Step into the Lower East Side of New York City, where culinary magic meets city hustle. Here, amidst the historic streets, you'll discover various restaurants that beckon with tantalizing aromas and captivating stories.
From timeless delis dishing out classic pastrami sandwiches to hipster haunts crafting avant-garde fusion dishes, every bite is an adventure. Below is a list of 20 Lower East Side restaurants, each with its unique flavor.
Come in and experience the welcoming 1920s French ambiance of Excuse My French. They've decorated it with unique artistic items. They pay the same amount of care and attention to their food, service, and overall atmosphere.
They offer tapas-style dishes and a diverse menu, making it a great option for a casual drink or a date. It also has excellent bar service with a selection of cocktails.
Address: 96 Orchard St, Lower East Side
Savor a tasty hot noodle dish at Cocoron, a Japanese noodle eatery offering a variety of hot and cold soba options. The restaurant offers a casual, bustling atmosphere with communal tables, a few four-tops, and bar seating.
They serve well-known Japanese buckwheat soba noodles made fresh daily. You can also enjoy their creative appetizers, which are vegan-friendly and feature a food allergy diagram.
Address: 16 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002
If you are looking for Lower East Side bars to unwind your buddles, Head to Sami & Susu, a Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar. It is petite but perfect for a somewhat healthy lunch or a relaxed dinner with a friend.
You can enjoy dishes like crudo and pair them with natural wine. If you visit during lunchtime, they offer a pita shop where you can try a lamb over a rice bowl or their chicken schnitzel pita with zhoug.
Address: 190 Orchard St
After exploring the art galleries on the Lower East Side, make a pit stop at Balvanera. This restaurant specializes in regional Argentinean cuisine, offering steaks, seasonal vegetable plates, and family-style dishes.
Balvanera also provides options for vegetarians, such as burrata with grilled peaches and ricotta cavatelli with tomato confit, fava beans, spinach, and fiore sardo cheese.
Address: 152 Stanton St
At Cervo's, you can savor Iberian-inspired seafood dishes like cockles with garlic and vinho verde sauce, beef tartare with littleneck clams, and wild striped bass with slow-roasted tomatoes.
Their wine selection is also influenced by Spain and Portugal, featuring a variety of orange wines and other natural options to complement your meal.
Address: 43 Canal St
Eastwood is a chill spot with communal tables offering wine and beer on tap, plus Middle Eastern and Scottish eats.
You can enjoy everything from a Mezze platter to fish and chips while catching up with friends over a drink. Also, the place channels the area's historic charm with walls stripped and plastered with original wood doors being restored.
Address: 200 Clinton St
Freemans is located in a cozy space at the end of an unused alley off the Bowery. The main aim of this restaurant is to offer a rugged clandestine colonial American Tavern.
ou can start with options like maple-glazed pork belly or the soup of the day. For the main course, consider trying the lamb shepherd's pie or the five-cheese macaroni.
Address: Freeman Alley, Downtown Manhattan
Grab a bite at Double Chicken Please. It's a stylish and cozy NYC cocktail bar offering finger foods, chicken sandwiches, and innovative drinks.
You can enjoy chicken sandwiches in the casual front area. Head to the back room, which is almost like a separate restaurant. You'll find a more diverse selection of slightly pricier cocktails and a menu featuring dishes like kampachi and washugyu tartare.
Address: 115 Allen St
This Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant offers a variety of Thai and Filipino cuisines on the menu including Crispy Pata and pickled mango salad, Grilled Pork Jowl, Brussels Sprouts Salad, and Crispy Pork Belly Adobo.
You can also enjoy drinks ranging from cheap canned beer, wine, cocktails, and a self-serve bottomless tap in the backyard.
Address: 68 Clinton St
Set L.E.S. is a relaxed gastropub offering cocktails and eclectic nibbles with an Asian twist in a cozy atmosphere. This restaurant is located in the heart of the Lower East Side and serves various Asian-inspired dishes and eclectic cocktails.
You can also enjoy their happy hour Monday-Friday, with brunch only available on the weekends.
Address: 127 Ludlow St
On the Lower East Side, Trapizzino moves with the rhythms of the day with an expresso alongside warm bomboloni, a midday trapizzini enjoyed al fresco, refreshing spirits with shared vegetable mall plates, or a larger feast with friends.
The restaurant further brings a taste of the Eternal City to the corner of Orchard and Rivington Streets.
Address: 144 Orchard St
Sauce Restaurant specializes in Southern Italian cuisine, with a particular emphasis on red sauce and red meat. This rustic restaurant also features a butcher shop.
Their menu highlights heritage chicken parm, grass-fed beef meatballs, homemade pasta, and extra-thin crust pizza. But what truly stands out and keeps patrons returning is the delicious sauce that ties everything together.
Address: 78 Rivington St
Dudley's has always been a neighborhood staple on the corner of Orchard and Broome Street since 2012. It is a chic all-day cafe and bar serving locally sourced American bites with an Australian twist.
Designed to capture the essence of the quintessential Australian corner pub and bistro, this is the place to meet for drinks or to share a meal with friends.
Address: 85 Orchard St
Forsythia offers one of the best restaurants in the Lower East Side. It offers a great selection of seasonal, fresh pasta, including well-executed Roman classics like carbonara and cacio e pepe.
Although the menu changes frequently, you can always expect something delicious like agnolotti stuffed with braised short rib, a classic and delightful carbonara, and an array of specials such as pici with anchovy butter and tagliatelle with crab and chili.
Address: 9 Stanton St
Indulge in flavorful Thai cuisine in a cozy atmosphere at Wayla. Make sure to try the chicken wings with plum sauce, lobster with rice noodles, and lump-crab fried rice.
To enhance your dining experience and give it a touch of exoticism, enjoy a creative cocktail like the Indigo Sway Layla (made with gin, butterfly pea blossom, cucumber, lemon, and shiso) in their laid-back backyard area.
Address: 100 Forsyth St
Congee is a colorful group-friendly spot serving the namesake rice porridge plus a huge menu of Cantonese cuisines.
It is one of New York's finest spots to eat and so very special and beautiful that offers additional dining facilities including a large and elegant dining room. Everything here has been carefully hand-picked and directly imported from China to make you feel comfortable and lets you experience the real thing.
Address: 100 Allen St
It is a cozy Mexican eatery with hip, Asian-accented decor serving rustic fare and a long list of tequilas. There are only a couple of tables, and the rest of the seating is either at the bar or communal table.
The restaurant serves up authentic Mexican dishes where you can stop in for lunch or dinner and experience fresh guacamole, salsa, and thick, house-cut tortilla chips. You can also enjoy traditional recipes like steak or pork tacos, or the pescado.
Address: 253 Broome St
Sel Rrose captures the essence of a Parisian-inspired oyster bar, enticing patrons with its natural wine, craft cocktails, and fresh seafood.
The restaurant pays homage to the rich and lively history of the Bowery and its dance halls and oyster cellars in a convivial atmosphere. The menu features revolving selection of the freshest oysters, french fare sourcing local ingredients and full raw bar.
Address: 1 Delancey St
Casa Adela is a Lower East Side eatery that specializes in authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, making you feel like you're eating at Abuelita House.
Their menu includes special rotisserie chicken and authentic Puerto Rican food, serving rice and beans in an unpretentious environment. You can also enjoy a range of dishes from Pollo al Horno to Empazinados, and the famous Bistec sandwich.
Address: 66 Loisaida Ave, New York
Donnybrook is a neighborhood pub with indoor and outdoor seating. It showcases a marble-topped bar serving a wide selection of whiskeys, beers, and cocktails while making you feel at home.
It is a hidden gem in the lower east side. The restaurant can be quiet sometimes during the day and gets busy at night. You can get snacks like pigs in a blanket, mixed nuts, and delicious hot dogs at less than $5.00.
Address: 35 Clinton St
