1. Beauty & Essex
8.8
146 Essex St (btwn Stanton & Rivington St), New York, NY
Tapas Restaurant · Lower East Side · 579 tips and reviews
Kevin Vaughn: What a fabulous place. Strong cocktails and amazing food. My favorites are Grilled Cheese, Bacon and Tomato Soup Dumplings, Thai Shrimp and Chicken Meatballls. WOW!!
Teresa Cantwell: Free champaign in the bathroom. Okay
Thrillist: Beauty's got a nightly selection of crostinis (burrata, bone marrow...) called "Jewels on Toast", which unlike family jewels, your date will actually want to polish off. Read more.
2. Empanada Mama
8.7
95 Allen St (Broome & Delancy), New York, NY
Empanada Restaurant · Lower East Side · 35 tips and reviews
Javier Rodriguez: Mambo Italiano, spicy chicken, pernil, chorizo, brasil and cheesesteak are all good. Working my way through all of them
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.
6. Creperie
8.2
135 Ludlow St (at Rivington), New York, NY
Creperie · Lower East Side · 53 tips and reviews
Chris M: Honey, butter, lemon, & sugar. Great light snack.
New York Habitat: Great for quick, late night eats. Get the strawberry crepe with nutella or the strawberry & dulce de leche crepe. Yum!
Daniela Italo: Nutella+banana+strawberry=classic + amazing
7. Williamsburg Pizza
8.2
277 Broome St (at Allen St), New York, NY
Pizzeria · Lower East Side · 45 tips and reviews
Serious Eats: Some of our favorite slices in the city. Great specialty soda selection, too.
Akshay Patil: Apparently they make their own "People Hate Us on Yelp" stickers and will eagerly give you a few if you ask
Max Kessler: So dank. Dudes are bumping those classic jams while you can't decide from the bombbomb mushroom grandma, or a classic margarita slice. Just enough classiness, with a touch of grab a slice and bounce.
9. Sel Rrose
8.2
1 Delancey St (at Bowery), New York, NY
Cocktail Bar · Lower East Side · 123 tips and reviews
Nick: This is an oyster place first and foremost - the best I've had since moving from Boston to NYC. Avoid entrees if youre hungry, you can make the shrimp and chorizo skillet at home.
Billy Thomsen: Kiefer, a bartender here, is the best in all the land. If you have the pleasure of ordering a drink from him, tell him what you like, and he will execute to the Nth degree. He has a mustache.
Clyde Kelly J.: Great lounge. Amazing cocktails. Good dj on Thursday nights. And oyster happy hours. This is a great spot to chill on a weeknight.
10. Black Crescent
8.2
76 Clinton St (Rivington Street), New York, NY
Cocktail Bar · Lower East Side · 52 tips and reviews
Jon Steinback: grab a small table, a bottle of wine, some oysters, and a couple appetizers. perfect low-key dinner spot.
Denis Sosnovtsev: Oysters are good, but pricey. Hit the oyster happy hour from midnight to 1am daily for a late night snack. (99c)
Ellie Rountree: Holy amazing spot. Incredible bartenders, drinks and food. Get the smoked salmon and calamari. Not your typical eats. YAY. I LOVE IT HERE.
11. Wolfnights
8.1
99 Rivington St (Ludlow), New York, NY
Sandwich Spot · Lower East Side · 132 tips and reviews
Elizabeth O'Leary: Once Bitten is unreal. Can't wait to try all the others!
Dens: If you walk outside and stand in the intersection of Rivington & Ludlow, you're standing in the same spot the cover of the Beastie Boys second album "Paul's Boutique" was shot from. Read more.
BoweryBoogie: This was formerly the home of Three Monkeys, which was felled by fire. The Beastie Boys shot the cover of Paul's Boutique here. Read more.
13. 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.
14. Sons of Essex
7.7
133 Essex St (btwn Rivington & Stanton St), New York, NY
Speakeasy · Lower East Side · 169 tips and reviews
Tony Xerri: The Lump Crab Melts were insane. Tons of crab. The Wild Pacific Salmon followed up with an herb salad and was equally delicious. Ended meal with churros. Sons of Liberty cocktail is the way to go!
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.
Cyndi Berzow: Obsessed with the dj, the dance floor and the crowd. This place is a full party when you wanna dance like you did in college. Which I do. Every day.