Dolled up like a South Beach hotel lounge, the Stanton Social nonetheless fits perfectly into its raffishly chic Lower East Side locale. A beautiful three-level space fitted out with leather handrails and lizard skin banquettes, as well as belt-strapped pillows and fringe-covered walls, the restaurant’s interior nods to its location at the center of a once-thriving garment industry.

Similarly, so does the eclectic brunch menu honor the neighborhood’s polyglot mix—offering pierogies and frittatas as well as French onion soup dumplings. The vibe is playful, and innovative, and the food is designed to be shared—as if you could keep your dining partners from forking those frites with red chile mayo or the ricotta fritters. As for the warm doughnuts with caramel, good luck finishing them on your own.

Run by the folks who gave the neighborhood Happy Ending, as well as Tao in midtown (and now also in Vegas), this is a group that knows how to recreate the glamour of a 1940s supper club—in a neighborhood more often associated with blintzes. Take your Aunt Sophie there for brunch. Tell her to wear her veiled pillbox and her brightest red lipstick. The fashion crowd will love her and you’ll have a ball.