Rewind to last New Years Day, 10 am. Everyone wakes up, everyone is hungover, everyone is hungry. Where do we go? A french restaurant. Who made this decision? Someone who hates me. And everyone else-- because strange, ornate fish dishes and straight butter at 11am are the enemies of hangovers.

There are a few types of approaches to hangover eating. One is the healthy hangover brunch-- you're eating food that's nutritionally dense, trying to heal your body from the night before. Another approach is the greasy hangover brunch-- you fill yourself with foods that are unhealthy, but you do so in some sort of justifiable manner, since, it is for the sake of your hungover well-being. The third type is pizza-- pizza is a miracle cure-all, at any and all times of the day.

What do all hangover-food joints need? (1) A cool atmosphere, to prevent adding necessary anxiety to your already fragile mind. This can include good music (especially after the thumping bass and/or 90s throwbacks you probably had on repeat the night before). (2) Proximity/wait time. The last thing you want is to is travel 30 minutes on a jerky subway, for a 1 hour wait for a table, followed by a who knows how long wait for food. (3) Food that is so delicious it makes your mind and body feel like it can live again.

So, with New Years Day quickly approaching, here are my top picks in each category:

**The Top Healthy Hangover Spots:**

El Rey [LES]

Healthy hotspot El Rey is the bomb. It's my kind of healthy hangover-- eggs and grains and avocado and happiness. Plus, there is the (always wonderful) option to get some sort of delicious bakery confection in there. This by far has one of the most cool & relaxed vibes in the city. It's small (like 15 seats) but also does take-away, so you can get your fix if you're getting too antsy to wait. Plus all of the coffee drinks are out of control good (which, we all need on New Years Day).

Egg Shop [Nolita]

I love eggs. So does egg shop. If you want a healthy brunch without feeling like you're eating nothing, go for the Spandex, which is miso quinoa, avocado, a poached egg, and pickled veggies. The reformer sandwich (which is essentially egg whites, vegetables, feta and avocado) is awesome. The con here is the potential wait time (and if you play it right, you can be successful), but you can also get it to go.

**The Top Greasy Hangover Spots:**

Jacob's Pickles [UWS]

"Hi brb eating 12 biscuits." - real text sent by me at Jacob's Pickles. Don't be fooled by the name-- while there are a lot of pickles, there are also a lot of delicious, biscuit-laden dishes. Chicken biscuits. Gravy biscuits. French toast biscuits with ice cream and berries (yes, my personal favorite). I've seen happiness in 2015, and it comes in the form of biscuits.

Birds & Bubbles [LES]

Sarah Simmons has been getting a lot of buzz lately as the woman who is making New Yorkers' fried chicken dreams come true. And I agree-- even after watching a video of her in the back kitchen making the chicken, it didn't prepare me for how freaking amazing it would be. I won't even try to explain it-- it's a must try.

Ruby's [Nolita]

How many times can I write about Ruby's? Well, once, twice, here's my third post. Ruby's itself is not greasy-- it actually has so many healthy and delicious options (and their brussel sprouts are killer-- no joke). But the greasy yet oh-my-thank-you-NYE-for-justifying-this sandwich of my dreams is their Egg Sandwich: A fried egg, amazing sauce, a hash brown patty (!!!), and greens. No words can do this one justice. Top sandwich in the world.

**The Top Pizza Party Hangover Spots:**

Marta [Nomad]

Yes, Marta is a hot spot with a crazy-long wait most of the time. Little known fact: the brunch wait is around 15 minutes. Yep. The thin, crispy crusts of the Roman-style pizza balance the flavors of the sauce and toppings so well. These pizzas are satisfying and perfect for a morning when you're already moving a little slower, because you're not overloaded with crust. Bonus: the atmosphere is so clean & crisp-- perfect for a relaxing recovery.

Roberta's [Bushwick]

Roberta's wins for consistently great pizza, a consistently chill atmosphere, and great music. You can get a standby like the beesting (the amazingly amazing pizza with drizzled honey and spicy soppressata), and then order some traditional yet delectable brunch foods (think cornmeal pancakes, which sound average, but aren't). Roberta's breads and baked goods are also phenomenal. Wait time isn't super predictable, but you could hang around the bar for another round or (more likely) a coffee.

Prince St Pizza [Nolita]

Here's a hypothetical: You wake up, it's noon, you need food within 20 minutes or you're going to see very little of the New Year because you might not survive. Go to Prince St Pizza and grab a few slices, and all will be right in your world. It's your corner pizza joint that is anything but standard, because it's potentially the best in the city. The spicy spring pepperoni slice is out of this world good.