NYC Brunch Spots: Where To Eat When You're Not Out East

There is no restaurant like a small, charming East Village restaurant to somehow manage that magical air of healthiness, that feeling that food there is good for you - a quality for the most part unsupported by their offerings, yet which permeates nonetheless, void of those gluttonous sides of shame so often served up with brunch menus. Such is Hearth. Maybe it's the exposed brick and simple flower arrangements about the room. Maybe it's just that feeling of ease and thoughtfulness that comes with the sound of such buzzwords as 'locally sourced' or 'seasonal ingredients.' Maybe it's the fact that you can order your Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes both with or without gluten. Who knows, maybe you can even get them with AND without. And sure, that still leaves the whole buttermilk and pancake thing. But those blueberries definitely have something going for them. And you'll be saving the gluten for where it's definitely not extractable. Their Apple Cider Donut Holes - the heavenly orbs they are. All sticky and sugary and delicious. No way the gluten's coming out of those. Hearth, 403 East 12th Street [Photo via @hearthrestaurant]