The 23 best Lower East Side restaurants in NYC

While many of the shops and restaurants inside Essex Market didn't survive the pandemic, Dhamaka's marquee still shines bright. And for good reason, as the restaurant puts “the forgotten side of India” at the forefront. The housemade paneer is a must, as is the head turning Nalli Biryani. Sealed in a clay pot, the server has to cut this dish open tableside. But the wait will be worth it, as rewards come in the form of a slow braised lamb shank that gives easy from the bone. 

Chef Amanda Cohen was one of the most prominent champions of vegetarian cuisine, well before vegetable-forward was the gastro buzzword on every menu. Cohen bucks the hackneyed health-nut tenets of vegetarianism with some of the most experimental cooking around the city. 

Originally launched as a pop-up, Sami & Susu now resides in the Lower East Side. Co-founded by Amir Nathan and Jordan Anderson, the casual Mediternnean locale has even earned the eye of the Michelin Guide, earning a Bib Gourmand designation in 2023. Arm yourself with a pita and swipe your way through labneh and muhammara before going mouth first into the Harissa chicken, spooned with a helping of chopped olives and pine nuts. Peruse the wall of wine and have a glass or two, poured in a perfectly stubby glass. 

This low-key Dominican cafe first opened in 1958 with the name La Lechonera, where they served up roasted pork for the neighborhood. All these years later, they’re still making melt-in-your-mouth cubanos for only $7, leaving plenty of money in your pocket for a velvety soursop shake.

Translating to driver’s restaurant, Kisa pays homage to the roadside diners that catered to taxi drivers in Korea in the ‘80s. Served baek ban-style, the traditional Koraean meal consists of your choice of protein, alongside rice, soup and banchan. Even better, each platter tops out at $32. Once all is said and done, take the quarters that come with the final bill and use it at the drink machine that dispenses coffee, hot chocolate and misugaru (a Korean multi-grain powder drink). 

Kiki Karamintzas' namesake restaurant manages to be one of the neighborhood's hippest spots without maintaining an Instagram presence or photographable interior design. Which is to say, Kiki's is cool and lively without feeling like it's trying too hard. There's a Chinese sign hanging out front, but the restaurant actually only serves Greek food. Diners love it so much, the team opened another spot for spill-over seating across the street.

Tucked away in an easily missed dead end, this treasure feels like it’s straight out of a Wes Anderson movie, in all of its taxidermied, vintage-wallpaper–laden and old-book–strewn glory. All of it creates a nice atmosphere to spill the beans with pals at one of the long communal tables.

Daikon french fries, paripari fried chicken (paripari is a Japanese onomatopoeia for the crunch of the skin) and Instagrammable “sushi bombs'' make this seasonal izakaya-meets-NYC-faves mashup more than worthy of the Lower East Side. Stick around in the evening hours for sake flights and rambutan martinis. 

The Malaysian café is now bigger and (arguably) better in its new location, just a few blocks from the original. Here, you can actually sit back and relax with their all-day menu of affordable eats like the nasi lemak and the kaya toast with soft boiled eggs.

There is comfort (and eastern medicinal healing properties) in congee, the Cantonese rice porridge that is the focus at this multilevel, always-packed LES standby. Choose among 29 versions—like the sliced pork with preserved egg or chicken with black mushrooms, cooked over a low fire until bubbling. The rest of the expansive menu yields such finds as an excellent chicken with garlic sauce.

Run by former Top Chef contender, chef Leah Cohen has been turning diners on to funky Southeast Asian flavors since 2012 with a pig-centric menu. Enclosed backyard seating is available year-round, and the restaurant prepares a traditional Filipino brunch on the weekends with bottomless mimosas.

Instead of traveling to Queens, Joshua Dat brought his viral oxtail mac patty down to the Lower East Side. One hell of a sandwich, Dat slices open a beef patty, filling its interiors with a round of mac and cheese and a cheese slice, all encased in coco bread. But before he hands it off, he drizzles it with a heaping helpful of oxtail gravy. Is it a nap-inducing meal? Yes. Will we still order it at lunch? Also, yes.

At this SoCal-inspired café, the lineup can change weekly, dabbling in Japanse cuisine here, before exploring Mediterranean influences. So don't be surprised when Matcha Porridge buddies up to Pozole.

This casual Lower East Side gem was an Anthony Bourdain favorite for good reason. El Castillo de Jagua serves up heaping portions of delicious Dominican food. Purists while find solace in the Pernil, but for a little fun, get the Dominican Sandwich with the same roasted pork, fried dominican cheese and fried plaintains sandwiched on hero bread.

Order the Uni Spaghetti, karaage fried chicken and more at this pint-sized café. A kissaten-style cafe, and or a Japanese traditional cafe, this shop specializes in comfort food with aesthetically pleasing plating compositions. Take the mesmerizing, checkerboarded cream cheese toast that is certain to please the influencer within you. 

This small but colorful vegan Mexican spot at the meeting point for Two Bridges, the Lower East Side and Chinatown, could easily be cast off as somewhere gaggles of Instagram influencers hang out. But the food can back it up with inventive plant-based spins on Mexican favorites. There's a "chorizo" burrito made with cauliflower rice, while dessert always calls for the churros with a coconut dulce de leche.

This soba shop's name translates to "heartwarming," but it could also be dubbed heart-healthy for its fiber-rich, low-fat fare. Chef Yoshihito Kida, who owned a soba restaurant back in Japan, makes the buckwheat noodles in house, while chef Mika Ohie focuses on sides and appetizers, like a cold house-made tofu with scallions, ginger and bonito.

The 45-seat restaurant is a sister to chef Jeremiah Stone and pastry chef Fabian von Hauske Valtierra’s avant-garde tasting-menu den, Contra, two doors down. Wildair is low-pressure, set with sardine-packed bar tables, a fuzzy mid aughts soundtrack and neighborhood affability. Their snacky, à la carte menu is packed with low-key innovations.

This spot from Northern Tiger’s Erika Chou offers home-style dishes prepared by Chef Tom Naumsuwan like nam prik and sautéed morning glory, inspired by his growing up in Bangkok and hanging out at the markets there. Drinks include “Sway Wayla” (violet butterfly pea flower, with shiso, Brooklyn Gin, lemon and cucumber) and “Golden Cassia” (rye, chrysanthemum, demerara, ginger and Fever tree club soda) or “The Land of Smiles” (Gran Centenario Plata, thai chili, tamarind, cucumber and lemon sea salt). We love it so much we added it to Time Out Market New York!

This cavernous cafeteria is a repository of New York history—glossies of celebs spanning the past century crowd the walls, and the classic Jewish deli offerings are nonpareil. Flag down a meat cutter and order a legendary sandwich. The brisket sings with horseradish, and the thick-cut pastrami stacked high between slices of rye is the stuff of dreams.

Some of the neighborhood’s best margaritas can be found at restaurant-bar Barrio Chino. Jalapeño lime, habanero grapefruit, tamarind and elderflower keep things interesting as you make your way through a round or two (or four). The menu also offers corn tostadas with pickled shrimp, pulled pork tacos and shishito peppers with amaranth seeds.

This no-fuss cafe gives nostalgic diner vibes with bottomless cups of coffee and all the Sweet-n-Low packets you can stuff in your pockets. While you might be able to sneak in on a weekday without a wait, be prepared for at least an hour during peak weekend brunch times as you join the droves of hungry city-dwellers who’ve lined up on Clinton Street.

If we could brunch every day, we would do it in heart beat, and you'd find us at Clinton St. Baking Company. We never tire of the pancakes and breakfast-as-dinner fare, so, naturally, we invited it to hold court at Time Out Market New York. 

Start your day off with a little something old and a little something new at this spin-off of iconic century-old appetizing store Russ & Daughters. All the classics are accounted for but repackaged as composed plates: silky smoked fish is best highlighted in bagel-and-schmear boards, and chocolate-webbed babka loaves are sliced and griddled as French toast. The restaurant is currently takeout only, so you can order online and pick it up for brunch at home.