The Lucky Bee (CLOSED)

Southeast Asian street food is the focus of this 50-seat Lower East Side spot from executive chef Matty Bennett (the Fat Radish, Sydney’s Longrain) and partner Rupert Noffs. The electric pink-and-aqua dining room—decorated with murals by Bondi Beach artist Brett Chan—is anchored by a hawkers’ station, inspired by those typical of the tropical region, where cooks tender snacks like fresh oysters and papaya salad. Diners can settle into black-leather chairs for such small plates as well as traditionally flavored entrées like Szechuan salt-and-pepper chicken wings with tamarind prik nam pla (Thailand’s chili-smacked fish sauce), octopus and pork belly with winter corn and coconut, and a purist green curry with pickled mustard greens and fried garlic. Nodding to the restaurant’s namesake, the bar program raises money for the New York City Beekeepers Association and utilizes local nectar from Andrew’s Honey in cocktails like the Honey Bee My Baby (mescal, yellow chartreuse) and Whiskey Business (ginger, Meyer lemon, lemongrass honey).