Looking for a convenient brunch option near Penn Station or Hudson Yards? Look no further than “Roberta’s, the progenitor of award-winning Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas that has been serving brunch on its rooftop at its Penn District location for over a year.”
Climb the flight of stairs from street level past all the signature punk-inspired art, and you find yourself in an airy place with dining space for perhaps 50, all told. If you choose to sit outdoors, you are escorted to an umbrellaed table.
There’s pizza on the menu, naturally — you are dining at Roberta’s after all — but there are other enticing options that you may want to consider. One item that winds up on many tables is the house bread and straciatella cheese. Italians have whimsically named the pully string cheese for its resemblance to small rags. The dome-shaped bread itself is hot and crusty and gushes fragrant steam when pierced with a knife.
The soft scrambled eggs with lobster and tarragon is generously populated with tender pieces of the crustacean.
Don’t give indifferent attention to sides such as the “fairytale eggplant” tossed with sour and sweet cherries and diced celery: caponata on steroids.
Here comes your pancake, a disc the size of a hubcap with crispy edges, drenched in maple syrup and cultured butter. You’ll be glad there is French-press coffee freshly made to order.
A tiki bar on the roof dispenses all sorts of colorful elixirs.
Roberta’s Penn District, One Penn Plaza, 450 W 33rd St, Rooftop, 646-344-1277.
