Sons of Essex

“The music was incredible (coming from a group who appreciates throw back hip hop and R&B).”

“90s hip hop, r&b, and pop mixed in with current music…so a lil NSync, Aaliyah, Trey Songz, and Drake all day long.”

“I just would first like to start off saying thank you to SOE for their kind service for making my birthday spectacular.”

Sons of Essex

Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes

Price range.

$$ Price range $11-30

8 reviews

  1. I really enjoy this place for brunch its such a hip hop vibe the music was so on point! If you were a 80s baby this is definitely your place! They play some awesome hip hop it's not to crowded and they have a good not great Lobster Benedict! My husband got the scrambled eggs pizza and he loved it! Even though he had the itis moments after……They do a bottomless brunch or jump on groupon and get the $39 for two people! You each get a entree and Mimosa, Bellini, or Bloody Mary!

  2. DRINKS REVIEW!

    Get the yummy bear! I got mine in red. It tastes like gummy bears. Best drink ever. Ever. Ever.

    Also, their bathroom has multiple stalls and very clean. Perfect for breaking the seal.

  3. Came here for Sunday brunch after a friend purchased a groupon. The vibes and atmosphere is so much fun and the DJ was playing amazing old school rap jams.
    The food was amazing! We got truffle Mac n cheese, the breakfast pizza, and the chicken sliders. Food was on point and no complaints. Definitely recommend getting the chicken sliders. Huge portions and couldn't even finish everything and ended up taking 2/3 of it home.
    The service was also really good! The waitress was so friendly and made sure she attended to us even though it was super busy.
    All in all, great place for brunch!

  4. I got the Sunday brunch Groupon for two, which comes with two entrees and two cocktails (you can also substitute for coffee, which I saw the people around us do). Online it says that you have to make reservations prior to arriving, but when I got there and found out that OpenTable had *mysteriously* cancelled my reservation, the hostess waved it off, told me not to trust OpenTable, and said "I GOTCHU!". We were seated as soon as my friend arrived. Sweet!

    At 11:30AM on a Sunday morning, they were still relatively empty, so the wait wasn't an issue at all. The dining area is also much bigger than it looks from the outside. Decor is on point! But it is more of a lounge-y atmosphere (read: really dark) than what I'd expect from a typical brunch place.

    We showed our server the groupon on my phone and we were told that we could order ANYTHING off of their brunch menu for our entrees ( even if the price comes out to more than $38, which is the max value that the groupon says that they allow), which was great! You just have to pay for extras (sides, add-ons, etc.).  I went with a mimosa and the eggs benedictowitz and my friend ordered the lobster benedict so that we could swap and try both types. Instead of Canadian bacon and a biscuit, the benedictowiz has poached eggs that are served with smoked salmon on a hashbrown. YUM! I thoroughly enjoyed both of the benedicts..and the poached eggs were perfectly runny. 🙂 Portions err on the smaller side though, so I'd say that you should plan to grab a snack afterwards.

    Our bill without the groupon and including tip and tax would have been an astounding $85, for TWO. With the Groupon, everything together was about $65. Sill, that's on the higher end of brunch places in the city. OOf. Really wanted to love this place, but without a Groupon, I don't think I could/would return.

  5. I came to Sons of Essex for brunch on New Year's Day (a little hungover) with a singular goal: have a memorable first meal of 2016. I was impressed by the decor when I walked in. It's dark, but warmly lit with candles. It's definitely trendy (with some of the most beautiful staff I've ever seen), but not overwhelmingly so. I ordered the avocado toast, which was three slices of bread piled high with avocado and a splash of hot sauce. Simple but well done. The real winner of brunch were the tater tots. They were crispy and perfectly seasoned! Definitely a great brunch option in the Lower East Side!

  6. Do you love brunch? Do you love to party? Do you love hip-hop? If yes was the answer to it any or all of those then YOU must hit up Sons of Essex!

    Oh my lawd! This place was everything. Made reservations for 3:30- PS the kitchen closes at 4pm. We got there a bit early but had to wait till our reservation time which was no biggie. This place is poppin'! We sat at a two person table near the "dance floor" section and must say it was fun.

    DJ was playing all the hits from oldies to new songs – you can tell everyone was loving it. We had paid for a groupon deal which was pretty sweet. 2 drinks and 2 entrees for $39. We ended up adding the $25 Bellini carafe because why not!

    I order the avocado toast with a side of bacon which was pretty awesome! BF ordered the breakfast pizza which he raved about. Both of us really enjoyed just about everything here. Our biggest and only complain is that the service isn't the greatest. Our waitress was barely to be found and really never checked in with us. Which was sort of forgivable because we enjoyed ourselves.

    Looking forward to my next brunch outing here!

  7. A group of my friends and I were in town to see Death By Icon perform and to visit some friends. They frequent Sons of Essex and one of my girls was an occasional DJ here. When she mentioned that they served brunch, I was all over it. I should note that this review will not comment on the food in detail. I do remember the food being delicious.

    We walked in and I was a surprised to find that it was dim inside. I normally expect brunch places to be bright with big windows. Nonetheless, I loved the ambience. Decor was cool and they played 90s hip hop while we ate and enjoyed unlimited mimosas. Can't go wrong with good food, good company, and mimosas. It was a bit pricier than I would typically like to spend, but we were on vacation so I planned to indulge.

    Anyway, the best part of Sons of Essex was all of the post-meal fun. That place turned into a club and it was only noon! While I'm not typically big on partying nowadays (I think I used up all of my energy in college), my friends and I had too much fun dancing and drinking like it was midnight on a Friday. It was hard to believe it was only 4:00pm when we left. My friends and I still talk about how much fun we had that day.

  8. I love brunch and I love groupon- so I combined the two faves and bought a brunch groupon for two for here that included two entrees and drinks (bloody mary, bellini or mimosa).

    Made a quick reservation the day of and were seated immediately upon entering, right outside the DJ/lounge area. The restaurant is dimly lit, has great music, and excellent decor.

    I ordered the chicken sliders, my bf the lobster benedict.. and we had to get an extra side order of these infamous tater tots we couldn't stop hearing about.

    Verdict: truffle tater tots were nothing to rave about– really very standard and lacking the much read about wow factor.

    My chicken sliders were pretty good, filling and flavorful. I'm not the biggest fan of potatoes so the side wasn't for me, but that's just a personal preference.

    The lobster benedict was good in theory, but the lobster was salty as f.

    Overall, great ambiance and good drinks, but definitely underwhelmed with the food. Given the prices, likely wouldn't return.

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Tuesday, 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Wednesday, 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Thursday, 6:00 pm - 12:00 am
Friday, 6:00 pm - 4:00 am
Saturday, 11:00 am - 4:00 am
Sunday, 11:00 am - 6:00 pm