The Rag Trader might just become your newest brunch hotspot, as its convenient location, fun atmosphere and delicious food will have you coming back for more, more, more.
I first became aware of The Rag Trader due to a promotion they were doing for National Beer Day which occurred earlier this month. Although I do not consider myself a beer drinker by choice, I noticed that this location was more than just hops and stuff as they looked to have a pretty delectable menu.
Naturally, I wanted to stop by and see if the photos equated to any levels of yumminess for an in real life experience, so I took one of my best friend’s there recently and was very happy with what we were served.
The Rag Trader’s location is quite fabulous seeing as its near so many different subway lines (N,Q,R,1,2,3,A,C,E) that it’s fairly easy to get to no matter where you live in NYC. The space itself is quite large, with a fantastic bar that greets you right upon your entrance and a seating section towards the back that has a more intimate vibe.
The cuisine at Rag Trader is classic American at its best. With so many different types of food options in Manhattan, not to mention the emergence of unique and interesting styles of how things are plated, its good to see that places like The Rag Trader stick to the classics and do a very good job with them in the process.
The brunch menu has a ton of phenomenal savory items that will fill you up and get you going for the rest of the day, even if the rest of your day consists of going back to your apartment, changing into sweats and diving into the new season of Handmaid’s Tale. Here’s what you should get the next time you find yourself there.
For one, their Avocado Toast with heirloom tomato and radish is a big ass bite of delicious. I’m not the biggest avocado fan, however if you top this piece of toast with a poached egg, you will be biting into a ton of different flavors, all of which marry each other very well.
They also have a delicious line of brunch pizzas for you to try. Seeing as bacon goes well with everything, their bacon-based pizza with scallions, egg, Fontina, Gruyère and San Marzano Tomato is absurdly good and you will finish to the last bite. So many different flavors yet again, however the bacon remains the star in this well-executed brunch option.
For dessert, save some room because their Drunkin’ Donuts is a great way to finish off what has already been a great meal. Mixing sweets with alcohol, you can try one of their many kinds including Chocolate, Black Walnut Bitters & Rum/Pumpkin, Gingersnap Bitters & Rye/Vanilla, Molasses Bitters & Bourbon. Getting drunk at the end of the meal off sweets isn’t something I thought would be possible, but there’s nothing like a “sweet” buzz to end your meal.
For more information on The Rag Trader, please check out their official website.