Restaurants in Lower East Side
See all Restaurants in ManhattanBia Garden – Reviewed
*** Three Stars Address: 154 Orchard St., btwn. Stanton & Rivington Sts. Phone: (212)780-0100 Cuisine: Vietnamese street food Vibe: Hush hush backyard beer garden Occasion:; Group dinner; Beer binges; LES dining. Hours: Dinner; Seven days a week, Sun-Thu, 5p.m-12a.m., Sat & Sun,5p.m.-2a.m. Don’t Miss Dish: Crispy pork belly; Duck nem sausage; Baked whole fish. Average Price: Appetizers, $10, Entrees, $15, No dessert. Reservations: No reservations accepted. Cash only.Capsule: An exotic beer oasis on the Lower East Side. Think La Esquina by way of Vietnam and you’ve got Bia Garden, which recently opened on the Lower East Side. If you’re not the kind of eater that hunts down restaurants, you might miss it. But it’s worth discovering. There’s a dinky grill out front, the kind you’d find in someone’s backyard in the suburbs. Step down a flight of stairs...
Read MoreShang
Chinese cooking too clever for its own good. 187 Orchard St., near Allen St., (212) 260-7900 Hours: Dinner, Mon.-Sat., 6 p.m.-11 p.m. CUISINE: Global fusion VIBE: Glossy hotel haunt OCCASION: Group dinner, business dinner, date. DON’T MISS DISH: Singapore slaw with salted plum dressing, turnip cake, chickpea sweet onion fritters. AVERAGE PRICE: Appetizers, $16; entrees, $28; dessert, $10. RESERVATIONS: Recommended. I worry about new restaurants. Especially big, glossy ones with 130 seats to fill. I mean, who could’ve predicted such a frosty economy? Opening a restaurant requires years of planning. Think of all the details that have to be settled — financial backers, designers, vendors, inspections, a liquor license and getting Con Edison to finally flip the switch. I’m sure the Thompson Hotel Group had big plans when they first set their sights on the fashionable lower East...
Read MoreAllen & Delancey – Reviewed
115 Allen St. (btwn. Delancey & Rivington Sts.) Phone: (212) 253-5400 Hours: Dinner, Mon.-Sat., 6 p.m.-12 a.m., Sun., 5 p.m.-11 a.m. CUISINE Contemporary European. VIBE Cozy lower East Side haunt. OCCASION Romantic dinner; Bar dining. DON’T-MISS DISH Caramelized bone marrow, Sweetbread raviolo PRICE Appetizers, $12-18; entrees, $20-29; desserts, $10. RESERVATIONS Highly recommended. At Allen & Delancey, a well-heeled woman spooned bone marrow into her mouth. It was a nonchalant bar gesture, followed by a leisurely sip of a cocktail. This is a culinary sign of the times. Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “Live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.” Dining on bone marrow was likely not what the philosopher had in mind, but fitting, as this is not an uncommon sight at New York City restaurants in the 21st century. Allen & Delancey is the...
Read MoreTailor
Expect the unexpected. 525 Broome St., between Sullivan & Thompson Sts. (212) 334-5182 Dinner: Sun.-Thurs., 6 p.m.-midnight, Fri.-Sat., 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Closed Mondays. CUISINE Progressive American VIBE Stylized speakeasy OCCASION Adventurous dining DON’T-MISS DISH Passionfruit poached char, Crumble cocktail. PRICE “Salty” small plates, $15-$17; “sweet” small plates, $11-$12; cocktails, $13-$15. RESERVATIONS Reservations accepted Tailor is an adventure in dining – a walk on the wild side of food. Pastry chef Sam Mason demonstrated his innovative technique at WD-50, home of molecular gastronomy and cutting-edge cuisine. At his funky, new SoHo restaurant, Mason unleashes an unusual vision of “salty” and “sweet” small plates. His menu obscures the line between savory and sweet, food and drink, and just about everything in between. Picky eaters beware: Chicken and vanilla ice cream make no appearances on the menu. Think foie gras with peanut...
Read MoreRayuela
Address: 165 Allen St., btwn. Rivington & Stanton Sts. Phone: 212.253.8840 Cuisine: “Freestyle” Latin American & Spanish Scene: Island chic Hours: Dinner, Sun-Thu, 5:30-11pm, Fri & Sat, 5:30-12pm; Brunch, Fri & Sat, 10am-5pm. First Bite Impressions: An admirable work in progress with a truly inspired cocktail menu Don’t Miss Dish: Ecuadorian seafood stew Price: Appetizers, $13; Entrees, $25. Reservations: Reservations accepted. Chef-owner Maximo Tejada (Patria & Lucy) & restaurateur Hector Sanz couldn’t have chosen a more favorable season to introduce New Yorkers to their sexy, tropical oasis with a freestyle menu that liberally wanders through Latin America & Spain. While Allen Street’s only just beginning to reap the benefits of a Lower East Side dining boom, this Latino-bent newcomer has undoubtedly made aesthetic strides on this otherwise bleak street. Rayuela’s airy, two-story space is furbished with natural wood tables,...
Read MoreCore 191
191 Orchard St. (near Houston St.) (212)228-9888 Menu TYPE: Seasonal American tapas VIBE: Masculine dining lounge OCCASION: LES pre-party fare, group dinners, private parties DON’T MISS DISH: Hanger steak DON’T BOTHER DISH: Tuna crudo PRICE: $35 (with a cocktail) HOURS: Dinner, Monday through Sunday, 4 PM – 12 AM; Late-night menu, Monday through Sunday, 12 AM – 2:AM; Brunch, Saturday & Sunday, 12 PM – 3 PM. RESTAURANT GIRL RATES: 6.5 SEATING: 50 seats in the dining room; 40 at the bar, 100 seats in outdoor garden. RESERVATIONS: Reservations for big parties are recommended. FINAL WORD: With a talented chef in the kitchen and a backyard garden, boasting a projector screen and room for 100 of your closest friends, the party possibilities are endless. CHEAT SHEET: DRINK: A glass of Riesling NIBBLE ON: Homemade lavash crackers with hummus...
Read MoreRewind
137 Essex St., btwn. Stanton & Rivington Sts.(212)779-7923 TYPE: Asian-influenced ItalianVIBE: Supper club(by) OCCASION: Lounging on the LES GO WITH: A table service crowdDON’T MISS DISH: Butternut Squash and Asiago Cheese Ravioli DON’T BOTHER DISH: Sweet & sour tuna with berry puree PRICE: $30 HOURS: Dinner, Tuesday – Sat., 5 PM-11:30 PM, Sunday, 11 AM-4 PM. Open every night for cocktails and bottle service until 4 AM. INSIDE SCOOP: At 11:30, food service ceases to make way for the DJ & bottle service crowd. The real party doesn’t get started until after dinner. RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 3 FINAL WORD: Tuna, noodles, & strawberries, oh my! Fast forward to dessert. The Lower East Side’s latest lounge hopes to be a one-stop shop for all things nightlife: food, drinks, DJ, & dancing under one roof. Rewind’s refreshingly un-velvet rope attitude...
Read MoreBondi Road
153 Rivington St. (btwn. Suffolk & Clinton Sts.) (212)253-5311 Bondi Road website TYPE: Seafood shack VIBE: Surfer chic OCCASION: Endless summer GO WITH: Friends or make a couple at the bar DON’T MISS DISH: Rock shrimp cocktail & Tasmanian ocean trout DON’T BOTHER DISH: Lobster lettuce wraps PRICE: $30 (the current tasting menu) HOURS: Dinner, Monday-Thursday, 6 PM-2 AM, Friday-Sunday, 6 PM-4 AM. INSIDE SCOOP: All the fish is flown in from down under twice a week RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 7 FINAL WORD: Catch this wave (or the F train) to the LES for an Aussie fish fest QUICK CHEAT SHEET: Drink – John Boag’s beer or a Tamaramaglamma cocktail (it’s a mouthful) Start with – Rock shrimp cocktail or crab lettuce wraps Eat – Tasmanian ocean trout or grilled barramundi (Snatch up the John Dory when it’s...
Read MoreFalai
It’s been over a week and fantasies of Falai still linger in my stomach. After building pastry castles in the air at Le Cirque, Iacopa Falai has migrated to the Lower East Side, a sudden utopia where foodie’s dreams come true. While everyone else has been busy trying to impress with the latest trend, it was refreshing to meet someone so uncomplicated, boasting of simple Modern Italian Fare — he knew what he had to offer. He wined and dined me by candlelight in his sleek new white digs. From the moment I laid eyes on the impressive bread menu (compliments of the house), it was love at first bite. I don’t like to pick favorites and luckily, I didn’t have to because Falai let me have my way with the entire...
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