Where To Brunch In Ditmas Park: Lea

There are quite a few great places to fill your cravings for mimosas and eggs in Ditmas Park nowadays, so how do you decide where to go? With Where To Brunch In Ditmas Park, we tackle all the hard questions like, where are the best cocktails, who has the best classic eggs and bacon, and where is the best place to spend an entire weekend afternoon, so that you will know just where to go when you roll out of bed Sunday morning. Have ideas for where we should go next? Let us know.

If you are looking for something a little bit different than your average brunch, Lea is definitely worth a stop. The Italian eatery at the corner of Cortelyou and Stratford Roads has a variety of brunch dishes that you aren’t going to see anywhere else, including a Brunch Pizze ($14), which comes with bacon and two sunny side eggs.

To start off, we recommend the Sfingi ($7), Italian-style doughnuts served with sour cream and honey. They are made to order which takes some time but the piping hot, dense dough is a decadent way to start your day. They are topped with powdered sugar but the sour cream and honey help to counter the overwhelming sweetness.

If you want to keep the sweetness going, the Challah French Toast ($10) is your best bet. The dish is served with fruit, toasted almonds, and maple syrup and might be a sugar overload. Be warned though, you better love almonds if you go for this dish because the nutty flavor can be overwhelming.

Looking for something more savory? Lea has several great options. We were particularly pleased with the Cortelyou Mezze ($12). The dish is an interesting take on a traditional egg breakfast. It has all the staples — eggs, potatoes, toast — but it also comes with eggplant, fennel salad, and grated cherry tomatoes, which add a lot of interesting and unexpected flavors to what could be a rather basic breakfast.

If you are a meat eater, we definitely recommend spending the extra $4 for the Pork & Fennel Sausage, which is more of a traditional Italian sausage than what we typically see for breakfast. It’s full of juicy flavor. We loved it so much we ordered another.

One of the highlights of brunching at Lea is being able to eat outside on a beautiful day. While there probably won’t be too many more days to al fresco dining before the cold sets in, we definitely enjoy the sunshine and being able to people-watch along Cortelyou Road.

Ditmas Park Brunch Rundown: Lea
Where: 1022 Cortelyou Road (at Stratford Road)
Phone: (718) 928–7100
Brunch Hours: Saturdays & Sundays, 10am-3:30pm
Reservations: Reservations are taken but not necessary.
Who To Bring: This space is great for couples, but there is room for larger parties. It’s also a great place to stop if you want to enjoy an outdoor brunch experience.
Outdoor Seating: Yes, along the sidewalk on Cortelyou Road.
Best Time To Visit: Lea is large enough that there usually isn’t a wait and there’s plenty of space to relax and enjoy your meal, so come anytime.
Best Bites: Looking for something sweet? Grab the Sfingi doughnuts ($7), which are deliciously hot and tasty. The Cortelyou Mezze ($12) is an interesting take on the traditional egg breakfast, make sure to get the pork & fennel sausage ($4) if you are a meat-eater. With a group? Go for the Brunch Pizze ($14).