Sweet Argentinian — Balvanera

/ Lower East Side (152 Stanton Street)/
Sweet Argentinian — Balvanera

(Lower East Side)

Balvanera

152 Stanton Street, New York, NY 10002

Tel. 212-533-3348

Stroller Parking

This weekend, I insisted to hubs that we had to take the kiddos out for brunch.  Why?  Just the thought of cleaning up after these muchkins after one more meal is making me want to rip my hair our (argggh!!! Just can't). 

I'll be honest, when I launched City Baby Dining more than three years ago, life was very different for this mamma.  We only had one munchkin (who was pretty calm and well behaved overall), and we were able to handle dining out pretty well.  Fast-forward to end of two munchkins at the end of 2016, and life has been a bit more chaotic.  We are just getting back into the hang of things, and we discovered this little gem in our neighborhood called Balvanera.

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Konditori caffeine fix

/ Lower East Side (182 Allen Street)/
Konditori caffeine fix

(Lower East Side)

Konditori

182 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002

Tel. 646-350-3973

We've always had a fondness for our neighborhood coffee shops, and Konditori on Allen is no exception.  It's a charming little nook to pop by for some delicious coffee and pastry.  Note the word Konitori means café/baked goods & confection in Swedish, pronounced “Khan- da- tor- ree.”  Not “Khan-di-tor-rye,” which was apparently how I pronounced it for the very first time, much to hubby’s ceaseless amusement.

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Russ & Daughters Café: Fishy Magic

/ Lower East Side (127 Orchard Street)/
Russ & Daughters Café: Fishy Magic

(Lower East Side)

Russ & Daughters Café

127 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002

Tel. 212-475-4881

High Chair

Changing Table

Ever since I moved to NYC back in 2002, I have loved the ritual of going to Russ & Daughters and picking out amazing artfully cut smoky fish treats.  Part of the charm is wending your way to the always packed counter…much less charming when you have a howling impatient toddler in tow.

Sturgeon separation anxiety solved with Russ & Daughters Café! We popped in for an early dinner last week with the monkey.  The café is beautifully decorated down to the wallpaper in the bathroom. It keeps the old school NYC charm of the original shop (signs in the same fonts and an old fashioned counter) with artful twists (marble herringbone pattern tile floors, fruit garnished on the bar in lovely see through mason jars).

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Lazy Afternoon Chills at Whynot Coffee

/ Lower East Side (175 Orchard Street)/
Lazy Afternoon Chills at Whynot Coffee

(Lower East Side)

Whynot Coffee and Wine

175 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002

Tel. 646-682-9065

On the weekends, we like to explore our local neighborhood and just generally laze around post a mid-day family nap. When we're in the zone and craving a cup of good coffee, glass of ice-cold beer, or just a light snack or two, Whynot Coffee on Orchard is our go-to spot.

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Flat Whites at Happy Bones

/ Little Italy (394 Broome Street)/
Flat Whites at Happy Bones

(Little Italy)

Happy Bones

394 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013

Tel. 212-673-3754

It seems like these days, antipodeans are the ones who have seriously cornered the coffee connoisseur market – with flat whites being the word du jour (you know it'd a thing when even your local Starbucks serves it!).

FYI – a flat white = generally two shots of espresso + velvety, microfoam (with equal proportions of coffee and froth).  Check out the Coffeehunter’s post for a more comprehensive definition of a flat white.

So where to find a lovely cup of flat white in the hood, you ask?  Well, we were pretty stoked when a Kiwi coffee shop opened up not too far from us back in 2014 called "Happy Bones."  Besides flat whites, macchiattos, and teas – they also sell insanely delicious doughnuts from Dough (as if you needed any more convincing!).

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Dinner On Ludlow – Comfort Food and Chandeliers

/ Lower East Side (95 Delancey Street)/
Dinner On Ludlow – Comfort Food and Chandeliers

(Lower East Side)

Dinner on Ludlow

95 Delancey street, New York, NY 10002

Tel. 212-228-0909

Believe it or not, our first introduction to Dinner On Ludlow was via their Sunday Vanilla Sky/White Party – which is truly a sight to behold (think throwbacks to P. Diddy, with lots of white on white on white, and loads of booty… everywhere).

Not that that’s a bad thing necessarily, it just doesn’t scream “baby friendly.”

So imagine my surprise when one Sunday morning, we cruised over to the restaurant (not sure the exact reason… proximity?), and were met with a pleasant surprise.  It wasn’t crowded (in fact it was nice and tranquil), the food was simple and delicious, and above all – beautiful chandeliers all over the place.  I mean, who doesn’t love a nice, glittering chandelier?

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