A whole fried fish placed on a blue plate next to a green sauce — Dhamaka is one of the best restaurants on the Lower East Side.

14 Destination-Worthy Restaurants in the Lower East Side

From top-tier tamales to magnificent Malaysian food

by Robert Sietsema and Eater Staff Updated Aug 17, 2022, 3:06pm EDT

View as Map

Dhamaka is one of the best restaurants on the Lower East Side.

| Adam Friedlander/Eater NY

by Robert Sietsema and Eater Staff Updated Aug 17, 2022, 3:06pm EDT

The Lower East Side as we see it today — extending to Houston Street on the north, Chrystie and Pike streets on the West, and the FDR on the east and south — is now a neighborhood (even with its made-up micro-neighborhoods like “Dimes Square”) that flaunts its modern restaurants and bars. But some old-time establishments remain, pointing to the area’s rich, decades-long history of restaurants opened by immigrants highlighting cuisines ranging from Chinese to Dominican to Eastern European.

It’s an exciting neighborhood to be sure, and one teeming with dining possibilities. Here are 14 great places to eat there, reflecting a tight mix of established favorites and new and innovative options in a neighborhood that houses a slew of major players, from the iconic Russ & Daughters’s cafe to the BYOB-friendly Wu’s Wonton King.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

Saigon Social

Copy Link

After several starts and stops from the pandemic, chef Helen Nguyen can finally give a stage to her Vietnamese cooking. The menu that changes frequently, but includes dishes like crunchy banh xeo, a “banh mi burger,” and various noodle soups.

172 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

(646) 609-3202

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Rebèl

Copy Link

This Haitian restaurant presided over by chefs Marie Charles and Dominique Hermann makes some very stylish cocktails (don’t miss the Barbancourt rum, which is featured in several), but the food is equally compelling. The restaurant occupies a comfortable corner location with plenty of windows, decorated with paintings, including portraits of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Chadwick Boseman. The food includes malanga fritters called akra; fish filet in Kreyol sauce (rich and tomatoey); griot pork confit in big chunks accompanied by pikliz, a spicy relish; and chicken wings in a variety of styles.

Open in Google Maps

29 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A white oblong plate with a red tinted fish filet and side dishes on a red table. — The food at Rebel.

Wildair

Copy Link

These days wine bars with standout food programs are a dime a dozen. But Wildair, from Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra, helped codify the genre when it opened years ago on the LES. If you’re looking for a special occasion night out in the neighborhood this should be on your list, especially for the desserts.

142 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

(646) 964-5624

Visit Website

Also featured in:

The Best Places to Drink Wine Right Now

Russ & Daughters Cafe

Copy Link

If you’re familiar with the century-old Russ & Daughters flagship on Houston, wherein dozens of forms of preserved fish are sold, you’ll want to pay a visit to this offshoot cafe further south, which opened in 2014. The menu is a compendium of Eastern European Jewish fare, in a slick diner setting. Highlights include matzo ball soup, pastrami-cured salmon on a bagel, and mini potato knishes.

127 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

(212) 475-4880 ext. 2

Visit Website

A bowl of parsley strew soup with a big matzo ball sticking up.

Also featured in:

Cibao

Copy Link

Decades ago there were probably two dozen Dominican and Puerto Rican cafes on the Lower East Side, with menus that rotated on a weekly basis, and often with similar decor and design: twirling stools along a lunch counter, a heated cabinet for rotisserie chickens, and a press for hot sandwiches. Named after a region in Puerto Rico’s northwest, Cibao is one of a very few remaining, owned by Milagro Thina. Cuban sandwiches make a popular quick lunch, but there are also nourishing meal-size soups, pork roasts, paprika-rubbed chickens, and red and black beans served with yellow and white rice.

Open in Google Maps

72 Clinton St # 1, New York, NY 10002

(212) 228-0703

Visit Website

A red facade in the harsh angular sunlight with several shadowy figures in front.

Dhamaka

Copy Link

Dhamaka is one of the city’s hardest-to-nab reservations, currently the crown jewel of Unapologetic Foods (the hospitality group behind Indian restaurants Adda, Semma, and the Rowdy Rooster) and it’s clear why. Located inside of the Essex Crossing complex, Dhamaka offers offbeat South Indian dishes rarely seen in New York, as well as a limited-order, elusive rabbit dish. Bar seats are easier to come by for walk-ins.

119 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002

(212) 204-8616

Visit Website

The interior of the restaurant Dhamaka with murals on the wall — The dining room at Dhamaka.

Also featured in:

Dirt Candy

Copy Link

While these days vegans can find plenty of options in downtown New York, Dirt Candy’s tasting menu undeniably forever shaped the way New Yorkers think about vegan cooking. This tasting menu-focused spot features ever-changing whimsical presentations of vegetables, worth checking out no matter your dietary restrictions.

86 Allen St, New York, NY 10002

(212) 228-7732

Visit Website

A grill with skewers of green vegetables are displayed along a steamed basket. — An LES tasting menu spot that vegans can enjoy too.

Also featured in:

Spicy Village

Copy Link

With food originating in the Chinese province of Henan, this tiny cafe facing Sara Roosevelt Park opened in 2012. It’s run by Wendy Lian and her family and specializes in Henan’s broad, hand-stretched wheat noodles. Try them with the well-stewed brisket topping, along with a serving of the garlicky cucumbers common in northern Chinese restaurants. The cafe’s most famous offering, however, comes from Xinjiang province: “big tray chicken,” a burbling wok of bird parts in hot oil with enough Sichuan peppercorns to blow the top of your head off (or at least cause a profound metallic tingle on your tongue). Pork-stuffed dumplings are great, too.

68 Forsyth St B, New York, NY 10002

(212) 625-8299

Visit Website

A variety of dishes including a wok with hot red oil and chicken, a bowl of noodles, and an inscrutable other dish. — The big tray chicken is the move.

Also featured in:

Factory Tamal

Copy Link

As the name suggests, this cafe founded by Fernando Lopez in 2017 specializes in tamales. Some are classic, such as the chicken in mole poblano and pepper strips with cheese, while other fillings are atypical, like bacon and cheese. Look for specials on the chalkboard outside. Tortas, soups, and a killer breakfast sandwich featuring a runny egg on a brioche bun, with lots of customizable options that include avocado, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and sausage are also available. Another branch lurks in the East Village.

34 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002

(917) 691-5524

Visit Website

A plate of corn husks stuffed with tamales. — Tamales are like wrapped gifts.

Also featured in:

Scarr's Pizza

Copy Link

Founded by Scarr Pimentel in 2016, Scarr’s is distinctive among New York City’s pizzerias. The menu, with its round and square pies, channels our neighborhood pizza parlors, but the pizzas, available by the slice or pie, are kicked up a notch with artisanal ingredients and flour milled in the basement. The place was an early champion of cupping pepperoni, for example, which catches the paprika oil in the upturn that results from baking the sausage slices. The result is one of the best and richest pizzas you’ve ever tasted.

22 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

(212) 334-3481

Visit Website

Two pizza slices, one square with Italian sausage and one cone shaped with pepperoni. — Pristine pizza slices.

Also featured in:

Kiki's

Copy Link

If you’re in the mood for a lowkey — but still kind of sceney — Lower East Side option, Kiki’s is the move. This beloved Greek restaurant has plentiful, affordable portions of tzatziki, spanakopita, fried zucchini, and octopus skewers, with reasonably-priced wine carafes to boot. Even with its popularity in the neighborhood, it’s usually pretty easy to get a table, especially ever since the team opened an identical restaurant across the street for spillover seating.

130 Division St, New York, NY 10002

(646) 882-7052

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Where to Feast on Greek Food in NYC

Ernesto's

Copy Link

Tucked away at the southeast corner of the Lower East Side, far from the frenetic bar scene and facing a park, this spare, brick-walled space with modernistic light fixtures makes a great romantic date spot. The menu from chef Ryan Bartlow features Basque fare and dishes from other Spanish regions to pair with wines.

Open in Google Maps

259 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

(646) 692-8300

Visit Website

Cakes and little sandwiches displayed on a white and black marble surface. — A spread of dishes.

Also featured in:

Wu's Wonton King

Copy Link

Wu’s was a revelation when opened over five years ago at the quintessential Lower East Side corner of Essex and East Broadway. At its heart is the kind of traditional Chinese coffee shop that specialized in wonton soup, congee, and pork and duck charcuterie — but then more elaborate takes on Cantonese dishes that ran from stir fries to whole fish and beyond were added to the menu. Now Wu’s is a meeting place for a very diverse customer base, especially sought after for group birthdays and its BYOB policy.

165 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

(212) 477-1111

Visit Website

A darkened corner storefront with illuminated signs and customers crowding in the narrow front door. — A BYOB favorite.

Also featured in:

Kopitiam

Copy Link

Kopitiam is a casual Malaysian cafe with an all-day menu that runs the gamut from nasi lemak (with its crunchy achovies), to supple noodles with chile oil, and not-to-sweet desserts like the layered kuih, made from gluttonous rice. There’s lots to love here at all times a day, especially good for a quick bite.

151 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

(646) 609-3785

Visit Website

Kopitiam’s rainbow sticky rice — Sticky rice.

Also featured in:

Share this story

Share this story

14 Destination-Worthy Restaurants in the Lower East Side

Share this story

Share All sharing options for: 14 Destination-Worthy Restaurants in the Lower East Side

Share this story

Share All sharing options for: 14 Destination-Worthy Restaurants in the Lower East Side

Saigon Social

Rebèl

Wildair

Russ & Daughters Cafe

Cibao

Dhamaka

Sign up for the newsletter Eater NY

Thanks for signing up!

Dirt Candy

Spicy Village

Factory Tamal

Scarr's Pizza

Kiki's

Ernesto's

Wu's Wonton King

Kopitiam

More in Maps

Saigon Social

Rebèl

Wildair

Russ & Daughters Cafe

Cibao

Dhamaka

Dirt Candy

Spicy Village

Factory Tamal

Scarr's Pizza

Kiki's

Ernesto's

Wu's Wonton King

Kopitiam

Related Maps

All sharing options for: 14 Destination-Worthy Restaurants in the Lower East Side

All sharing options for: 14 Destination-Worthy Restaurants in the Lower East Side