Description: Every New Yorker has one absolutely beloved weekend brunch spot, and for me it's Banania Cafe. The menu is short and simple, with only a handful of "breakfast food" choices (goat cheese omelette, scrambled eggs with rock shrimp, banana pancakes, eggs benedict, and one or two that I'm forgetting....), but every dish is done well. The egg dishes are accompanied by the world's most addictive potatoes (I don't even want to KNOW the butter content) and a small amount of greens, and every meal comes with a basket of croissants and French bread. Best of all, the prices are extremely reasonable -- entrees are $6-8, and even with coffee and orange juice I've never spent more than $12 on a meal. The decor is warm French bistro, with outside seating in warmer months. The staff is friendly, if sometimes a bit overwhelmed by the crowds.
I've taken a variety of guests to Banania Cafe, and they've all declared it to be a wonderful spot for brunch and a good Brooklyn memory. One caveat, though -- at dinner the restaurant turns into just the type of experimental continental restaurant that "Dad types" will try to avoid. I took my (non-New-York) boyfriend there for dinner once, and we wound up elsewhere after one look at the menu. New Yorkers would probably enjoy the evening ambiance, and the dessert list always looks great -- it's just not the kind of food I'm highlighting in this list.
Two more warnings: They don't take credit cards, and, like all the restaurants on this list, they become very busy between 11 and 1 on the weekends. (Between 10 and 11 is the golden hour for getting a quick table -- but don't all show up and take MY place!) If you want to eat earlier or can't wait out the crowd, a second restaurant, Cafe LuLuC, is across the street about a block down and is owned by the same people.
By subway, take the "F" to Bergen Street or Carroll Gardens or the "G" to Bergen Street.
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