1. Balvanera
8.9
152 Stanton St (Suffolk St.), New York, NY
Argentinian Restaurant · Lower East Side · 47 tips and reviews
Kate Furman: Come here and share with friends/date. Highly recommend the empanadas and skirt steak. Good spot for a date.
David Ambrose: beef empanadas, skirt steak (medium rare) and rib eye (medium rare)! also, eat all the roasted garlic!
Claudia Mora: The empanadas were delicious, the squash/farro salad spectacular and the chorizo amazing. Don’t forget to get the skirt steak (amazing to share). I will definitely come back!
2. Tijuana Picnic
6.9
151 Essex St, New York, NY
Mexican Restaurant · Lower East Side · 49 tips and reviews
AmateurConcierge: Reasonably priced, though the dishes are on the small side. The churros are the best I've had in Manhattan and the skirt steak tacos were really tasty. Don't expect the elote to live up to Habana
Whit Walker: Short rib skewers were absolutely amazing. Very unique flavor. The skirt steak was also excellent. Such a great vibe here.
Caroline Toff: Great cocktails! The guac app was a bit small but the entree (steak) made up for it. Overall nice atmosphere, it's mostly communal tables unless you have a big group. Try getting there before 7:30pm!
3. Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya
8.0
187 Orchard St (btwn E Houston & Stanton St), New York, NY
Sushi Restaurant · Lower East Side · 133 tips and reviews
Alexis Candee: It's the best Japanese house salad you'll ever have, and enough for 2. Sit at the comfy bar. Try the rock shrimp skewer and skirt steak appetizer. Fried chicken is worth trying at least once!
Stephany: Excellent sushi. Super spendy and super worth it. The surprise of the night was the oxtail and bone marrow fried rice. It was amazeballs. Miso cod was good too but raw fish > cooked.
Michael Karnjanaprakorn: Fried Chicken Wings + Oxtail & Bone Marrow Fried Rice
Marc: Food Network's Top 5 "Best of Holidays": #3 Skirt Steak, Greeven & Schmaltz
J Crowley: One of the most fun dinners I've had. Guy on the piano is incredible. You'll end up eating more food than you can imagine, drinking more vodka than humanly possible, and dancing with total strangers!
Andrew Cerda: $55 Prix Fixe buys you all the potatoes (+meat) you can eat. $300 buys you a bottle of Vodka in ice. So, just bring like $101 and you'll be fine. Also, try the Hora. It's fun.
6. Sons of Essex
7.7
133 Essex St (btwn Rivington & Stanton St), New York, NY
Speakeasy · Lower East Side · 169 tips and reviews
Sam Brown: Roll on in for Brunch and get the Steak & Huevos, spiced skirt steak with sunny-side up eggs on a cast-iron heated plate. Careful: HOT!
Lauren Mac: Fun bar/restaurant with happy hour deals on tasty cocktails like the "Pimm's chalice" or the "Bomb Fizzle" or the "Snoop Dogg." Solid truffle fries and a juicy burger too.
The Wall Street Journal: Cocktails are $5 during happy hour (compared to the usual $13). The two most popular are the Delancey Farm and the Moscow Five Points with Chinese 5 spice, agave and fresh muddled ginger. Read more.
7. Vandal
199 Bowery, New York, NY
Tapas Restaurant · Lower East Side · 88 tips and reviews
Nikhil Varty: Skirt steak fried rice
Jin Moon: Every room has been designed by different artist. If you have the money, try 50 day aged tomahawk ribeye with cup of Moet rose. They make the experience AMAZING!
Natalie Walker: Beautiful funky decor w/multiple dining rooms & downstairs lounge. Res made 1 wk prior rec. A+ food! Delish drinks but pricey ($17). Sat nights are insanely packed. Make a separate res for lounge.
8. One Mile House
10 Delancey St (btwn Bowery & Chrystie St.), New York, NY
Beer Bar · Lower East Side · 108 tips and reviews
Alan Morton: Awesome craft beer bar - good whiskey too 9/10
Alex Rainert: These bartenders don't fuck around when it comes to Maker's on the rocks. Order one and prepare to get your shit crunk.
Untappd: Right in the heart of the LES, sits this awesome bar with amazing draft lists and good food selection. It has two bars different bars on either side for your seating pleasure!
9. Kuma Inn
113 Ludlow St (at Delancey St), New York, NY
Asian Restaurant · Lower East Side · 102 tips and reviews
Amy Coates: Tuna tartare is great. Edamame is an awesome twist from traditional with lime and basil. Rice crepes were also great, crispy on the outside, chewy inside with a killer sauce. Coconut rice yum too!
Dens: Feels more cool than the food is good (hidden staircase, no sign). Pass on the paella, but shoot for the chinese sausages. ps: BYOB.
Jeremy Kuriloff: Easy to miss - go through the red doors and up the stairs! Mushrooms/bamboo was delicious, but the reason to come here is the "hidden" vibe + BYOB!!
12. Casa Mezcal
7.0
86 Orchard St (btwn Broome & Grand St), New York, NY
Mexican Restaurant · Lower East Side · 121 tips and reviews
Brian Toth: Came here for Sunday brunch... The chips and guacamole are the best in NYC... Margaritas are handcrafted... Friendliest service. Great hidden Mexican food gem.
Thrillist: This three-floor ode to Oaxacan culture features a top level art gallery, subterranean cinema/music venue, and a street level festive mescaleria. Read more.
Bill McLean: They do, in fact, have waiters.
13. Hotel Chantelle
7.3
92 Ludlow St (btwn Delancey & Broome St), New York, NY
Cocktail Bar · Lower East Side · 239 tips and reviews
Eric Grant: Excellent, friendly service. Go before 9pm on the weekends to avoid the crowd and get the short ribs.
Rachel H: This is the place to come if you want to pay a lot to be treated like shit by assholes who probably are not smart enough to tie their own shoes.
Matt Newberg: The rudest women in the world await you at the door. They must have not been loved enough as children...
15. Empanada Mama
8.7
95 Allen St (Broome & Delancy), New York, NY
Empanada Restaurant · Lower East Side · 35 tips and reviews
Jay DiPietro: The shredded chicken and shredded beef whole wheat empanadas are incredible — juicy and flavorful.
Zack Sheppard: The new location for a LES staple since they got kicked out of their last space (for a luxury condo, of course).
Steve Dean: Having walked 3 bridges and many miles, you'll have surely worked up an appetite by now, so grab a quick, but filling bite here before you start drinking. Try the viagra empanada. You won't regret it.