2. Dirty French
8.0
180 Ludlow St (btwn Stanton & E Houston St), New York, NY
French Restaurant · Lower East Side · 142 tips and reviews
David Rosenberg: The lamb carpaccio, the terrine and the mushroom millefeuille (sup Pete Wells best NYC dishes of '14!) to start. And then the duck because obviously. Finish it with beignets.
Tian Xie: A lot has been said for the duck à l'orange (which was excellent), but the mushroom mille feuille is also an excellent appetizer.
Samantha 💃 Lopez: The grilled oysters and beignets were fantastic. Everything else in between was medium and over salted.
3. Beauty & Essex
8.7
146 Essex St (btwn Stanton & Rivington St), New York, NY
Tapas Restaurant · Lower East Side · 579 tips and reviews
Andrea Galambos: Fig crostini and short rib tamales were best, along with the nutella beignets. Order about 8 dishes for 5 people.
Tammy Gordon: Go for brunch & order the Vanilla Beignets, Three Cheese Fondue, Braised Short Rib Huevos Rancheros & Black Bottom Butterscotch Pot de Creme
Mike Chau: Try the Box Of Doughnuts - Vanilla beignets with chocolate hazelnut Creme and raspberry jam. Awesome.
4. Cafe d’Avignon
7.9
88 Essex St, New York, NY
Bakery · Lower East Side · 4 tips and reviews
Simrita Chopra: The goat cheese croissant was mouth melting, sublime and a must have at this spot in the market.
Jenny Ung: Love everything I’ve tried here. I like the baguette sandwiches (ham and turkey so far 👌🏼) and then the almond or ham and gruyere croissants are yummy. I also love that they sell half loaves!
Chris Phillips: Fun spot with amazing energy and creativity. The spinach quiche is unexpectedly sweet tasting. I’d skip it.
6. Pause Cafe
9.2
3 Clinton St (btwn E Houston & Stanton St), New York, NY
Juice Bar · Lower East Side · 128 tips and reviews
Jaclyn 💃🏻: Almond croissant. Do it.
Bailey Richardson: Amazing spread of healthy options (nut butter smoothies, açaí bowls, salads, sandwiches) plus coconut macarons. AND it’s affordable, family owned/ run & just expanded into a bigger cozy new spot.
Sophie Bakalar: One of my favorite places to work/read/chill. The decor is fun, everyone is friendly, and there are comfortable seats (plus WiFi and outlets!)
7. Russ & Daughters
9.3
179 E Houston St (btwn Allen & Orchard St), New York, NY
Gourmet Store · Lower East Side · 423 tips and reviews
Shuang Liang: First time brought a bagelwich, second time brought cinnamon babka, chocolate babka and a macaron. Love the cinnamon babka better, it had a balance between sweet and salt.
Bokyung Park: If you’re a fan of lox or salmon, this is the place you must visit. They also have Babka and macarons, which are also good.
Hannah GM: Amazing smoked fish and other appetizing specialities. Try the Gaspe Nova and belly lox, and don't forget to grab some pickles and whitefish salad (or their wasabi roe!) to go with it.
Fiona McKenzie: Best brioche & pancakes I have ever tasted!
Rong Nguyen: Cash only!!! French brioche banana w/ pecans was excellent, blueberries pancakes great warm & with dipping sauce. Sugar cured bacon for the Bacon lovers! Wait on a Monday at 11:30 was 30 mins
Jovana Obradovic: Have one savory dish & one sweet then SHARE. Never had pancakes as fluffy as these, waiters are nice, wait is 1-3hrs but they text you when you're table is ready so you don't have to wait outside 👌
12. Balvanera
8.9
152 Stanton St (Suffolk St.), New York, NY
Argentinian Restaurant · Lower East Side · 47 tips and reviews
Ambreen Molitor: If you're looking for a carb-free meal (or just incredible food), start with the burrata and ensalada verde. The carnes are all promising as well.
The New Yorker: Amelia Lester on the Argentine steak house: “Go with someone who loves you: the steaks come with a head of roasted garlic on the side, and there’s more in the chorizo.” Read more.
Ranu Rajkarnikar: Friendly service and great food in a beautiful space. Try the empanadas, ribeye steak and salmon crudo. You can get wine in a glass or carafe. Hidden gem!
PureWow: The cupcakes, doughnuts, éclairs and pretty much any other confection could go head-to-head with their gluten-full counterparts and still end up on top. Read more.
BUST Magazine: BEST vegan and gluten-free bakery in NYC. Try a uniquely flavored cupcake, such as their chocolate banana (chock full of banana chunks!) or brownie mocha.
Jackie Danicki: The best sugar-free, gluten-free baked goods anywhere. Heaven has a Babycakes, but so does NYC!
14. Verlaine Bar & Lounge
7.8
110 Rivington St (btwn Ludlow & Essex St.), New York, NY
Lounge · Lower East Side · 190 tips and reviews
Dex Blumenthal: Once you come here, you will never go anywhere else. Best Bloody Mary on the planet. Culinary genius meets ideal atmosphere.
Dens: Where I met @harryh for the first time (2005). It was a few mos before the dball/Goog deal went thru, but HarryH (a Goog eng) knew the deets & pitched me on wanting to work w/ us once we got to Goog.
Keith G.: Do a shot and live a little.
15. Mehanata Bulgarian Bar
7.4
113 Ludlow St (btwn Rivington & Delancey St.), New York, NY
Night Club · Lower East Side · 85 tips and reviews
Sergio Gomez: A must go place in a visit to NY. You will never be this happy anywhere else!!
Denis Sosnovtsev: Let's explain the "Ice Cage": For $20, you're thrown into a frozen glass room full of open vodka bottles in a Soviet soldier uniform. Frozen shot glass in hand, you get 2 minutes, all you can drink.
Advertising Week: Super fun! Be sure to take a trip to the toilet and check out the sink! Seriously.