I’ve never been a French toast kind of person. It’s just sliced bread soaked in eggs and milk, served with maple syrup to make it somewhat exciting. But New York proved me wrong yet again. This city is filled with dreamy, mouth-watering French toasts, served in so many inventive ways you’ll fall in love with the breakfast dish over and over again. My guide to the best French toast in New York covers every variety, from almond-crusted to chocolate to cannoli French toast and more…
Almond-crusted French toast at Sarabeth’s
Sarabeth’s is a destination for French toast, serving a decidedly simple variety with berries on weekdays, and two more interesting ones for their weekend brunch. While they are all wonderfully fat and fluffy, the thinly-sliced almonds are a welcome addition, just like the drizzle of sweet raspberry jam. It’s a little pricey ($19), but the portion is generous and the service is always on point.
p.s. The apple-cinnamon French toast comes a close second.
Multiple locations in NYC
Crème brûlée French toast at Sanctuary T
An unassuming tearoom in Soho packs two French classics into one dish; crème brûlée French toast. The chef soaks the slices of bread in a vanilla bean batter, making it insanely creamy, custardy and pillowy-soft on the inside. It literally melts in your mouth! Topped with a variety of berries, and you’ve got yourself slice(s) of heaven.
Address: 337 W Broadway B, NY 10013
Dark chocolate ganache French toast at Café Collette
Under that thick duvet of dark chocolate ganache lies something that is more than just French toast. It took just one bite to realize that this was in fact, made in a deep fat fryer, giving the huge chunk of bread crunchy layers on the inside, and an even crunchier golden-brown coat. The dark chocolate ganache is piping hot and very intense, but a sprinkling of sea salt and a dash of whipped cream cuts down the richness (sort of). I know this is all very bad for you, but I also know it’s very good for the soul.
Address: 79 Berry St, NY 11249
Strawberry mascarpone French toast at The Rabbit Hole
Disclaimer: no rabbits were found or harmed while eating this French toast (lol). The Rabbit Hole serves French toast sandwich-style, filling two slices of housemade brioche with a strawberry-packed milky mascarpone, which makes it both buttery and refreshing at once. It’s also not very big and filling, so you can easily order this as a dessert to complement a savory brunch.
Address: 52 Bedford Ave, NY 11249
French toast at La Bonbonniere
Sometimes you crave a no-frills French toast, without the culinary fuss and fancy toppings. When those mornings come, head straight to West Village diner La Bonbonniere and get yourself their simple but oh-so satisfying challah French toast. Top it with bacon, blueberries or chocolate chips, or all three; whatever your heart desires.
There’s a reason why this greasy – kind of awful-looking – diner manages to stay afloat in this area dotted with expensive restaurants. It just hits the spot, any time of the day, and it has done since 1930.
Also, where else you get a full-blown breakfast for $11? That’s a steal in NYC, let alone the West Village.
Address: 28 8th Ave, NY 10014
Cornflake-crusted croissant French toast at Cafeteria
Of course, Chelsea’s modern-style diner gives French toast a playful twist. Combining several breakfasts into one indulgent treat, Cafeteria rolls a buttery croissant into crunchy cornflakes, which is then sliced in half and jam-packed with fresh berries. And because maple syrup is just a bit too basic, it’s served with a dollop of mascarpone too.
Fun fact: I ate this straight after the French toast at La Bonbonniere. I was very hungry that day. No shame in my French toast game.
Address: 119 7th Ave, NY 10010
Banana-stuffed French toast at Juliette restaurant
Never judge a breakfast by its cover. What may seem like simple slices of bread with bananas on top, is actually French toast filled to the brim with fresh banana purée. So sweet and warm, every bite is just as comforting as the next. The bananas on top are far from mediocre too, complete with a caramelized, crackly layer. Did I mention the bottle of bourbon maple syrup? My kind of bottomless pours.
Address: 135 N 5th St, NY 11249
Cannoli French toast at Mansion restaurant
Holy. Cannoli. You know the French toast scene is thriving when even century-old diners jump on the bandwagon of Instagrammable innovation. Mansion takes inspiration from Italy’s much-loved pastry, offering a cannoli-style French toast laden with cold and creamy ricotta. The layers are incredibly thick and filling, so sweet and rich, you’ll have a hard time conquering the towering stack, but even a harder time leaving your plate unfinished.
Address: Mansion 1634 York Ave, NY 10028
Butterscotch French toast at Little Collins
I love cozy cafés, especially when they are filled with friendly Australians, so this review might be a little biased. Little Collins (named after the street in Melbourne) manages to pull off a warm neighborhood charm, in an area that is lacking in any of that – Midtown East. Their French toast, only available on the weekends, is coated in brown sugar for crunch (so good!), topped with butterscotch sauce for some sweetness, and paired with fruit for… health?! It’s also served with a flower, so you can see why I am totally in love.
Address: 667 Lexington Ave, NY 10022
French toast bagel at Tompkins Square Bagels
If you want your French toast fix on a weekday, quick and easy on the go, look no further than Tompkin Square Bagels. Yes, you can get your beloved bagel in French toast form, dusted in cinnamon sugar and smothered with copious amounts of cream cheese. Every flavor is fresh and nothing short of amazing, including chocolate chip cookie dough, triple berry and birthday cake cream cheese. That last one, pink-colored and packed with funfetti, is the absolute dream.
I mean, combining a bagel with French toast and birthday cake is an obvious win.
Address: 165 Avenue A, NY 10009
Chocolate babka French toast at Shuka
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Shuka cooks up French toast with chocolate babka, laden with luscious layers of milk chocolate streussel. With a spongy, cake-like consistency, this French toast is the closest you’ll get to eating chocolate cake for breakfast, without being frowned upon. In fact, the people sitting next to you will be in total admiration and ask you what you ordered.
Address: 38 Macdougal St, NY 10012
Baguette French toast at Penelope
Penelope is already one step ahead of the crowd by swapping ‘basic’ bread for baguette. Decked on top of each other, each buttery slice drowns in cinnamon and syrup, which is then loaded with cushiony, caramelized bananas. It all comes together as a warm, melt-in-your-mouth dish, which will make you do your “happy food dance” – we all have one.
Address: 159 Lexington Ave, NY 10016
Nutella-stuffed French toast at Aurora Soho
It’s probably illegal to write a blogpost on French toast and not include one with Nutella, so here you go. Aurora fills its brick-sized brioche bread with endless amounts of Nutella, before popping it into the oven to make it all ooey and gooey. And just before all that Nutella becomes too much, a spoonful of greek yogurt comes in to bring in some balance.
Address: 510 Broome St, NY 10013
