Old-deli Manhattan crossed with bar-room New York. Katz's, Russ & Daughters and a dense set of natural-wine rooms on Orchard and Ludlow.
Katz's on East Houston has cured, smoked and hand-sliced pastrami in New York City since 1888. The corner-of-the-counter sandwich is the deli's whole point.
Signature: Pastrami on rye, Matzo ball soup
Order: Hand-cut pastrami on rye, mustard, half-sour pickle.
Tip: Tip the slicer a dollar when you get your ticket; a thick fatty slice samples your way and the sandwich comes built right.
Russ & Daughters has slung appetising on East Houston in New York City since 1914: hand-sliced smoked salmon, sturgeon, schmaltz herring and bagels to take.
Signature: New York bagel, Smoked salmon platter
Order: The Classic: Gaspe Nova lox, cream cheese, tomato, onion, capers on a poppy bagel.
Tip: The shop is for take-away. Sit down at Russ & Daughters Cafe around the corner on Orchard for table service.
Anthony Mangieri's Orchard Street pizzeria is the editor's neapolitan pie in New York City: 60-second wood-fired bake, twelve-pizza menu, no slices.
Signature: Margherita, Cosacca
Order: The Margherita, San Marzano and fior di latte.
Tip: Six covers at the counter, ten tables, reservations open 30 days out and vanish fast. Wednesday is the longest wait.
Chef Helen Nguyen's Orchard Street Vietnamese kitchen in New York City runs sharp central-Vietnamese cooking: bun bo Hue, com tam, banh khot in clay pots.
Signature: Bun bo Hue, Banh mi
Order: Bun bo Hue with extra cha lua.
Tip: Lunch is the easy seat. Dinner books fast on weekends; Tuesday evenings are quiet and full menu still runs.
Sammy's Roumanian reopened on Stanton Street in 2024 after the Chrystie basement closed in 2021. Romanian-Jewish steakhouse, schmaltz on every table.
Signature: Skirt steak, Chopped liver, Karnatzlach
Order: Garlic-rubbed skirt steak with seltzer-and-chocolate-syrup egg cream service.
Tip: Tables are mixed at long shared boards; book the early seating by phone (646-410-2427) if you want any chance of hearing your tablemate.
Yopparai on Clinton Street runs the Lower East Side's most serious sake bar in New York City. 70 by-the-cup sakes, izakaya snacks, 25 covers.
Signature: Sashimi platter, Sake flight
Order: Sake flight of three small cups and the daily sashimi.
Tip: Sake flights run with three-paragraph notes per pour. Bring patience and a friend who reads.
Kiki's on Division Street has poured retsina and grilled lamb chops in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2014. Priced at $$. Kitchen leans greek.
Signature: Lamb chops, Saganaki
Order: Lamb chops, saganaki, peasant salad.
Tip: Walk in at 17:30 or 22:00 for the only two short waits. The garden out back is the prize.
Spaghetti Incident on Eldridge runs a 30-seat pasta room in the Lower East Side, New York City. Order the spaghetti alla chitarra cacio e pepe.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Spaghetti vongole
Order: Spaghetti alla chitarra cacio e pepe.
Tip: BYOB nights save the bill significantly. Reservations are easy if you sit at 18:00.
Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard Street is the sit-down sister of the Houston Street counter in New York City. Located in Lower East Side. At 127 Orchard St..
Signature drink: Egg cream
Tip: Brunch books two weeks out on weekends. Tuesday and Wednesday lunch is the easy walk-in for the same plates.
Wildair on Orchard Street has poured natural wine in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2015. Twenty pours by the glass, snacks-only menu.
Signature pour: Lapierre Morgon by the glass
Wine focus: Lo-fi natural wines, mostly French
Food: Snacks and small plates
Tip: The hamachi crudo is the cross-glass food order. Wednesday and Thursday are the easy walk-in nights.
Ten Bells on Broome Street has run a natural-wine room in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2008. Chalkboard list, oysters, dim candlelight.
Signature pour: Domaine Cousin Loup
Wine focus: Natural French wines
Food: Oysters and small plates
Tip: Walk in at 18:00 to claim a counter seat. Tuesday is one-buck-an-oyster from 18:00-20:00.
Attaboy on Eldridge has poured bartender-choice cocktails in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2013. No menu, no door bell, ring for entry.
Signature drink: Penicillin
Food: None
Tip: Ring the unmarked grey door. Order by mood and base spirit; the bar does the rest. Cash, card, no reservations.
Double Chicken Please on Allen Street has run the city's most ambitious flavour-led cocktail program in New York City since 2020. Located in Lower East Side.
Signature drink: Cold Pizza
Food: Fried chicken sandwiches
Tip: Front Room walk-in; Coop in the back takes reservations on Resy. The Cold Pizza is the showpiece, the Pina Colada the runner-up.
Souvlaki GR opened as a cart on the High Line then grew into a brick-and-mortar in the Lower East Side, New York City. Open daily 12:00-23:00.
Try: Lamb souvlaki pita with fries
Tip: The lamb souvlaki pita with fries inside is the order. Bigger sit-down menu in the back room if you want salad too.
Essex Market moved in 2019 to a glass-and-steel building on the Lower East Side in New York City. The 1940 public market continues as a 36-stall indoor hall.
Tip: Boubouki, Shopsin's, and Don Ceviche all serve full lunches; counter seating runs the length of the second floor.
Abigail's Kitchen on Henry Street runs hands-on cooking classes in a working restaurant kitchen on the Lower East Side. The menu spans tapas, Thai, Moroccan, Indian and Italian; ticket includes unlimited beer and wine.
Tip: Cancellations within 48 hours forfeit the fee. Reschedules within a week of class cost $25. The Asian Dumplings class is a perennial sellout.
Yonah Schimmel's on East Houston has baked potato knishes in the Lower East Side, New York City since 1910. Wood-fired oven in the basement.
Try: Potato knish
Tip: The kasha knish is the second-pick if potato sells out. Order one with mustard and a Dr Brown's cream soda.
Clinton Street Baking Company has slung blueberry pancakes in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2001. Open daily 09:00-16:00. At 4 Clinton Street.
Order: Blueberry pancakes with warm maple butter.
Tip: Weekday brunch walks in. Weekend reservations are not taken; line up by 09:30 to get the first seating.
Mercury Lounge on East Houston is the 250-capacity Bowery Presents room where touring indie bands play one of their first New York shows. Two sets most.
Tip: Doors usually 18:30, openers at 19:00. Bandstand has no bad sight line; arrive early to claim a spot at the rail.
Bowery Ballroom on Delancey is the 575-capacity room with the perfect Manhattan sight line, an upstairs balcony and a downstairs lounge bar that opens.
Tip: Balcony seats fill first; the floor is general admission. The downstairs Pianos-style lounge runs through the show.
Attaboy at 134 Eldridge has no sign, just a metal door you knock at. Inside, bartenders work without a menu and build drinks around what you like to taste.
Tip: Knock once, the door slides open at capacity. Parties of six or fewer only, no standing room, cocktail around $20.
The Back Room on Norfolk Street is one of only two NYC speakeasies that actually ran during Prohibition. Drinks still arrive in teacups; the entrance goes.
Tip: Walk through the iron gate alley off Norfolk between Delancey and Rivington. Reservations help on weekends; cash bar.
Welcome to the Johnsons on Rivington is the deliberate 1970s rec-room dive opened 1999, with brown couches, a pool table and the cheapest pint in the LES.
Tip: Open 15:30 Mon-Fri, noon Saturday and Sunday, closes at 04:00 every night. PBR and a shot for $5 most hours.