A friendly neighborhood alcove offering top-notch breakfasts to a young, hip crowd.
Best Brunch Spot
Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant has only 32 seats, but the kitchen dishes up breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch seven days a week. The small bar serves wine, imported beer, and special alcohol drinks, plus French roast coffee ground in-house, milkshakes made with Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory Ice Cream, and, in colder months, the wildly popular Hot Buttered Cider. The menu uses fresh, seasonal ingredients in its eclectic American menu. The result is classic dishes with a twist. The Clinton St. Baking Co. bakeshop uses the highest quality products, from natural flour and organic spices and herbs, to farm fresh eggs and dairy. Custom Cakes made to order. Catering Services is available for all event sizes.
Best of Citysearch 2006 Best Breakfast & Brunch
Best Pancakes NYC,2005 New York Magazine
Best Breakfast/Brunch Time Out NY 2007
Best Breakfast, Travel & Leisure 2007
The main reason this is a brunch mecca is the food: thick, fluffy brioche French toast, served with maple butter and fresh berries, excels; likewise, a clever sandwich of scrambled eggs and tomato jam in a light, salty buttermilk biscuit. And, of course, the cakes, pies, and other desserts are out of control, and you can have a sneak peak at many of them, as you enter. To the left is a small counter where solo diners can enjoy a meal; groups head to the right to be seated in the bright, airy dining room. There's lots of blond wood, service is cheery and the general air is friendly.
Perhaps i wasn't too hungry that find morning when I was lucky enough to get a seat at the Clinton St. Baking Co. My sister had just flown in from SF and she requested this brunch place that is usually brimming with people. I actually can not recall what I ordered but I do remember there was a nice fluffy biscuit on top of the goodness on my plate. I'll come back for the biscuit.
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clinton st baking company is a must if you are going to be in new york. this was the best breakfast that i've EVER HAD. everything is fresh, including the scones and biscuits, straight from the oven. the mixed berry scone was so good, i had to take one to go.
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Latest reviews by Citysearch:
(read all 71 reviews
on Citysearch)
give the owners a break! great food means trouble!
By nbagel
I have been reading all your reviews and can sympathize with all you say. Great food means wait time. All the hype means high expectations. Doesn't mean they cannot fullfill them but in a small place it does require several people working their butts off with no time off. You cannot duplicate the owners - they work hard but cannot always be there. We expect everyone to do the same job and cook as well but....
at a point everything suffers. Hopefully the owners will downsize (maybe dinner) and focus their attention on what needs the most. Obviously breakfast, brunch & lunch. And why on weekends are they not open until 10? Did I read this wrong because I own a bagel restaurant and am open at 6 am. HOT breakfast early. In that, I feel they are setting themselves up for trouble. Open earlier and there will not be those 2 hour wait times. Sounds like they are doing great but maybe need to re-evalute how they are doing it. Don't live in the moment but plan for the future! Love what they are doing and hope they can look ahead!
Pros: trying to please all Cons: people complaining about waite time - done waite!
Posted 04/19/09
Weekday Dinner
By joshprosen
Sure, Brunch is alll Hype at Clinton St. But my buddies and I like it for dinner after work- Beer and Burger Special is a great choice. Reviewer said bad looking hosts, but we sit at the bar because of some especially cute and friendly bartenders.
Pros: Friendly, Easy, Good Dinner in the Neighborhood Cons: What are the drawbacks?
Posted 03/20/09
Improve service, please!!!
By clintonStreetResident
We've been customers from the neighborhood for more than 7 years and I have to say we now think twice before walking down to Clinton Street Baking Company. For example, today we went to Le Gamin on 5th Street which was really good.
WHY:
The hostess on Sundays is rude and has a really short fuse with customers. Yes the place is mobbed on Sundays but that's no reason not to use words like 'please' or 'thanks'. Smiling occasionally is nice too (two or three sundays ago she didn't smile once the entire time we were there). Sometimes people have come a long way to enjoy the food and this hostess treats people badly. While we waited we were able to watch her become really nasty with some woman (not from New York and admittedly annoying) who was just asking how much longer she would have to wait.
The host on Friday night isn't much better--having loud personal telephone conversations in the waiting area at the front of the restaurant is tacky and when people are waiting to be seated it's really bad service. We felt like we'd entered a 'wise-guy joint' with this host. No one is looking for 5 star service but these people are rude!!!
What's worse is that neither of these two is particularly good looking so the attitude comes off really really badly. I hope the hosting staff isn't an indicator of where things are going at this place--it used to be a neighborhood place where you wanted to go...now it's like anywhere else downtown with decent food (actually the food is always amazing--hats off to the kitchen!!!) and nasty (though not good looking) hosts. 3 stars is generous..it's probably more like 2.5 because no matter how good the food the attitude of the hosts ruins the dining experience.
Pros: Great Food Cons: Long wait and rude hosting staff
Posted 02/21/09
Undercooked chicken
By lauragleecontact
Hi My boyfriend ordered the stuffed whole chicken, and the stuffing was clearly bad... let's just say we weren't well for about 5 days. Another friend who is trained as a chef ordered chicken on a different occasion, and when she bit into it it was bloody. BEWARE!!!
I was sad to find out this because until that day, it was a very pleasant place to go. I think I will have to avoid it from now on :(....
Pros: Good ambiance Cons: Sketchy
Posted 02/01/09
OVERRATED....is an understatement!
By shireen1
Ok, the "good reviews" are obviously from people who have never been to IHOP. My friend and I had the Blueberry Pancakes, the Banana Pancakes, Buttermilk biscuits, bacon and egg. I'm not sayin' the food was horrible, but definitely not worth a 2-hr wait and a $60 bill!.....I believe 85% of the patrons waiting in the cold for two hours, are there for no other reason than obtainng the braggings rights of sayin you've been to "the one and only CHSB" (i know thats what i waited in line) But, was highly disappointed. If you have a craving for pancakes and eggs go to IHOP, same food, alot cheaper and a lot less hype.
Pros: pretty good OJ Cons: too expensive, horrible service, too small
