What you get: New York diner-style bottomless coffee + blueberry buttermilk pancakes + biscuits + baked goods + long lines
Clinton St. Baking Company may have opened only 14 years ago, but it seems like an old-timey fixture from Manhattan’s Automat era. For years, this Lower East Side local diner and bakery has served up stacks of pancakes and steaming mugs of coffee. Word gets out, and this breakfast spot is as popular as ever.
At 9am on a rainy Wednesday, there’s already a 30 minute wait for a table inside the packed diner. French tourists, businessmen, and local Lower East Siders rub shoulders in the tiny bakery entrance and on the tree-lined sidewalk. Once inside, you’re met with smells of syrupy pancakes and frying bacon.
I met up with my friend Sara, a New Yorker turned Parisienne and a fellow brunch-lover. Over piping-hot bottomless coffee we chatted about expensive Manhattan apartments, difficult French idioms, and the differences between New York and Paris.
The restaurant is simple and busy with a brisk turnaround. Breakfast favorites like omelettes, scrambles, buttermilk biscuits, hash browns, and French toast are featured. A crowd favorite is certainly the thick stack of blueberry pancakes with a rich maple butter syrup. Prices are reasonable and portions are American-sized (big).
After a good-sized brunch, a walk around the eclectic neighborhood will help to walk off all the bacon and biscuits you’ve consumed. The nearby Frankie Shop has great coats and dresses.
Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant
4 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002
646-602-6263
Breakfast/lunch served Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm, Saturday 9am-4pm, and Sunday 9am-6pm. No reservations for breakfast or lunch.
goodbrunch 