Sons of Essex

Awesome place to party. A great variety of music. However, one of the security guards gave my friends and I a hard time. Before allowing us to enter the place, he accused one of my friends of wearing a tee shirt, and said he was not allowed in because of the «dress code». My friend took off his jacket, and showed him that he was not wearing a tee shirt, it was a long sleeve sweater. Then he let him pass.
He scanned my wardrobe to make sure i wasn’t wearing sneakers, but I was obviously wearing simple black boots with a heel.
I was taken aback when I walked in, and saw that many of the males there were in tee shirts. I assume we were singled out because we were a group of majority hispanic and black young adults.
Not a great start to the night, but once inside, we had a good time.

My wife and I LOVE SOE! The vibe in this place is just right and the food is awesome. Their drink menu is outstanding as well. Nothing better than enjoying great food and drinks while hip hop from the Golden Age is playing throughout the place.
We have been twice and will be visiting many more times. Hopefully to check out brunch!
I recommend the Whiskey Wings, Fried Chicken, and Ribeye!

The best smoked salmon eggs benedict on a potato pancake I have ever eaten. You might have to wait a bit for a table, and the drinks are a bit expensive for brunch, but the food here is delicious. There is some sort of steak with chimmichuri (sp?) dish on the brunch menu that is delicious too. Unique décor and creative menu. Tried this place on a Groupon deal, but would definitely go back even if there wasn’t a discount.

Came here for Sunday brunch. Although it’s best to make reservations, we were able to walk in and get a table for two with only a 15 min wait. Which is understandable because it’s packed on Sunday’s. We were given our first round of drinks on the house however because of our wait. Wish all restaurants were like that.
The lighting is dim which sets a nice atmosphere. I enjoyed the music in the background, occasionally dancing in my chair.
The food was also good. We came with a brunch for two groupon which rounded our payment to roughly $ 45, not including tip. It’s a nice place to celebrate a birthday with brunch or with friends.

I came to Sons of Essex for the first time this past Sunday with a Groupon for brunch. What an interesting place this is!
Firstly, it’s super easy to get to. Just a block away from the Essex/​Delancey stop on the F/​M/​J/​Z lines. You get that old timey feeling as soon as you are in front of the place. Very cute café to your right as soon as you walk in. Was greeted very nicely by the hostess. We needed reservations because we had the Groupon, but at 11:30 it wasn’t so crowded so if you don’t have one, it’s fine.
The inside is really cool, for lack of a better word. It’s an amalgamation of old school signs and pictures of the LES from back in the day. Old pieces of furniture here and there. Books peppered on shelves. Wood ceilings. I loved the feeling I got when I sat down. Wasn’t pretentious. I felt at home and cozy. They had hooks near the benches. Very handy for hanging coats, purses, etc. Was greeted promptly by our super friendly, super cute waiter, Javier. Service was so speedy, sweet, attentive and courteous for the entire brunch experience.
Started off with the Bellini. Very tasty and strong. Wasn’t watered down with mostly peach nectar. You could actually taste the Prosecco. The really odd thing was the plastic champagne flutes that our drinks were served in. I thought maybe they gave us the cheap stuff because we were there with a Groupon, but I looked around and everyone had them. Hmm.interesting. Not in a good way, though. I had the avocado toast for my meal. Food came out within a matter of minutes! Wow, was this a little piece of heaven in my mouth! The crostini was toasted perfectly. The smushed avocado was fresh and creamy. The eggs were delicious and poached perfectly. The house made sriracha was really the pièce de résistance. Had an amazing flavor to it with perfect heat! The arugula with lemon zest topped the meal off perfectly. So satisfying. The person I was with had the fried chicken. It looked delicious. She was chowing down on it! I tasted some of her diced potatoes that came with the meal and they were yummy. Almost everything had a wonderful, but not overpowering, spice to it. I also had a mocktail called Island Breeze. Peach, grapefruit, rosemary and grenadine. Mmmmm. You could add a Prosecco float to it for $ 4, but I wanted to be slightly buzz free for the morning. We shared the lemon cheesecake for dessert. It was good, but not what I was expecting. The consistency was more like cake. Not a cheesecake consistency. Kind of strange. Tasted pretty good though. Came with fresh pineapple, strawberries and spearmint. Yum! The coffee was also so on point here. Came in a huge cup with a huge saucer. Not a good combo! The handle of the cup didn’t fit well on the saucer because it was mismatched. Was awkward. Didn’t sit right on the saucer. Maybe that’s the charm of the place?
Overall, I had a lovely time with awesomely delicious food and adorable staff everywhere you turned. From the busboys, to the waiters and people who weren’t even helping us, everyone smiled and greeted us and said goodbye to us as we left. Bathrooms were interesting as well. For the most part, clean. Had a hard time trying to figure out how to flush the bowl! On the wall above the toilet is a square thing. There’s a very small black dot that you have to press. Use your foot! As we were leaving, we both said how we need to come back again! If you want a nice, chill, relaxing place to eat with awesome comfort food that plays 80’s and 90’s (thank goodness!!!) hip-​hop and R&B, Sons of Essex is the place for you!

I was over at Sons of Essex Friday night with a group of friends all in from Boston! The music, drinks, atmosphere where all wonderful! The staff here is super amazing, from Stephan the General manager to the bar staff and door staff!!!
Thank you for everything ;) It was defiantly a night to remember!

Sons of Essex was a fun place to eat and groove to the hip hop/​rap music from the past and present. Tracee, our waitress, was upbeat and personable! She knew the menu well and answered all of our questions. My husband and I enjoyed a carafe of Bellini with additional shots of Pineapple Ciroc. Yummy! It had the right amount of alcohol and tasted DELICIOUS. Perfect amount to share with a friend or loved one! For brunch, we each had the French toast. It was above average for French toast. We also ordered the Macoroni and Cheese. The Mac and Cheese was AMAZING! It had the right amount of cheese and was DELICIOUS! I would highly recommend this dish! We will definitely be back to this establishment. Thank you Tracee for the great dining experience!

Arrived with a Groupon for brunch at 1130am… totally empty! Great place with no wait.
Very attentive service, helpful recommendations from our server and great food.
Love the lighting in here; our water was refilled even after our plates were taken away and our waiter was sweet and helpful. Started to get packed around 12:30, but
Ordered the lobster tostada and the lobster benedict. Both came with Bloody Mary’s, which were excellent.
The lobster was sweet and fresh. The eggs were perfectly poached and the potatoes were fragrant of rosemary.
Total meal was $ 45, not bad for 4 drinks and 2 entrees. Fantastic experience, would love to return!

I called sons of Essex up the week of my birthday (party of 10 people) and not only did they manage to fit us in late notice at a 7pm time but were so accomodating in every way!
The waitress who served us was so nice and my birthday was a ball thanks to them. Plus the food was incredible! Those tacos! The next day we were already talking about going back.
Five stars all round.
Thank you again and you’ll be seeing us again soon :)

Had another great brunch experience with my girlfriend this past Sunday. We made reservations and were unfortunately very late for our table (parking was hell), lost it but opted to eat at the bar instead of waiting the 45 minutes for another table. The bartender for the day, Ray, laughed when we ordered a carafe of their Kentucky Mule cocktail. He had us a little worried (all in good fun, of course) but served us the bourbon-​laden drink and it was very good; spicey with the zing of ginger. I loved it.
We were bummed to find out the the bites menu they used to offer was gone, otherwise I would have ordered some deviled eggs and those damned good biscuits w/​sweet butter but, alas, they weren’t selling and so, they went the way of wind. We didn’t grieve for long since deciding to order some Truffle Tots and Truffle Mac & Cheese before our entrées, both of which were good. The Tots were crispy on the outside and flavorful and the mac and cheese was OK, not as thick as I would like but decent.
My gf chose the Steak & Huevos which was very good. It was served with some spicey salsa on top and while it looked messy AF, the flavor was wonderful. I went with my usual, Shrimp & Grits w/​o the ham. I’m never disappointed with that choice at SoE.
The staff is very accommodating and sometimes I forget about how much better a dining experience can be when you opt to sit at the bar. There’s always a possibility of good conversation with the bartender and other staff members.
Definitely want to give a shout out to Ray, the bartender, and Kountri, the bouncer, for their pleasantries and good convo. We had a nice Sunday and I know I’ll be back.

Came here tonight for a start-​up/​tech Meetup that was sponsored by an app doing a soft launch of their new app.
This event had a special cocktail made for the event — I think it was called a «Pink Gummy» and it was made with Ciroc Berry, Pama (a pomegranate liquor), lemon juice (which tasted more like sour mix… which I hate) and maybe a splash of like soda. It wasn’t awful, but more sour and sweet than I prefer.
The taller bartender out of the 2 behind the bar tonight was rude when I asked him nicely for a beer list. He was bent on telling it to me verbally, but skipped 4 beers that were on their menu and it was one of those that I ended up getting (Empire White Aphro… it was the best one on their menu given the weak beer selection). He said he was «trying to not be rude» because it was «dark» and I might not be able to see the menu… yeahhhh…no. The lighting at Sons of Essex is dim, but I have ²⁰⁄₁₅ vision — that’s BETTER than ²⁰⁄₂₀. If I’m asking to see a menu, then that means I’m confident that I can read it. Thankfully the blonde bartender (who must have overhead the request I made two times) passed a menu over and all was good.
The overall vibe here is really sexy, warm and old-​fashioned/​vintagey/​speakeasy-​like. Sons of Essex would make a faaaaaantastic date night place. Their food menu also looks interesting and I’d be up for coming back to try their truffle Mac N’ Cheese, crab cakes, in-​house created Twinkie dessert and their brunch… especially their Mac N’ Cheese omelette… mmmmmm. Although brunch here is unfortunately on the pricier side ($ 40+), so it would have to be for a special occasion and not for just casual brunch hangs.
3 stars. Yep.

I came here for a friend’s endless birthday brunch on a Saturday afternoon a few months ago and I am sorry I never get around for giving this place the proper review it deserves! I would prefer to give this place a 4.5 if I could!
At first, I was reluctant to come here because of the price (approx 70 $ per person between food and endless drink charge for the table for the amount of time we were allowed) but I could not be any happier that I made the decision to come here.
I ordered the mac and cheese omelet which was unique and very good. The tator tots were also delicious and well seasoned. We had endless pitchers of mimosas, bellinis and mimosas etc on the table.
Service was great! They were friendly and accommodating. Also, I accidentally got hit in the head with a cardboard box by staff walking by and they gave me and my friend free shots! That is how it should be!
The atmosphere is also great. People getting up and dancing early on a Saturday afternoon, all happy and getting along even with strangers.

Came here for their Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Brunch! Awesome service! Awesome food! Awesome awesome DJ who provided us with jamz (you know it’s serious when you spell it with a ‘z’)! 90’s — hip hop, r&b, alternative, pop — hits!
On top of all this awesomeness listed above, this brunch offers bottomless bellinis, mimosas, bloody Mary’s, and on the weekend when you’re trying to unwind from a hard work week, bottomless is a word you love to hear! Located in the heart of the LES this is an NYC brunch spot that you HAVE to visit!
The only thing I’m taking points off for is their brunch + bottomless menu. Brunch is a mash up of breakfast and lunch so I was surprised to find that they had two different brunch menus. They have a regular brunch menu that has steak and eggs and all kinds of fabulous definitive brunch items (that mash up I spoke of), but then their brunch bottomless menu had, in my personal opinion, slim pickings. I would’ve liked to see at least a burger or the steak and eggs they had on their regular brunch menu on the bottomless menu. Aside from that, everything was great!
If you’re looking for somewhere to hype up your weekend, Sons of Essex and the Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Brunch def has our stamp of approval!
— this brunch with bottomless option (after tax and gratuity) will cost you about 60 – 70 dollars
— brunch hours: 12p — 6p
— wanna keep the party going? try the A2P2brunch after party «The Halfway» at Jerome’s (155 Rivington St.)
For more info follow @sonsofessexles @a2p2brunch @thehalfwaynyc and us @brunchandthecity on Instagram!

Lapin and I came here for brunch on Sunday. We made reservations but still had to wait 10 minutes to be seated at the bar. The restaurant itself wasn’t very packed. Our waiter was attentive but forgetful. We asked for the bill three times until we put on our jackets to indicate we are ready to leave (at that point we still didn’t get our bill and we were annoyed).
Lapin ordered a Bellini and I ordered a Mimosa. They were served in thin plastic flutes, which seems a bit odd. They were okay but tasted a bit watered down like there was more juice than liquor.
Lapin ordered the Fried Chicken ($ 22) and I ordered the Lobster Benedict ($ 17 or $ 19). The food came out pretty quickly and came out warm. The fried chicken was generous portion. It was tasty (lacked a bit seasoning/​salt) but a bit dry. I suspect this was pre-​made and warmed up prior to serving. The cornbread was crumbly but with the spicy honey it was delicious. I even stole a bit for my lobster benedict. The lobster benedict was meh until I added some salt. The potatoes came out burnt to char; I wasn’t a fan. However, I was able to trade Lapin the potatoes for some of his butter.
The food was okay but they had generous portions. The staff was very attentive but they seemed to be juggling too many things at once. The music was pretty awesome, too. Singing along to «old school» hip-​hop is always fun, more fun if one was tipsy and they have no shame. However, I am not sure if we would visit again.

Fantastic brunch spot!
Came by with a groupon and had a great time. The décor is on point and they added a festive Halloween vibe to continue the charm. The music was hold school R&B and hip hop so be prepared to sing along.
The menu has something for everybody. I went with the Eggs Benedictowitz which is a creative play on a classic — potato pancakes and lox instead of ham. Absolutely delicious.
The Bloody Mary was decent. A bit pricy for the quality. At $ 11 each I would expect a bit more but still tasty.
The service was phenomenal. Recognized our every need before it came up. Spent one second looking at the bent prong of my fork and he swooped in with a new one. Poured the last of the water and a new bottle appeared.
Truly a wonderful experience. Will be back to the another one of the fantastic options that tempted me so much.

3.5 stars
From the old-​school hip-​hop music playing in the background, to the decour and the dark, antique-​ish ambience, there’s no place like Sons of Essex which has an unbeatable vibe unique to many other places in the city.
Our whole party hadn’t arrived so we were invited to chill by the bar where there was happy hour until our party got there and we could be seated. The bartenders were really nice and friendly and the drink prices being that it was happy hour were pretty good. My friend and I had the «peddlers lemonade» usually $ 14 bucks, for $ 8 bucks since it was happy hour and it was absolutely delicious, I highly recommend it. It was so good I had to get another one but by that time we were seated and there was no longer happy hour since we weren’t at the bar. Happy hour only applies for those seated at the bar and ends at 8 just FYI.
We each got the whiskey wings and sides, my two friends got the truffle fries and I got the sautéed cauliflower. Everything was delicious and fairly priced. My peeve was the price of the drinks at $ 14 each which really does add up. The total bill for the three of us came out to roughly 110 bucks for meals that weren’t even entrées.
The food and drinks here are pretty darn good and the music is nothing short of amazing if you like Old school hip-​hop. Next time I come here it’ll be for brunch or possibly at the bar for happy hour. This place has a great vibe and cool ambience I definitely see myself coming back here in the future and recommend anyone to try this place out!

We decided on a Friday night that we wanted to go to brunch Sunday morning and Sons of Essex was one of the few appealing places that had open reservations. We arrived at 11:30 Saturday morning and turns out we definitely did not need that reservation. The place looked abandoned. We were hoping that it was just because we were on the early side of brunch.
The hostess lead us into the dark, interesting looking restaurant and sat us a table with 4 completely different types of chairs. I’m not sure how I feel about this style. Immediately we ordered drinks, my 2 friends ordered cocktails but I just stuck to a cup of coffee, which is was fresh and exactly what I wanted.
Browsing the menu, many things looked good but one thing caught my eye. MAC N CHEESE OMELETTE. Yup, mac and cheese stuffed inside an omelette. How could you possibly go wrong? I ordered it with egg whites since that’s what I prefer. Our order came out very quickly, probably because the restaurant was so empty. You were able to tell they rushed because the potatoes were undercooked. However, the omelette was just as I expected, cheesy and so yummy! Sometimes I don’t like when there’s too much cheese but this was just perfect. My friends got the lobster eggs benedict and the huevos rancheros and enjoyed that too.
Overall, I liked this place, but still didn’t understand why it was so empty. It also felt like they were rushing us out yet no one else was there. It’s a good place if you need to make a last minute reservation and want some mac and cheese in your omelette!

After some drinks one night downtown, I had dinner at Sons of Essex. Now, per my usual lazy demeanor, I didn’t bother to look it up at all before going. I just figure my friend Kevin who set up the dinner has fairly excellent taste, so I’m not really worried about it.
We show up and walk into a café. I’m all «KEVIN, THIS ISN’T COOL». But he held up his hand to stop my incessant complaining. The nice bouncer opened the door to the actual restaurant. Hello, my love.
Y’all know I go insaneeeeee for hidden crap. Yes, I am still super into this whole speakeasy/​sudo-​speakeasy vibe. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
My personal issues aside, I was psyched. There was a medium sized bar area with a few high top tables, which we sauntered past on our way to our booth. Listen. There were 6 of us in one of these booths and it was snug. Like, sorry-​my-​elbow-​is-​in-​your-​Lobster-​Tostadas-​snug. But that’s okay, because I liked everyone I was dining with. THANK GOD.
Anyway, we ordered drinks and I had a Mint Julep for reasons unbeknownst to me. But it was light and refreshing and declious. Basically, it was made right. I liked it! I wound up having three.
I ordered the Shrimp n’ Grits (gilf shrimp, crispy Virginia ham, stone ground grits). It was very good. Exactly as it should be. Tasty!
The staff was super friendly and the drinks kept coming and everyone was very attentive to our group. The music was in the background but sort of an old hit list, which was super fun. It was steadily filling up as we dined, and by the time we left, there was a steady hum of merriment and glassware clinking together as tables around us said cheers. It was nice that the bouncer outside kept the crowds at bay, I didn’t feel overwhelmed by people but it certainly didn’t feel empty, either. So nice for a NYC Saturday night!
I would come back. I loved the relaxed atmosphere, kind staff and the fact that it looked like someone’s vintage living room. Next time, I will stay a while.

So I went there based on my friends recommendation who i trust with food and drink choices since she loves that stuff. My best friend decided She wants to party so lets go out and my home girl I know a place that’s cool with no cover charge. So I said cool why not.
It’s a restaurant but they have a dj. You can drink, eat, and dance all at the same time. We arrived around 11 or 1130pm on a Friday night and the bar was packed! But tables were open to sit at pass the bar.
We had some shots of patron 2 rounds and I added an armoretto sour which was good but too much ice.
Cool dive bar with casual dressing. I don’t know pricing since I was treated to all my drinks (thanks ladies). Not must not have been to high cuz the drinks were coming. Was cool a lot of old school hip hop and r&b will some reggae and pop music. Dj was doing good then he left with music we couldn’t really dance to… so time to go.
Overall the place was really good, people are chill, drinks not bad. I wanted to try their margarita drink. Cool spot to hang out with friends!
Didn’t get 5 stars due to dj not mixing songs the best!

Stopped by for dinner on a Saturday night — they were able to accommodate our group of 5 easily. I noticed there were quite a few bachelorette parties starting their night here.
The dining area is past the bar, which was full by the time we left.
The dj plays awesome music while you eat!
I went with their wings as my meal! Will definitely come back! So nice and crispy! And the extra dipping sauce I couldn’t get enough of.