu

Toloache: 205 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012

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Seriously, the drinks here are on point. If my memory serves me correctly, they have about 10 different cocktails included in their bottomless brunch (4 kinds of bloody mary's, 3 kinds of margaritas, and red or white sangria), but just don't try the cerveza bloody mary. Just don't. Definitely the place to hit if you're feeling some huevos rancheros, guac, and drinks. (Did I also mention their truffle quesadilla?!)

Toloache is just across the street from Cuba. It's a good size bigger, so this is the place to go if you want to brunch a larger group.

Toloache on Twitter // Facebook // Brunch Menu

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Dine-In: Bluestone Lane Collective Cafe

The Dine-In series is back!! After lots of slacking and being begged for restaurant suggestions from friends (and now living in the culinary capital of the world!) I figured it was time to bring it back...with brunch!

In love with their bright colored tables outside! (image via)

(image via)

Bluestone Lane Collective Cafe: 22 Greenwich Ave., New York, NY 10004

My first Saturday in the city I decided to do a little exploring in the West Village and take myself to brunch because you can only rely on yourself sometimes to explore, right? Bluestone Lane Collective Cafe seemed to be a fun, popular place to go from what I've seen/heard, and to be honest, their avocado toast looked hella-amazing in pictures.

Like many restaurant spaces in New York, it was a tiny, intimate, and a tad bit claustrophobic. But I think I determined it was a- crowded considering the time and b- part of the restaurant's charming personality. Now, if you know me I have a weird anxiety about eating alone. However, for this I decided to suck it up, read a book, and eavesdrop to the two hungover girls sitting next to me. 

Being my first brunch in the city, I didn't want to drop over $10 for avocado toast just yet (toast really shouldn't be that expensive, but I've found most are worth it), so I just settled with a de-licious pastry and a cappuccino at a reasonable price and swore I'd return in a couple weeks time.

(image via)

Bluestone Lane also has three other coffee shops (not to be confused with the cafe in the West Village) in Manhattan. One just happens to be in my neighborhood, so if you ever find yourself in the Financial District give me a call!

Midtown East | Financial District | Bryant Park