One weekend afternoon my husband and I headed to Cookshop for brunch.
Located in Chelsea, my second favorite Manhattan district after the West Village, Cookshop is most famous for its brunch.
The atmosphere here is vibrant, trendy, you may even run into someone famous.
LOCATION:
156 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(chelsea)
MENU: Cookshop menu
COST: $$$
CUISINE: American (New)
RECOMMENDED TO: Casual Dining, Couples, Groups.
AMBIENCE: Casual/Vibrant/Trendy
MY REVIEW
Brunch kicked off with a cup of hot coffee served with milk. The coffee was yummy once I swapped milk for cream. 
My husband decided to live on the edge and opted for the Cookshop Bloody Mary made with vodka, tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, fresh horseradish, and Tabasco. The drink was excellent, and may be one of the best Bloody Mary’s I have ever tasted. Love those green olives and celery stick as garnish. 
Everything on the menu looked so appetizing, but I opted for something slightly unique – Poached Eggs sitting over grilled polenta, spinach, leeks, guajillo sauce, and topped off with cotija cheese. The Cotija cheese was not pungent and tasted similar to that of Parmesan cheese. 
Grilled Polenta was a unique twist to this dish, but also a bit bland. It’s a good thing the polenta was accompanied with the highly flavorsome guajillo sauce that I loved. Although the portion looks small, my dish was extremely filling. 
My husband’s dish was something extraordinary and steaming hot upon arrival. He opted for the Huevos Rancheros based on my recommendation. The three baked eggs mixed in with black beans, ranchero sauce, Monterey jack cheese, lime crème fraiche, pickled jalapenos, and crispy tortillas scattered on top and inside this dish was simply outstanding! The black beans were so incredibly flavorful, and the crisp tortilla chips in every bite made this dish. He inhaled ate his entire dish, that is a LOT of food.
VERDICT – 4 / 5
Overall, I really enjoyed my brunch at Cookshop. Brunch specials are quite the norm in New York City, sadly though there are no brunch specials at Cookshop. The prices are a little higher than usual for brunch, nonetheless you will leave feeling completely satisfied with your meal. I honestly don’t think you can go wrong here with the food, it is really good. On a negative note, the service here is extremely slow and the wait time is long if you don’t make reservations. Just plan ahead, make reservations, and you’ll be seated promptly.
| Food: Very Good | (Huevos Rancheros) |
| Drinks: Excellent | (Cookshop Bloody Mary) |
| Decor: Good | (trendy/hip) |
| Service: Average | (extremely slow & busy) |
| Value: Average | (no Brunch specials, priced a little high than the brunch norm) |
TELL ME: Have you been to Cookshop? Have you ever tried/made Grilled Polenta?
ER both those dishes look UNREAL…especially yours! I love poached eggs and polenta…and steamed spinach for that matter haha! Although I am yet to find polenta in Mumbai, I used to buy it quite often in London- it reminds me a lot of potato! That's annoying about the service though! I had a terrible experience at a restaurant here over the weekend but luckily they comp'd more than half the bill because of how slow the service was :)!
Wow! My mouth is literally watering right now! Brunch is my absolutely favorite meal. And I like polenta but find that it needs to be paired with a sauce of some kind in order to take it up a notch.
I loved your husband's dish. Looks awesome;). I have had Polenta Fries at an Italian restaurant here,(which i loved btw)but not grilled.
I get irritated if the service is slow. I always tell my husband that – If I am paying money to eat outside,it better be good – both food and service. I am a difficult customer:)
This is exactly my type of place…I'm definitely going to check it out on my next visit. Can't wait!
I had polenta at Brooklyn Diner in NYC and honestly, it was better than I expected.
Ahh my favorites combined– Brunch and huevos rancheros! Definitely want to check out Cookshop now 🙂
@Lauren – yeah.. love huevos rancheros.. Cookshop is the place. 🙂
@Khushboo – yes, my dish was slightly unique.. I enjoy polenta, but never cooked with it. Grilling it is brilliant. I know slow service sucks, but I suck it up if the food is good.
@Parita – you are right.. the guajillo sauce that accompanied the polenta was amazing.. took it up several notches. 🙂 I love brunch too!!!
@Ameena – yes.. you would probably love this place.. maybe you can stay a little south next time, there are such cute places in the village and chelsea. 🙂
@Nina – wow.. polenta fries, never tried those. Sounds awesome. My hubby's dish was phenomenal! Thanks!!!
The food in those photos looks amazing, I am literally getting hungry right now.