Posted by Long a melting pot of NYC’s immigrant communities, the LES still retains its eclectic identity today, though over the past decade it has increasingly become gentrified and a spot for some snazzy nightlife. It’s still mainly a low-rise tenement neighbourhood, but more and more high-rise buildings are appearing on the skyline.
A lively area for nightlife where the balance between sophisticated and unrefined venues is still being delicately maintained, the lines between restaurants and bars blurs easily here, as many are adept at offering casual drinks or drinks with substantially good food too. The intersection around Broome and Orchard Streets is particularly fun, with a buzzy attitude and cheery vibe on weekend nights. The Dimes Square area, which is borderline LES/Chinatown, has become very much the place to be seen in the last few years, with the opening of Nine Orchard putting the area on the map.
There’s also a modest Antipodean influence in the area, with venues such as Attaboy, The Flower Room, Bar Belly and The Ten Bells all being established by creative Australian expats.
There’s plenty to keep you entertained from morning till late night, and another great reason for staying in the Lower East Side is that it’s an easy walk across the Williamsburg Bridge, where the ever-cool borough of Brooklyn beckons your discovery.
If you get bored of the LES (as difficult as that many be!), check out Travis’ other NYC guides to the West Village and Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
This guide to the Lower East Side was updated in January 2024.
Just Coffee..
Ludlow Coffee Supply | 176 Ludlow St
This compact LES coffee den is very popular with the local hipster crowd, they serve fabulous coffee and decadent baked treats, which are perfect for on the go or to be enjoyed in their alfresco street-side sitting area. Ludlow Coffee Supply
Ost Cafe | 511 Grand St
You’ll have to detour from the ‘hip’ part of the LES to find Ost, it’s situated in the thick of the residential towers in the southern part of the LES. It’s a far cry from the manufactured uber-hip cafes that are popping up around town, still cosy and authentically rustic, inviting patrons to linger and chat over a good cup of caffeine. If you need something sweet with your cup of joe, hop across the road and grab something from the traditional Jewish bakery. Ost Cafe
Caffe Vita | 124 Ludlow St
From the Pacific Northwest, where they really know a thing or two about coffee, this outlet is a snug, hole in the wall spot with a touch of LES attitude, with very satisfying coffee. Caffe Vita
Froth New York | 90 Rivington St
A small sunlit room is home to this snug coffeehouse that has just one communal table and four tiny individual tables. It’s a quiet and reflective space to work or contemplate life whilst sipping on your caffeine. Froth New York
The Granddaddy | 290 Grand St
A spacious and sunlit café with two large communal tables and separate lounging area, it’s slow paced with country tunes playing in the background. The coffee is quite good and the pastries are by Balthazar. The Granddaddy
Breakfast & Brunch…
Clinton St. Baking Company | 4 Clinton St
You’ll usually find a line outside this perennially popular bakery and cafe. The original pokey cafe has moved next door to a more spacious dining room bathed in sunlight. The vast menu caters for all tastes, from super fluffy pancakes to more southern and Mexican influenced dishes, plus some twenty sides to choose from. The servings are more than generous, there are breakfast cocktails on offer if that’s you thing, and considering how busy they are, the service is quite swift. A little touristy? Maybe. Great Food? Definitely. Clinton St. Baking Company
Sunday to Sunday | 88 Orchard St
This bright café on the busy corner of Broome and Orchard St’s opens for dinner and drinks too, but Sunday’s has a particularly warm hum at brunchtime and is just intimate enough without being too tight (you don’t always need to hear every detail of the convo at your neighbouring table!). The menu offers some interesting takes on traditional brunch fare, plus toasties and pasta dishes – it’s not mind bending but very solid and comfortable fare. The languid pace here encourages you to perhaps order a cocktail with your brunch – well it’s surely after midday somewhere in the world! Sunday to Sunday
Good Thanks Cafe | 131a Orchard St
An easy-going, homely café that dishes up very good brunch fare without too much fuss. The menu features interesting options with Middle Eastern and Asian flavours in many of the dishes, and it’s broken up into small, medium and large sections so you know how much food to expect. They offer healthy (and not so healthy) juices, breakfast sandwiches, savoury treats like sardines on toast, or just simple poached eggs if that’s all you need. Good Thanks Cafe
Dimes | 49 Canal St
A snug spot on the edge of Chinatown, the coloured tables are packed tightly together, with a regular crowd of locals dropping in for a coffee or California style brunch fare prepared with panache. There’s breakfast winners like a scrambled egg sandwich, tacos and light & fluffy pancakes. The serving sizes are modest, which is a welcome relief in a city like NYC, and the mellow soundtrack is just right for easing into the day ahead. Dimes
Sweet Chick | 178 Ludlow St
A homely restaurant and that serves hearty southern fare, there are several other outlets around the city. This branch is a long narrow room, with fairy lights lighting up the dark space. The brunch menu features their classic fried chicken & waffles, plus sandwiches and other southern favourites, as well as ‘Boozy Beverages’ including their own canned cocktails. Sweet Chick
Russ & Daughters Cafe | 127 Orchard St
This popular café by the family behind the iconic Russ & Daughters Deli is a rather different experience to the historic deli, with a slick and stylish retro style diner fit-out, though they dish up the same delightful Jewish comfort food. There’s a variety of egg dishes, a wealth of seafood options such as pickled herring trio and even caviar, though the comforting matzo ball soup is a standout. Russ & Daughters Cafe
Pause Café | 3 Clinton St
A very chilled coffeehouse with Moroccan inspired décor and cuisine, there’s a large communal table and a handful of individual tables, where hip Lower East Siders congregate for catchups and work. The menu is large, featuring many varieties of sandwiches, sweet & savoury crepes and grain bowls. It’s popular, so often busy. Pause Café
Katz’s Delicatessen | 205 E Houston St
Best get to this iconic deli early before the crowds arrive, collect a ticket when you arrive, they’ll mark it up with every order, then payment is collected upon leaving. It’s a large room, with the walls covered in photos of the famous, and perhaps not so famous, who’ve dined there – there’s no shortage of history considering Katz’s has been around since 1888. The servings are particularly generous, so split a sandwich between two, or otherwise go for the half serve sandwich with soup option. The Ruben sandwich is their specialty, they might give you a little taste of the corned beef whilst you’re watching it get put together from scratch… and when it’s time to dive into the Ruben, it’s likely to get messy, but don’t hold back. Katz’s Delicatessen
Drinking & Dining…
Freemans | Freemans Alley, off Rivington St
At the end of a graffiti covered laneway you’ll find the long-lasting gem that is Freemans in a former coffin factory that’s been given a kooky hunting lodge feel, with dark timber, soft lighting and quirky taxidermy displays. There are two bars to choose from and a variety of dining rooms, all are cosy and welcoming – the upstairs dining rooms are especially cocooning. The food is American with a distinct retro slant, their hot artichoke dip is an enduring favourite on the menu and most of the other share dishes are similarly good, plus they produce great craft cocktails too. This is a popular place but it always feels very local and inviting. Freemans
Cervo’s | 43 Canal St
A relative newcomer to NYC’s dining scene, Cervo’s has quickly found a following and it’s evident why – this cosy bar and dining room has a timeless look, with low lighting and simple décor that leave the focus very much on the food. The food is Spanish and Portuguese coastal influenced, the menu a short but interesting array of hit seafood dishes, which the chefs in the open kitchen make look effortless to prepare, but they taste oh so good. Non seafood eaters are looked after too, with piri piri chicken and a lamb burger on offer. There’s a large European wine list (including a decent selection of orange varieties), a random music soundtrack and loud chatter from the happy diners who gladly pack in shoulder to shoulder to get a taste of this wonderful food. Cervo’s
Beauty & Essex | 146 Essex St
Despite the prominent Beauty & Essex sign in flashing lights, you might get confused by the entrance through a quirky looking pawn shop. But once you arrive into B&E proper, there’s no mistaking that you’re in for a fabulous NYC night out, with lavish interiors and a grand staircase, flanked by a chandelier, leading to the upper level. There’s multiple dining and drinking spaces within the complex, though each is as interesting as the others and the people watching is fascinating throughout. The food lives up to the hype, it’s small share plate style with a wide ranging menu and a specialty raw bar selection (don’t pass on the soup dumplings either!). The cocktails and mixed drinks are as well thought out as the ambience and food, the attention to detail is impressive and it all comes together to form a perfectly NYC experience. Beauty & Essex
The Ten Bells | 247 Broome St
It doesn’t get much snugger than this dark, characterful den with pressed metal ceilings and a couple of intimate rooms to while away time in. The natural Euro leaning wine list is quite extensive and mainly from small producers – though they keep the wine by the glass choice easy with just four options in each category (sparkling, white, red). The food offering revolves around tapas plates for sharing, the servings are small but very tasty. Ten Belles can easily lure one into a long night of vino and chatter. They also have a Brooklyn outpost in Bushwick. The Ten Bells
Dudley’s | 85 Orchard St
Another of NYC’s growing collection of Aussie influenced venues, this uber-relaxed all day café and bar serves classic homestyle American fare with a few Australian twists. Their simple cheeseburger is a treat in itself, but if you want an a fix of food from home, grab the Bronte Burger, plus there’s also pasta and goodies like a chicken schnitzel on the menu. Drinks wise they keep the cocktails rather simple, there’s just three white or red wines, plus a handful of skin contact vinos, and apart from the local craft brews, you’ll find a cold Coopers in another nod to Dudley’s heritage. The decor veers between rustic and mid century, the tunes are spot on and it’s got a lovely buzzing vibe. Dudley’s
Dirty French | 180 Ludlow St
This sexy and seductive restaurant may offer French fare, but it’s quintessentially New York City in every other aspect, with moody lighting, loud music and an attractive crowd that looks like they are straight from a casting call. The menu isn’t overly long, but it hits the mark with its offering of deliciously rich French fare with a modern edge here and there. Dirty French is housed in the equally hip The Ludlow Hotel. Dirty French
Bar Belly | 14 Orchard St
On the lower, Lower East Side, Bar Belly is worth the little walk – it’s vibrant and alive with a young and carefree crowd, enjoying warm hospitality and simple but rewarding comfort fare like shrimp cocktail, cacio e pepe and chicken Milanese, plus three types of oysters (which are $1 during happy hour). The décor is distressed vintage, with uneven timber floors, seductive mood lighting and of course there’s super cool tunes on the playlist. Bar Belly
The Flower Shop | 107 Eldridge St
A haven for those that no longer desire the hippest, loudest and most obnoxious bar on the block, there’s something very comforting about this flower shop. The room feels a little like your Grandma’s living room, with 70’s style timber paneled walls, an unashamedly retro playlist (you might even hear a Whitney song or two!), and the quiet hum of good conversation being more important than loud music. The menu is lofty comfort food, with simple but impressive burgers, sandwiches and steak frites, plus party pies like none that you will find in a supermarket freezer (the menu also lists some of the sustainable producers they source ingredients from). The concise but crowd-pleasing drinks list has just seven wines and four cocktails on offer, but there’s more than sufficient choices for hard liquor drinkers. The Flower Shop
Drinks…
Attaboy | 134 Eldridge St
Innovative, creative cocktails & classic concoctions shaken and stirred in a narrow, dark industrial-style space. It’s super busy (expect to wait, sometimes considerably, for space to become available) and there is no written cocktail list, the talented bar team will simply ask you a few likes and then create the cocktail of your dreams. No wonder Attaboy is often cited in the world’s best bar lists. Spot on! Attaboy
Skin Contact | 76 Orchard St
This edgy wine bar is housed in a long and narrow low-lit space, with the name giving away the fact that they tend to focus on natural, skin contact wines. The wine by the glass selection is kept relatively concise, however if you want to dive into something more complex, the bottle list is a lot more extensive, with some rather obscure varieties (unless you really know your wine). Their selection is Euro centric, with some North American and Australian vineyards thrown into the mix. There’s wine friendly food like charcuterie to nibble on too. Skin Contact
Le Dive | 37 Canal St
Anything but a dive, this super cute Parisian style wine bar has floor to ceiling windows so you can glimpse the happiness in the romantically lit room as you approach it – the interior has a 1970’s retro Paris vibe. They make choosing easy, with just five classic cocktails and a handful of French wines, including a few skin contact varietals. Foodwise there’s oysters, French drinking-friendly snacks and some heartier large dishes like roast chicken or steak frites. Le Dive
The Back Room | 102 Norfolk St
There are plenty of hard to find bars in NYC, but The Back Room has one of the more complex entries to navigate. Don’t bother looking for a sign, find the obscure entry gate, then head down a set of stairs and through a dark alleyway. Inside, the split-level room is quite spacious and elegantly furnished, with a pressed metal ceiling, sparkling chandeliers and antique furniture. It’s all about the cocktails of course and they serve them in antique teacups to add another layer of quirkiness. The fun ramps up on weekends when it gets busier and noisier, with a DJ spinning tunes. The Back Room
Fig. 19 | 131 Chrystie St
Another NYC bar with a secret entrance doesn’t seem very original, but Fig. 19 puts another spin on the concept. As usual, there’s no signage, just a low key doorman standing out the front of the darkened SFA art gallery. Enter through the sparse gallery, walk to the back of the room, and a hidden door takes you into the small but elegant room where Fig. 19 resides. It’s a lovely space with chandeliers, a fireplace filled with candles, and simple bench seating against the walls. The cocktails are fantastic and as elegant as the space. It does get rowdy on weekends, so it’s best enjoyed on a quieter midweek evening. Fig. 19
Ray’s | 177 Chrystie St
Opened in 2019 by celebrity owners, Ray’s has been perfectly created to seem like it’s been around forever. Everything seems authentic, from the wood paneled walls plastered with memorabilia, to the off kilter lighting shades and of course a prominent pool table. The dive bar attitude and style extends to the beer in cans, margaritas and shots served in plastic cups, not to mention the fact you might even find a tattoo artist working in the corner of the room. The only thing that gives Ray’s authenticity away is the clientele – young and rather clean-cut, though it does seem rowdy enough that the thought things could get out control quite quickly is always present. Ray’s
Where to Stay…
The LES has not traditionally been a locale of many hotels, but with increasing regeneration in recent years, the choices are growing and there are now enough options to suit most tastes, and even budgets.
The Ludlow Hotel | 180 Ludlow St
Artfully designed to make it seem like it’s been around for generations, there’s still no mistaking that The Ludlow has a very present-day ethos and style. The attractive rooms vary from petite studios to more generous lofts, though all have bountiful natural light streaming in, and if fresh air is a luxury you can’t live without, opt for one of the studios with terraces on the 7th floor. Naturally, their Lobby Lounge and Dirty French restaurant, both on the ground floor, are happening spots to see and be seen. The Ludlow Hotel
Hotel Indigo Lower East Side New York | 171 Ludlow St
IHG’s modish brand of neighbourhood centric boutique hotels is right at home in the LES, there’s a definitive edgy aura with funky furniture and eclectic artwork sprinkled throughout the property, though the guest room décor is a little more sedate. The rooms are generously spacious and have ample natural light, and if the views from your room aren’t enough, head up to the 15th floor rooftop bar, Mr Purple, to take things to another level. Hotel Indigo Lower East Side New York
Moxy NYC Lower East Side | 145 Bowery
This Moxy has a convenient location on The Bowery, putting you right at the crossroads of the LES and Soho, with Chinatown just down the road, so it’s excellent if you want to explore all three neighbourhoods. It’s brand new and thoroughly contemporary, and although Moxy rooms are usually compact, these ones have floor to ceiling windows that let the light stream in. The lobby is quite luxe with chandeliers and an indoor garden, there are cosy nooks to sit in and a separate media room for those that need to get work done. Moxy NYC Lower East Side
Nine Orchard | 9 Orchard St
A former bank building dating from 1912 has recently been meticulously restored into a luxe hotel that marks a significant change to the face of this edgy part of the neighbourhood. The elegantly decorated rooms feature large windows and a level of attention-to-detail missing in many hotels these days. There’s also a swag of cutting-edge F&B outlets, including the opulent Swan Room, which requires some patience to score an entry to, as it’s quite the hot spot at the moment. Nine Orchard
Must Do…
Tenement Museum | 103 Orchard St
This is not so much a museum as a series of immersive walking tours, highlighting the rich history of the Lower East Side and its diverse immigrant population. There are different themed apartment tours which include visits to an old tenement building that is partially still in its original condition, providing an insight into how immigrant families lived in the 19th and 20th century’s. The museum also schedules some general LES neighbourhood walking tours, so it’s certainly worthwhile taking more than one of their tours if you have the time. Tenement Museum
Big Onion Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour | Southeast corner of Delancey & Essex St’s
The tour lasts about two hours and winds its way through the Lower East Side, Little Italy and Chinatown. It’s an informative blend of the history of the area and how the different waves of immigration have impacted on the food culture of the area, interspersed with an abundance of delicate tastings included. Start with an empty stomach, as there’s up to eleven food stops where you’ll get to try samples of Caribbean, Jewish, Italian and Asian foods. A rewarding and fulfilling tour for anyone interested in history or food. Big Onion Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour
Travis’ Wish List…
Because there’s always more eating, dining and exploring than can be done in just one visit, Travis likes to keep a wish list so there’s an incentive to visit again!
Next time we’re bar hopping around the Lower East Side, our first stop will be at Swan Room at the swanky Nine Orchard, followed by cool cocktails at Double Chicken Please and YE’s Apothecary. For some simply fabulous food to accompany the drinks, we’d happily make pit stops at Gem Wine and Wildair.
Featured Photo: ‘Street Art, LES Style’
Travis. 
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