One of New York's most dynamic—and diverse—restaurant scenes is sprouting in a neighborhood once better known for lox and knishes (you can still get those, too). Here are a few of our favorites.
146 Essex St (btwn Stanton & Rivington St), Nueva York, NY
Restaurante de tapas · Lower East Side · 580 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: Beautiful people, tufted sofas, killer cocktails, shared plates (try the grilled cheese with smoked bacon and tomato soup dumplings)—and complimentary pink champagne served in the ladies’ room.
153 Rivington St (Clinton & Suffolk), Nueva York, NY
Local de tacos · Lower East Side · 56 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: The cult favorite food truck’s first brick-and-mortar location in Manhattan serves up wallet-friendly tacos, burritos, and stone-ground jalapeno-cheddar grits.
17 Orchard St (btwn Hester & Canal St), Nueva York, NY
Restaurante inglés · Chinatown · 223 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: Meals here start, aptly enough, with a gratis plate of radishes. Dishes are lighter and more vegetarian-friendly than your average gastropub. Case in point: sweet pea pot pie.
84 Stanton St (btwn Allen & Orchard St), Nueva York, NY
Restaurante italiano · Lower East Side · 624 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: The mix-and-match menu of meatballs, sauces, and sides is worth the wait at this super-casual, deliciously simple spot. Save room for an ice cream sandwich on homemade cookies.
Restaurante de nueva cocina americana · Lower East Side · 97 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: Globally-inspired dishes are inventive, if on the small side. The real draw is the exceptionally well chosen wine list, which spans the world from Oregon to Lebanon.
137 Rivington St (btwn Norfolk & Suffolk St.), Nueva York, NY
Restaurante tailandés · Lower East Side · 77 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: Forget gloopy delivery pad thai. Portland’s Andy Ricker has perfected the noodle dish—which comes five ways here—in a tiny, skinny-tabled space.
179 E Houston St (btwn Allen & Orchard St), Nueva York, NY
Tienda Gourmet · Lower East Side · 422 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: The legendary Jewish "appetizing" store—selling smoked salmon, herring, and bagels with a schmear—recently added caviar, a nod to the neighborhood's increasing gentrification.
Bar de vinos · Lower East Side · 44 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: Pastas star at this cozy Piedmontese spot—we love the lamb ragu. The two-course prix fixe dinner menu, available Tuesday through Saturday, is a good deal.
126 Rivington St (btwn Essex & Norfolk), Nueva York, NY
Tienda de magdalenas · Lower East Side · 249 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: The best-kept cupcake secret in New York, where the perfectly sized treats cost just $1.75. Stick with the straightforward “Bob,” yellow cake with chocolate almond buttercream.
Travel + Leisure: Bivalve lovers should grab a seat at the marble-topped bar for oyster shooters; the dining room has more seafood favorites like Dungeness crab cake and lobster and chips.
79 Clinton St (btwn Rivington & Delancey St), Nueva York, NY
Restaurante chino · Lower East Side · 96 tips y reseñas
Travel + Leisure: Start with stir-fried mushrooms at this brick-walled Chinese restaurant that imbues local produce with Yunnanese flavors. Other highlights: sausage fried rice, shredded chicken with taro.