The 14 Best Outdoor Brunches in NYC

Springtime is about as good as it gets in this city. Demonic chill gone, soul-breaking swelter yet to arrive.

Take advantage. Which we suggest doing with some avocado toast, Eggs Benny and an ever-flowing fountain of mimosas.

Here to help you celebrate the season: the 14 best outdoor brunches NYC has to offer.

Also, Mother’s Day is right on the horizon. Just sayin’.

Rossopomodoro
West Village
Founded in Napoli by three young scugnizzi with a passion for traditional Neapolitan cuisine, Rossopomodoro is a West Village gem. The dishes are simple, seasonal and go beyond mere pizzas and pasta. Brunch hits include the Calzone Fritto with buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, tomato sauce and black pepper; Ricotta Pancakes; and Uova in Purgatorio with two baked eggs, ragù bolognese, parmesan and housemade bread.
118 Greenwich Avenue (map)
Website

Altesi Madison
Upper East Side
The garden here is darling, and the fare is elegant and light in the beginning, but warm and filling by the time you get to the entrees. Not to be missed are the Uova e Mare, a spin on surf and turf with poached eggs, smoked salmon and field greens; and the Uova e Porchetta, poached eggs with crispy bacon, chickpeas and broccoli rabe. Drink a Melograno duro: gin, tonic and pomegranate juice is quite the day-starter.
26 East 64th Street (map)
Website

Summer Garden & Bar
Rockefeller Center
You really must go to the Sunday Jazz Brunch Series here. The al fresco experience features à la carte seasonal specialties, including a Lobster Roll, Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad, Egg White Frittata, Grilled Sirloin Steak Salad and Summer Garden Guacamole. And it’s all set to a live jazz band.
20 West 50th Street (map)
Website

Riverpark
Kips Bay
Tom Colicchio’s lovely locale offers beautiful views of the East River and the adjacent Riverpark farm. Executive chef Andrew Smith always serves up a seasonal menu, and this one’s got one of those killer brunch-hour burgers that’ll cure the Sunday blues. And cocktails like the Blue Skies (vodka, mastiha, luxardo, dolin blanc and rose) may keep you there admiring the view well into the afternoon hours.
450 East 29th Street (map)
Website

Casa Lever
Midtown
Open seasonally from April to October, Casa Lever Gardens is an expansive outdoor terrace for losing track of the hours. Plus, you’ll be surrounded by rotating art exhibitions from the Lever House Art Collection. The brunch menu is light, edited and egg-heavy, and the ambience is rich.
390 Park Avenue (map)
Website

The Smile
Soho
Cozy yet sceney, this café is nestled on picturesque Bond Street, with a small outdoor dining area that welcomes guests at the entrance of the restaurant. There, diners can enjoy chef Melia Marden’s Mediterranean-inspired menu, which showcases seasonal ingredients and vegetable-forward dishes.
26 Bond Street (map)
Website

Sant Ambroeus
West Village
Did brunch even exist before the West Village? Here you’ll find some of the city’s best people watching; Sant Ambroeus’ is perfect for a bloody mary and sunnies affair. On the menu: classic Milanese dishes, from the risotti and fresh pastas to award-winning gelato. And go ahead, start with the housemade cakes.
259 West 4th Street (map)
Website

Sessanta
Soho
John McDonald and Steven Eckler’s newest hot spot serves up pan-Italian cuisine on a lavish 30-seat outdoor patio. Don’t miss Red Sauce Sunday, a comforting weekend meal featuring dishes drenched in perfectly slow-simmered red sauce.
60 Thompson Street (map)
Website

Industry Kitchen
FiDi
A patio with breathtaking views of the Brooklyn skyline. For brunch, the Industry Benedict with smoked ham, poached eggs in potato nests and hollandaise is a crowd favorite.
70 South Street (map)
Website

Fornino
Brooklyn Bridge Park
The freshly opened venue offers rooftop seating with expansive views of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan skyline. They do excellent specialty egg and toast dishes, but you wouldn’t have to twist our arm to order pizza for breakfast.
Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park (map)
Website

Faun
Prospect Heights
Designed by architect-turned-restaurateur David Stockwell, this 40-seat garden completely comes alive in the warm weather. Hidden away from the street, you’ll enjoy brunch among flora such as a crab apple tree, nasturtium and an abundance of herbs and veggies (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, mint, five different kinds of basil, cherry tomatoes, Scotch bonnets, grapes, figs). And you can bet that those garden ingredients are making their way straight onto your plate and into your cocktail.
606 Vanderbilt Avenue (map)
Website

Pinto Garden
West Village
This ambitious and creative locale ferries Thai fare to a large back garden that will fit up to 50. Their Bangkok-style Weekend Brunch features unlimited lychee mimosas or classic mimosas. Uh-oh.
117 West 10th Street (map)
Website

Loosie’s Cafe
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The third installment of the eclectic New Orleans-style bar Loosie Rouge and Loosie’s Kitchen, this cafe is a secret little sanctuary and hideaway. Dressed with vines and ivy in an open, airy space with burlap textured walls, lots of plants and a colorful geometric mural by Love Berto. As for seating: the hammocks and jute ottomans are perfect for basking with some coffee and a conversation.
91 South 6th Street (map)
Website

The Wild Son
Meatpacking
Under the Highline you’ll find open-air windows overlooking the river and delicious food: think yogurt bowls, egg sandwiches, buckwheat pancakes and more.
53 Little West 12th Street (map)
Website