25 Best Breakfast & Weekend Brunch Spots in Queens, NYC

Queens is home to some excellent spots to eat at all hours of the day, however, when it comes to breakfast and brunch in the city, there are some places that just shouldn’t be missed. Whether you prefer traditionally boiled bagels with cream cheese and salmon accompanied by steaming house-roasted coffee or heaving plates of bacon, eggs, tomatoes, hash browns, and grits, the city that never sleeps has a restaurant for you. From cozy Greek coffee shops and stylish corner cafés to acclaimed five-star eateries, here are some of Queens’ top spots for a healthy, hearty, and happy breakfast.

1.Atlantic Diner

The Atlantic Diner is a 24-hour diner with a retro-style exterior that serves an extensive menu of American comfort food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week. Breakfast at the Atlantic Diner is a hearty affair with a selection of favorite dishes such as egg scrambles, multi-egg omelets with various fillings, Belgian waffles, stacks of syrupy pancakes, bagels and lox, egg sandwiches, and French toast. Signature specials include Belgian waffle sundaes, golden brown griddle cakes, super deluxe Belgian waffles, and three egg specialty omelets, and freshly brewed coffee and tea are always hot and available to enjoy in or takeaway. Next read: cheap weekend getaways

111-16 Atlantic Ave, South Richmond Hill, NY 11419, Phone: 718-849-6673

2.Sanford’s

Sanford’s is a chic restaurant with contemporary decor and modern furnishings that offers an unrivaled dining experience in Queens. Located on Broadway, the stylish eatery is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, and serves a seasonal menu of New American comfort fare with creative twists. Sanford’s draws a regular crowd for breakfast that comes to tuck into a variety of Benedicts and skillets, yogurt parfaits, frittatas, eggs done in several ways, and griddle favorites like stacks of pancakes with banana and Nutella, and cinnamon and pecan nut French toast. The brunch menu features signature dishes like the crispy duck confit and waffles served with sweet plantains and maple syrup and black truffle burgers with melted fontina cheese.

30-13 Broadway, Queens, NY 11106, Phone: 718-932-9569

3.Good Eats Diner

Good Eats Diner is a modern, airy eatery offering an extensive menu of traditional American diner fare that is served in a casual, friendly atmosphere. Located on Grand Avenue in Maspeth, Good Eats Diner draws a bustling breakfast crowd, who stop by for freshly brewed hot coffee and heaving plates of scrambled eggs and bacon with sweet potato fries and hash browns, steak and eggs, eggs Benedict, breakfast scrambles, and griddle specials like pancakes, waffles, and French toast. The signature traditional Irish breakfast is a popular choice with eggs, Irish bacon, Irish sausage, black and white pudding, Irish baked beans, grilled tomato, potatoes, toast, and coffee or tea.

69-32 Grand Ave, Maspeth, NY 11378, Phone: 718-478-2420

4.The Brother's Cafe

Located in Sunnyside, the Brother’s Café is a casual neighborhood café that serves healthy, made-from-scratch American, Mexican, and Greek cuisine in a friendly, inviting setting. The all-day menu boasts favorites such as boiled bagels and various toppings, including cream cheese, peanut butter, and jelly, toasted English muffins, hot oatmeal, pancakes with bananas and strawberries, gourmet and triple-decker sandwiches, wraps, specialty sandwiches, and burgers. Also on offer are freshly prepared salads, homemade soups, Mexican tortas, a variety of chicken dishes, burritos, tacos, and nachos, along with milkshakes, sodas, hot coffee and tea, and juices.

3949 43rd Ave, Sunnyside, NY 11104, Phone: 718-361-5556

5.Aubergine Cafe

Aubergine Café is a comfortable, casual, brick-lined coffee shop on Skillman Avenue that serves breakfast and lunch dishes, light meals, freshly baked pastries and bread, and specialty coffee drinks. Opened in 2003 in Woodside, Aubergine Café attracts a regular customer base for breakfast and lunch, who tuck into creatively prepared cuisine made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients such as sandwiches, salads, soups, and wraps, along with mouthwatering bread, desserts, cookies, and bars. Breakfast delights include homemade waffles, avocado and beans on toast, coconut and chia seed pudding, bagels and various toppings, and Irish steel-cut oatmeal.

49-22 Skillman Ave, Queens, NY 11377, Phone: 718-899-1735

6.Bagels on the Ave

Located on 30th Ave in Astoria, Queens, Bagels on the Ave is a typical New York deli and diner that serves traditionally boiled bagels with a variety of toppings along with a wide range of other eat-in or on-the-go fare. The newly remodeled eatery boasts a menu of light and healthy food such as hearty sandwiches, fresh salads, homemade soups, and wraps as well as a variety of Greek specialties such as gyros. The breakfast menu boasts egg dishes and omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and bagels, with more than 15 different spreads and toppings.

3315 30th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11103, Phone: 718-721-0600

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7.Banter Irish Bar and Kitchen

Banter Irish Bar and Kitchen is a hidden brunch gem located along Queens Boulevard in the heart of Forest Hills that serves an excellent selection of Irish and American breakfast-lunch plates with a unique spin. The gastropub’s menu features Irish-inspired dishes for breakfast such as Irish steel-cut oatmeal, Irish smoked salmon, as well as interesting takes on traditional plates like the bubble and squeak dumplings and the Jameson Spring Rolls, which come with whiskey-marinated steak and are stuffed with corned beef, cabbage, and carrots. The pub also offers a children’s menu for brunch, lunch, and dinner with favorites like mac and cheese, chicken fingers and kid-sized Irish sausages with french fries.

108-22 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375, Phone: 718-268-8436

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8.Bell Diner

Bell Diner is a traditional diner-style eatery with booth and counter seating that serves an array of American, Italian, and Mexican dishes in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere. The all-day menu features breakfast favorites like muffins, bread, and bagels with various toppings, oatmeal and granola with yogurt and fresh fruit, egg sandwiches and wraps, griddle specialties such as pancakes, waffles, and French toast along with freshly brewed coffee. Also on the menu are burgers and fries, cold-pressed and gourmet sandwiches, freshly made salads, and entrees like steak and eggs, steak and chips, chicken dishes, and fresh seafood and fish.

215-25 73rd Avenue, Oakland Gardens, NY 11364, Phone: 718-279-0333

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9.Cafe Muscat

Café Muscat brings a slice of the Middle East to Queens with a Mediterranean and kosher-inspired menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The easy-going café presents an all-day breakfast, which includes complimentary fruit juice, soda, tea or coffee, and a salad of choice, including classic hummus, tabbouleh, matboucha, babaganoush, hot roasted peppers, coleslaw in vinegar, and fried eggplant salad. Signature breakfast dishes include the Israeli Morning (two eggs with a scoop of cream cheese), Greek Morning (two eggs on toasted pita bread with feta cheese, black olives, and olive oil), Shakshuka Morning (two eggs in a spicy tomato sauce), and Benedict poached eggs.

178-07 Union Turnpike, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365, Phone: 718-591-4060/50

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10.CJ's Cafe

CJ’s Café is a tiny, relaxed spot at the Union Turnpike that serves all-day breakfast and a selection of homemade soups, sandwiches, and light meals. The breakfast menu boasts an array of regular favorites such as egg and bacon rolls, breakfast sandwiches and wraps, multi-egg omelets with various fillings, challah French toast, and blueberry banana pancakes. The menu is available all day and also offers other light meals such as homemade soups and gourmet sandwiches, bagels and lox, burgers and fries, vegetarian and meat wraps, and an array of sweet desserts.

177-15 Union Turnpike, Fresh Meadows, NY 11366, Phone: 718-480-6370

11.Court Square Diner

Court Square Diner is a 24-hour diner that exudes the ambiance of an old-school retro American diner with bright decor and an extensive menu of traditional American cuisine. Established in 1946, the restaurant is a breakfast institution with classic favorites such as fresh country eggs done any style, three-egg omelets, egg scrambles, and egg sandwiches. Other hearty meals include a range of sweet or savory pancakes, syrupy Belgian waffles, regular or stuffed French toast, bagels, toast of different types of bread, muffins and, of course, biscuits and gravy and hash browns. Hot coffee is always freshly brewed and served throughout the day.

45-30 23rd St, Long Island City, NY 11101, Phone: 718-392-1222

12.Cozy Diner

Cozy Diner is a small eatery in Whitestone that serves an extensive all-day menu of American fare and drinks in a casual setting. The menu features a wide variety of dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which can be enjoyed at any time of the day, ranging from fresh soups, starters, and salads to cold-pressed and gourmet sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, and Triple Decker NY special sandwiches. Entrees and hot plates include beef, buffalo, turkey, or vegetarian burgers and fries, pasta specials, chicken, meat and seafood dishes, and a selection of Mediterranean-inspired meals like kebabs, gyros, spinach pies, and souvlaki.

1409 150th St, Whitestone, NY 11357, Phone: 718-767-4949

13.Igloo Cafe

Igloo Café is an eclectic, brick-lined café that has long been Astoria’s “cool” place for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Established over 14 years ago, the restaurant has been renovated to become even more refreshing, with an extensive menu to match and lovely outdoor patio seating where diners can enjoy alfresco dining. The exposed brick walls and soft lighting create a warm and welcoming ambiance, in which customers can savor deliciously prepared cuisine and Seattle’s Best Coffee drinks in the mornings. The breakfast menu features favorites such as French toast made with challah bread, fluffy omelets with a variety of toppings, waffles with ham or bacon, buttermilk pancakes with fruit or chocolate chips, and freshly baked pastries, muffins, and bread.

2226 31st St, Astoria, NY 11105, Phone: 718-726-7700

14.LaGuardia Cafe

LaGuardia Café is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant that serves home-style Latin American and Spanish fare, along with daily breakfast and lunch specials and unique dishes from the distinctive culinary-rich regions of the Dominican Republic. Expert chefs use top quality, locally sourced ingredients to prepare dishes from scratch, adding their distinctive flavors and accents from the Caribbean using imported herbs and spices from the region. Breakfast plates range from eggs done in several ways, egg and cheese sandwiches, and BLTs (bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches) to buttermilk pancakes with syrup or stacked with eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, and toast. The signature Triple Play / 3 Glopes features fried salami, eggs, cheese, and mashed green plantains, and cassava or green banana, while healthy options include oatmeal or avena.

97-02 23rd Ave, East Elmhurst, NY 11369, USA, 97-02 23rd Ave, East Elmhurst, NY 11369

15.Magna

Magna is a family-friendly Italian restaurant and bar that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a contemporary and sophisticated setting. The stylish restaurant offers a variety of breakfast options from healthy bowls of oatmeal, granola, fresh fruit salad, and yogurt to breakfast combos of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and grits. The mouthwatering Magna’s hot and cold buffet features everything from scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon and sausage, and home-style potatoes to assorted cereals, pastries and oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, boiled bagels, white and whole wheat toast, and plain yogurt along with fresh fruit, coffee, tea, milk, orange juice, and cranberry juice.

35-25 Farrington St, Queens, NY 11354, Phone: 718-445-3352

16.Mom's Kitchen & Bar

Mom’s Kitchen & Bar is a classic neighborhood diner that offers all-American fare in the form of hearty burgers and fries, gourmet sandwiches, large milkshakes, and all-day brunch specials. Boasting comfy seating and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, the eatery’s all-day brunch menu features traditional favorites with a creative twist such as mac-and-cheese pancakes, chicken and bacon waffles, steak and eggs, shrimp and cheesy grits, and a Tex Benedict of braised brisket, poached eggs, pickled jalapenos, and barbeque hollandaise sauce. Wash it all down with a huge homemade milkshake, for which the café is renowned, or hot, freshly brewed coffee.

33-01 31st Ave, Astoria, NY 11106, Phone: 718-267-0142

17.Parkway Diner

Located in Little Neck, New York, Parkway Diner is a vibrant new eatery with cozy booth seating and modern decor that serves American favorites for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as breakfast and brunch specials. Diners tuck into three-egg omelets with a variety of fillings, challah French toast, Belgian waffles, pancakes, Greek yogurt with honey and granola, chicken and waffles, and eggs done in any way. The friendly restaurant also offers an array of drinks from soda and fresh fruit juices to freshly brewed coffee and tea for breakfast.

44-25 Douglaston Pkwy, Little Neck, NY 11363, Phone: 718-224-0101

18.Quaint

Aptly named, Quaint is a cozy, unpretentious bistro with a lovely back garden and outdoor seating that serves inventive New American comfort food and a hand-picked selection of wines from around the world. Located in Sunnyside and a block down the road from a restaurant called Bliss, Quaint boasts a warm interior with dark-wood booths and wooden plank floors that have been salvaged from an old Massachusetts barn. The menu focuses on seasonal, rustic dishes with quirky touches, such as a herb-braised mussels stew in a coconut broth and succulent hanger steak with coffee sauce and chopped peanuts.

46-10 Skillman Ave, Sunnyside, NY 11104, Phone: 917-779-9220

19.Queens Comfort

Queens Comfort is a local cash-only eatery in Astoria that offers a modern take on classic American fare in a simple, relaxed setting. Established in 2011, the diner serves delicious cuisine prepared from original recipes, made with the freshest locally sourced ingredients and served by friendly, hospitable staff. The brunch menu features dishes such as a variety of Benedicts, including unusual takes such as the lasagna Benedict, the King Creole Benedict, and the Hobbits Salty Pork Benedict with bacon, brie cheese, poached eggs, buttermilk rusks, fig jam, and hollandaise sauce. Other plates range from breakfast burritos, brioche French toast and chicken and bacon waffles to buttermilk biscuits and maple cheddar sausage.

3618 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103, Phone: 718-728-2350

20.Red Pipe Cafe

Set in Forest Hills, Red Pipe Café is the place to go for delicious vegetarian and vegan cuisine, freshly baked pastries and bread, and a variety of specialty coffee drinks from espresso to cappuccino. The all-day breakfast menu features such favorites as oatmeal bowls with a variety of toppings such as apricot-honey, peanut butter, banana, apple, cinnamon, caramel, and granola; egg scrambles and sandwiches, omelets with several fillings, pancakes, and French toast. Fresh fruit juice and freshly brewed coffee and tea are available throughout the day.

71-60 Austin St, Forest Hills, NY 11375, Phone: 718-224-8359

21.Smile of the Beyond

Established in 1972, Smile of the Beyond is a longstanding dining institution on Parsons Boulevard in Queens that is dedicated to serving delicious vegetarian and vegan breakfasts, lunches, and brunch. Inspired by noted spiritual leader, philosopher, and fitness advocate, Sri Chinmoy, the restaurant was New York City’s first vegetarian eatery and still has a notable following today. Open for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week, the restaurant offers a menu of healthy and organic fare such as eggs scrambles and omelets, bowls of oatmeal and stacks of pancakes, waffles, and French toast, and breakfast specialties like huevos rancheros, tofu scramble, and eggs Benedict. Also on the menu are a variety of fresh fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and shakes, loose leaf teas and coffee.

8614 Parsons Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11432, Phone: 718-739-7453

22.The Classic Diner

Offering all-day breakfast and a variety of all-American fare in a typical American-diner style setting, the Classic Diner is just that. The casual counter-serve and seat eatery serves an all-day menu of three-egg omelets, fresh country egg scrambles with a variety of fillings, vegetarian frittatas, steak and eggs, huevos rancheros, and an Irish breakfast of two eggs, Irish bacon and sausage, black and white pudding, and grilled tomato. Griddle plates include stacks of syrupy pancakes, regular and stuffed French toast, Belgian waffles, and a selection of freshly baked pastries, muffins, toast, and cookies.

117-33 Myrtle Ave, Richmond Hill, NY 11418, Phone: 718-847-7500

23.Tower Diner

Housed in a former bank on Queens Boulevard, Tower Diner is a classic eatery that has a regular customer base that comes to enjoy breakfast favorites, light lunches, delicious milkshakes, and house-roasted coffee. Based in a distinctive building with high ceilings and large windows that flood interiors with natural light, the highly acclaimed family-owned restaurant boasts a classic New York feel and has been hailed as one of the best spots to dine in the city. An excellent place for breakfast, the eatery offers a diverse menu of traditional and creative breakfast plates such as quesadillas, egg scrambles, omelets, and Benedicts, toasted bagels and lox, yogurt parfait, and a selection of treats from the griddle like pancakes, waffles, and fluffy French toast. Tower Diner is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.

98-95 Queens Blvd, Rego Park, NY 11374, Phone: 718-459-7000

24.Turnpike Cafe

Turnpike Café is a casual kosher restaurant at the Union Turnpike that serves a globally inspired menu of delicious food and drinks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast sees locals and visitors alike arriving to tuck into heaving plates of scrambled eggs, bacon and tomatoes, golden hash browns, and a variety of omelets ranging from Greek and Spanish to garden. Sweet treats from the griddle include pancakes, waffles, French toast, and muffins, while the house specialty is the shakshouka, which features two poached eggs in a creamy, chunky tomato sauce with fresh garlic and herbs.

187-20 Union Turnpike, Fresh Meadows, NY 11366, Phone: 917-300-5196