Clinton St. Baking Company

4 Clinton Street, Lower East Side, NY

7.8

map & more

Neighborhood
Lower East Side

Cuisine
American

Nearby
Arlene's Grocery
Mercury Lounge
Pianos

646-602-6263

Official Website

By Andrew Steinthal
March 28, 2011

Why is it that Clinton Street Baking Company resembles a crowded subway car on the weekends? Ridiculous pancakes, obviously. During brunch hours, it’s not uncommon for people to wait two hours for the pure, fluffy cakes of ecstasy that this place is known for. We won’t join them…but we can’t blame them either. The pancakes alone make this place a top Chronic Brunch venue in Manhattan.

After being told there was a long wait for brunch at 3:30pm on a Saturday a few years back, CSBC was officially relegated to an afterthought for us. Maybe if they were handing out freshly baked goods on the street, it’d be worth waiting around, but they don’t, so coming here on a weekend is completely out of the question. Like you, we don’t have that kind of time to waste.

But those pancakes can only remain an afterthought for so long. We had recently been thinking about those big beautiful things a whole lot, and it was time for a fix without the wait. Weekday breakfast was the move, and hot damn, was it ever. Talk about starting the day off right. The place is close enough to the F train to be convenient to Midtown, and a weekday meal means you aren’t waiting around like a crazy person. Book a breakfast meeting just for the hell of it.

For those living on the LES or East Village, CSBC is also a useful lunch and dinner standby, delivering quality food across the board. It’s a charming little establishment, family owned and operated by a husband and wife team who put that little extra love into their food to make you remember it and want to come back.

Food Rundown

Pancakes
We’ve discussed these enough- here’s a Twitpic . Everyone has their own favorite, mine are the blueberry. Others go for the chocolate chunk, banana walnut or whatever the special cake of the day is.

Spanish Scramble
Another one of my favorite brunch orders: three eggs, chorizo, tomatoes, caramelized onions, scallions, melted monterey jack, with hash browns and sourdough toast. Delicious.

Eggs Benedict
They make an excellent hollandaise at Clinton St. – definitely feel free to order up the benedict. Poached eggs and grilled ham with sauce over their homemade, toasted buttermilk biscuit. Damn straight.

Buttermilk Biscuit Sandwich
It’s not Peels, but this is a pretty damn good egg sandwich on a toasted biscuit.

Brioche French Toast
Brioche french toast + caramelized bananas + roasted pecans + warm maple butter = definition of Chronic Brunch.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich
It’s always on the menu, and for good reason. Served with bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado and chipotle mayo on a toasted roll, this is a fine sandwich. You won’t leave hungry.

Black Angus Cheeseburger
Monday through Thursday, there’s a $12 burger and beer special from 6-8pm which we’ve been known to hit up every once in a while. The burger is pretty standard – a nice patty with swiss or cheddar and caramelized sweet onions on a toasted brioche bun, with chips and slaw. Not a bad option dinner option if you live in the hood.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Dinner time is fried chicken time at CSBC. It’s not on the same level as some of our favorites, but this is still a high quality piece of crispy, juicy chicken. Order with confidence, just don’t expect Pies ‘n’ Thighs.

Classic Hot Fudge Sundae
Always save room for dessert, especially here. The “classic’” hot fudge sundae is awesome. Homemade hot fudge, whipped cream and real chocolate sprinkles. Just like the old days at Friendly’s.