Karaoke at Bar 9, 807 Ninth Ave.; 212-399-9336
To do: “I don’t know how nobody thought of this before,” says Cassi Pires, 27, after regaling her fellow diners with a spot-on rendition of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” in between bites of quesadilla one recent Sunday. Karaoke has long livened up late nights at this Hell’s Kitchen dive bar, and in July, it did something quasi-revolutionary: It started offering a boozy brunch with a microphone.
After kicking off the afternoon with a mimosa and a pitch-perfect “Someone Like You” by Adele, Pires’ friend, Robyn O’Brien, a 32-year-old who studied opera and works in nonprofit arts, declared herself a big fan of the move. “There’s a lot of bars that have good brunches, but no [other] bar as far as I know that does this,” she says. “It adds more fun to your day.”
To dine: Choose between two prix-fixe brunch menus offering hearty (it’s a dive bar, remember) fare like scrambled eggs with Tater Tots or a bacon cheeseburger with a side of bacon and eggs. Most importantly, an hour and a half of unlimited Bloody Marys and mimosas is included, the better to unleash your inner Bieber.
Every Sunday, noon to 4. Brunch prix fixe $15 to $20; no additional cost for karaoke
Hit pins and eat pizza at Brooklyn bowl, 61 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg; 718-963-3369
To do: “It has bowling, so it’s better than any other brunch experience,” says Darren Schleicher, who’s always looking for an excuse to hit the lanes. He and his actress/model girlfriend, Miwa Cogez, brunched and bowled for the second time at the chic bowling alley/performance space one recent weekend. She’s less enthusiastic for the sport, so having a tasty brunch from the Bromberg brothers (Blue Ribbon handles the food at the alley), rather than, say, microwaved chicken nuggets, in a pleasant space is a big draw. “Usually, bowling alleys are super gross and not female friendly,” she says. “This is a nice way for everybody to get what they want.”
To dine: Blue Ribbon’s famous fried chicken rests on the most exquisite buttermilk pancake you’ve ever tasted. Other hearty but gourmet options to fuel your game include cinnamon-toast pizza with strawberries, bananas and Nutella or challah French toast with Cedarvale maple syrup.
Every Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4. Lane rentals: $20 to $25 per half hour; shoe rentals: $4.95. Brunch items from $6.50 for chicken soup to $22 for all-white-meat fried chicken
Toast in your robe at Body by Brooklyn, 275 Park Ave., Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; 718-923-9400
To do: Why choose between a leisurely meal and a relaxing sauna when you can have both under one roof — and in loungewear to boot? Sample Body by Brooklyn’s multiple sauna rooms and Jacuzzzi with a day pass, spring for a reflexology treatment or facial, and feast on a three-course brunch in the lounge. “It’s very advantageous,” says regular Chaquetta Grace, finishing a plate of turkey sliders in her spa bathrobe. “I don’t have to eat before I come . . . and now I’m going to go back to the Jacuzzi.”
To dine: The three-course brunch prix fixe starts with a fruit smoothie shooter, in- cludes entree options like mac ’n’ cheese cupcakes and French toast with fresh strawberries, and finishes with a choice of fruit salad (you healthy spa-goer, you) or mini red velvet cupcakes (it’s all about balance, right?). Those who prefer a liquid brunch can hit the bar for Bloody Marys, mimosas and specialty cocktails.
Every Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Spa day pass, $45; prix-fixe brunch, $20; cocktails, $16; facials starting at $125
Make puppets at Isa, 348 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg; 347-689-3594
To do: Boho Brooklyn toddlers (and their parents) can satisfy their hunger for groundbreaking theater, locavore Mediterranean fare and arts and crafts at this monthly happening at Taavo Somer’s (Freemans, Peels) latest restaurant. Williamsburg’s Puppetsburg troupe leads kiddies in a puppet-making workshop and then performs what it calls “a tattooed puppet show for fat little munchkins 0 to 4 years old with music, dancing, and the supreme ecstasy of bubble time.”
“The first one was the busiest brunch we’ve ever had,” says Somer, inspired by his 17-month-old daughter. Ex-Brooklynite Beth Dulay, who recently visited with her husband and 15-month daughter, Aster, agrees. “We love Puppetsburg and to do it with brunch is great.”
To dine: “The zeppoles are really good, and everybody loves the breakfast pizza,” says Dulay. Other items include sourdough pancakes and baked cavatelli with mascarpone, fontina and pecorino. But for Aster, her mother says, “As long as [she] has potatoes, it’s fine.”
The second Saturday of every month, noon to 1:30. Brunch, $5-$14; puppet show and crafts, $12-$17 per child, free for adults