Brunch is the new night out and Long Island has lots of options, from DJ brunch parties to quieter, fun-filled afternoons with the family. Scroll down for everything to know about these select Long Island brunches and brunch spots in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Toast Coffee + Kitchen
Long Beach, Patchogue, Bay Shore, Port Jefferson Station
Brunch is available all day, every day until closing time in the late afternoon.
About: A creative array of decadent menu items fueled Toast’s growth across Long Island since 2002. But there is so much more to this place than the Cookie Dough pancakes or Krispy Nutella French toast.
Each location has a different look and feel. You can experience a farmhouse vibe in Port Jeff, industrial steampunk in Patchogue, Coney Island carnival in Bay Shore, or the roaring 20s in Long Beach.
Along with the sweeter items, such as the Brooklyn French toast (if you love cheesecake, this is for you), there’s a full breakfast burrito and quesadilla menu, five skillets to choose from, along with two options for chicken and waffles, a steak and eggs dish, your classic Benedicts and more. You can also order smoothies, mimosas, mimosa flights, bloody Marys or brunch cocktails, because each Toast now has a full bar. Click here for the menu or to get on the waitlist, especially if you’re looking to go on a weekend.
The Shed
Plainview, Huntington, West Sayville
Brunch is served daily, with dinner service starting at 4 p.m.
About: The Shed is another Greater Long Island favorite that’s expanding rapidly, with the newest location having opened in Plainview in December 2021. All three spots offer brunch every day in a sun-splashed dining room or bar area. The Shed is also open for dinner, which starts at 4 p.m.
And starting on Jan. 26, 2024, The Shed announced the full brunch menu would also be available during the dinnertime hours.
A concept of John Tunney, the renowned restaurateur behind Besito Mexican, Ballo Italian at Mohegan Sun and Farm Italy in Huntington, The Shed started in a small Huntington space in October 2017, opening to immediate fanfare. The West Sayville spot opened in 2019.
If you’re looking for pancakes or French toast, you’ll get a filled dispenser of warm maple syrup alongside your plate. And the burgers, fish and chicken sandwiches are an absolute can’t miss with great starters like fried pickles or deviled eggs.
We know brunchies love their mimosas, but might we direct your attention to the specialty cocktails menu? We suggest the Figgin’ Fresh (fig vodka, dark rum, fernet, apricot) or the Famers Gin (Hendricks, cucumber, basil, fresh lime, elderflower, prosecco). But all the cocktails will be a hit at the table.
Click here for details on each of the locations and to check out the menus.
The Watershed Kitchen & Inn
South Jamesport
Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
About: Let’s get right down to brass tacks. Brunch at The Watershed includes a $20 per person option for bottomless brunch cocktails, either the sangria, bloody Mary or mimosa bar.
And we absolutely love the range of menu offerings on the food menu. The best part is, there are hotel rooms upstairs! So after brunch, you could hit up the North Fork wineries with friends and come back. Or, if you overindulge, you can go upstairs and take a nap.
Both the inn and restaurant are owned by Jamesport Hospitality Group.
The Watershed’s weekend brunch menu offers all the classic brunch favorites, including eggs Benedict, steak and eggs and avocado toast, with some unique dishes such as the Dominican special, and the coastal flavor you’ll find in the popular crab cake Benedict.
As Long Islanders, we love the smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers on an everything bagel. All the brunch dishes come with a side salad or French fries. You could also order up a custom three-egg omelette to really get that feel that you’re on vacation.
Also, as Billy Joel sings, John at the bar is a friend of ours. He’ll make you a killer Old Fashioned.
Click here for the menus. Here to book a room or cottage at the Bay Breeze Inn.
To be sure: You don’t have to be a hotel guest to dine at The Watershed Kitchen & Inn.
Besito Mexican
Roslyn, West Islip, Huntington
Every Sunday at every location, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
About: This is everything you could love about Besito Mexican but with eggs and bacon in the mix. The savory brunch crowd will opt for the Huevos Rancheros or Quesedilla de Huevo. But Besito hasn’t overlooked those with a midday sweet tooth. If that’s you, order up the Tres Leches French Toast and thank us later.
The Sunday brunch also happens to coincide with Besito’s popular 2-for-1 margarita deal. And these are some of the best margaritas you’ll find anywhere on the island, and probably beyond.
For brunch, we would suggest either the blood orange margarita or mango margarita. But maybe start simple, and with a fresh palate. For this, the Besito Patrón Margarita is their classic, and just can’t be beat. Click here for reservations. Here to find the full Besito brunch menu.
Chops Steakhouse
Patchogue Village
Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Chops offers a weekend brunch experience within the backdrop of a luxe, dimly lit Main Street steakhouse with a speakeasy feel, offering brunch items that range from the Surf & Turf Benne, to the Chops Chicken & Waffles, to French Toast Bites or a salad. Click here for the full brunch menu. (The lunch and dinner menus are also fully available as well.)
And those bottomless drink options! If you’re looking for maybe more than just one exquisite cocktail, opt for a brunch cocktail package. You’ll have the option for unlimited mimosas or bloody Mary’s for $34.99, or add all the espresso martinis, Palomas and sangria lemonades you want to that for another $5.99 per person.
The prix fixe: You might have already heard about the Chops four-course brunch experience, now reserved only for parties of 10 or more and special events. Your party will start with traditional breakfast items (pictured above) before moving into the seafood course, which includes oysters Rockefeller, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail and lobster bisque. Then the meats come out, with a course that features a sampling of baby lamb chops, NY strip steak, chicken and waffles and skewered sausage. Finish with a platter of seasonal desserts. It’s $59++ pp. Call Chops at 844-382-4677 or go online to reserve your spot.
Lead photo credit Toast Coffeehouse on Facebook.
Bayberry
Islip
Brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.
About: Bayberry is brand-new and gleaming. The front, glass doors open to a quaint Main Street and the huge space is awash in natural light at all times of the day. Pair that with a colorful specialty brunch cocktail and you’re in for one delightful afternoon. We suggest starting with the Bayberry Spritz.
While the restaurant’s design speaks for itself, the food is the show-stopper. The brunch menu is a collaboration of six-time James Beard semifinalist Guy Reuge, and executive chef Billy Muzio.
But don’t go without at least someone trying the Lemon-Blueberry, Dutch Baby Pancake. This immediate top-seller is described as having a “light, crepe-like texture with blueberries baked in.”
The menu also features two Benedict options, a vegetable frittata, a simple yet elegant omelette with gruyère, chives and dressed greens, fried chicken and waffles, and a smoked salmon board.
Click here for the full brunch menu at Bayberry Islip.
Village Idiot Irish Pub
Oakdale
Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
About: If you’re in the mood to start early, and keep going, this is the spot. At this classic Irish pub off Montauk Highway, you won’t have to choose between a bloody Mary, mimosa or sangria. You get them all — and in bottomless fashion! — for $30. So bounce back and forth.
And this brunch menu is extensive. The VIIP has three omelette options, or you could build your own for just $14. There’s a Benedicts menu, another for Platters & Bowls, Sandwiches, pancakes and French toast dishes on the Batter Up menu, along with our favorites: The Hangover Helpers. The list includes Chicken & Waffles, Mr. Lucky’s Tacos, Southern Biscuits, Breakfast Quesadilla, and the South of the Border burrito.
The Idiots in Oakdale have gone all-in for brunch, and they won’t disappoint you.
Quick tip: There are two other Village Idiots on Long Island, in Patchogue and Lake Grove, each offering different breakfast and brunch options, with different days, times and menus. Click here for more.
WhiskeyNeat
Patchogue
Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
About: WhiskeyNeat in Patchogue wanted to create something special for Sundays.
To do so, they looked to tradition.
‘We’ve put a lot of effort into making Sunday what Sundays have always been about, getting together and having a good meal and spending time with people,” says Michael Jordan, the owner. “So that’s the environment we created.”
The emphasis here is on the food, which comes out in waves and in the form of shareable small plates, along with a master charcuterie station with imported meats and cheeses for grazing.
Then there’s the bilini bar with house-made purées.
And you can have it all, food and brunch cocktails, for just $60 per person.
“You can run through the menu three times,” Jordan says.
There is an a’ la carte option, if you’re looking to sip and nibble, but almost everyone goes for the unlimited package. And word has spread. The Sunday brunch seatings at WhiskeyNeat, which carry a two-hour maximum stay, typically sell out about a week ahead of time. The menus are always creative, and change seasonally. Tap here to visit the WhiskeyNeat website and reserve your spot now.
Tap Room
Jericho, Rockville Centre, Farmingdale, Massapequa Park, Bay Shore, Patchogue
About: The super popular Tap Room is on the rise across all Long Island, and the ownership team has big plans to expand across the Northeast. [Click here to read their full origin story.]
And Long Island’s premier gastopub and seminal craft beer bar now serves brunch at all six of its locations on both Saturdays and Sundays, every weekend, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The offerings include Pound Cake French Toast, Chicken and Waffle Sliders, and the Kona Coffee Crusted Steak and Eggs, among others. With plenty of craft beers and specialty brunch cocktails flowing, especially for those party people who opt for the $22 bottomless bloody Marys and mimosas. Click here for the full menu.
“For over 12 years since we opened our first location in Patchogue, we’ve been on a mission to combine great food, good people, and a great selection of craft beer and cocktails,” Tap Room co-founder James Bonanno announced when brunch was first unveiled in January 2022. “In keeping with that tradition, our chefs have put together a brunch menu that we think you’re going to love.”
Our suggestion is the chicken and waffle sliders, but the marinated steak is perfection, too.
Looking to add your brunch to the list? Email promotions@greaterlongisland.com.
