The best brunch places in the Bronx

This quaint City Island bakery is loved for its charming birthday cakes and cupcakes. Specialties like sour-cream pancakes with butter and local maple syrup, the shrimp-and-avocado omelette with herb-dusted fries, and the eggwich with bacon and cheddar are just a few of the highlights coming out of the ever-busy open kitchen.—Cristina Alonso

Some purists swear that all-you-can-eat brunch is the only way to do the midmorning meal; their case is made at this always-busy Italian restaurant in the Bronx. The spread ($29.95 per person, children under 12 $12.95) features an omelette station, Italian bread French toast and a variety of pastas, plus bottomless pours of classic brunch drinks (Bellinis, champagne, mimosas, Bloody Marys).—Cristina Alonso