Location: 511 Amsterdam Avenue
Cuisine: American/Mexican
Best Dish: The breakfast burrito and Huevos Rancheros are delicious on their own but together they are magical.
Price: $$
Overall: Good food and a playful atmosphere. A choice venue for a satisfying brunch with the option to enjoy some friendly competition.
After a blazing inferno just a few short month’s ago, Upper West Side favorite, E’s Bar is finally up and running again with a fresh new brunch menu. The quirky little bar looks like a dive at first glance but is actually an artistic masterpiece of red leather booths, a functional jukebox, and strategically placed stickers. The stickers and jukebox are remnants of a bygone era when neighborhood bars were watering holes for friends to gather for a drink and a few laughs. At E’s Bar, you may even breed a little competitive spirit, via their impressive wall of games. Once the liquor starts flowing and competition starts brewing you’ll want something to snack on. Thankfully E’s also serves food. The main menu is filled with classic bar staples like burgers and fries with a few interesting surprises tossed in. The brunch menu is a new addition to the bar and will likely grow to include several more dishes.
The Feast
Fried Green Beans
These aren’t heavily battered faux French fries. As the name suggests they are fried green beans. Blanched then fried in olive oil and drizzled with lemon and a dash salt. Despite their simplicity, these things are addictive. They are crunchy and slightly acidic with just a hint of salty.
Spicy Fries and Buffalo Chicken Things
The spicy fries are scrumptious thick cut fries. They were crispy and delicious with a sharp peppery finish. The buffalo chicken things are basically bite-sized pieces of chicken with a spicy sauce on the size. We recommend pouring the spicy sauce over the chicken and letting it soak up the flavor before dunking them in the creamy ranch dressing.
Breakfast tacos
The tacos are served three to an order and feature soft corn tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, bacon with house-made salsa and guacamole on the side. These were pretty tasty the salsa adds a little kick and the guacamole gives it creaminess with little chunks of ripe avocado.
Huevos Rancheros
What is a brunch without eggs? E’s Bar doesn’t have an Eggs Benedict yet but they do have an insanely delicious Huevos Rancheros. This dish includes baked black beans, topped with a dried egg, and guacamole served with corn tortillas. The eggs were perfectly cooked.
Breakfast burritos
This isn’t one of those skimpy fast food burritos, it’s the real deal. This big burrito will cure your hangover hunger and even the blues. We recommend ordering the Huevos Rancheros and the burrito. No one goes to brunch alone, share the dishes and maximize your enjoyment. The beans from the rancheros plus the burrito is a dish sent directly from the brunch gods.
Gin and Juice
If this is what Snoop was referring to in his classic hit, then we understand why he wrote a song about it. The gin and juice is a refreshing smooth cocktail that may sneak up on you if you aren’t careful. The mixture is summer in a glass; the floral aroma of gin combined with fresh tasting fruit cider and lemon is intoxicating (pun intended).
E’s Bar is one of the rare brunch spots in the city where you may actually put down the phone and engage with other diners. Their game collection is a clever rouse to get you to relax and simply enjoy the moment instead of attempting to capture it for your followers. The atmosphere isn’t all fun and games though, the food here is serious business. The brunch is tasty and well thought out with dishes that may help ease a hangover or at the very least satisfy your weekend cravings.