Katz's Delicatessen. Brian Logan Photography/Shutterstock
The East Village and Lower East Side are artsy, international, stylish and eclectic – sprinkled with all the ingredients that make NYC sparkle. Seasoned by generations of immigrants and styled by a creative counterculture, these side-by-side neighborhoods anchor Manhattan’s coolest corner.
A bit of background
A flair for nonconformity is built into the area’s landscape. Take St Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery: originally constructed in 1799 when this section of the city was farmland, the building resists Manhattan’s orderly grid by standing at an angle. When NYC officials established its street plan in 1811, they spared off-kilter Stuyvesant St, which parallels the building. The road became a harbinger of what was coming: 200 years of residents who relished defying the norm.
Among the rabble-rousers were anarchist Emma Goldman, who arrived in the 19th century, as Eastern European Jews settled along the Lower East Side. Beatniks like Allen Ginsberg followed in the 1950s. Andy Warhol opened the now-defunct Electric Circus nightclub here in 1966. The Ramones brought power-chord punk to CBGB’s sweaty stage in 1974.
Life During Wartime, David Byrne’s lyrical take on an apocalyptic urban landscape – written while living on Avenue A in 1979 – captures the glorious grit defining the following decades. Squatters rioted in Tompkins Square Park. Puerto Rican newcomers planted gardens in burned-out building lots. RuPaul Charles ushered in a new era of drag at the now-defunct Pyramid. Jim Power, the “Mosaic Man,” turned lamp posts along St Marks Place into guerrilla-art monuments.
By the 21st century, both neighborhoods underwent glossy transformations, prompting some to argue “Bohemia is dead” (to quote Rent, the 1990s megahit musical born on these streets). Even so, the East Village and Lower East Side have never been better. Sure, CBGB is now a John Varvatos storefront, but many yesteryear holdouts remain – including Power’s art pieces – sharing walls with swanky cocktail clubs, trendy boutiques and cutting-edge performance halls. Let’s dive in.
Getting to and around the area
First, a bit of geography. The Lower East Side (LES) stretched from Canal to 14th St until somewhere around the 1950s, when real estate agents started marketing everything above Houston (pronounced “How-ston”) as the East Village. Houston is still the dividing line, with both neighborhoods flanked by Bowery and the East River. Avenue A in the East Village marks the start of Alphabet City, an East Village subsection running east to the waterfront. Dimes Square, an uber-trendy LES microneighborhood, sits around the intersection of Canal and Ludlow Sts.
The easiest way to access both neighborhoods is via subway. For the Lower East Side, take the B/D train to Grand St, or the F or J/M/Z to Delancey St-Essex St. For the East Village, take the L train to First or Third Aves, the 6 train to Astor Pl, or the F train to Second Ave.
Both neighborhoods are tailor-made for pedestrians. Orchard St is the Lower East Side’s cool-kid runway, while St Marks Place is the historic heart of the East Village. If you’re confident biking (a fast, efficient way to get around), grab a Citi Bike and stick to streets with clearly-marked cycling paths – like northbound First and southbound Second Aves. Otherwise, traffic gets gnarly.
Where to stay in the Lower East Side
Save
Let’s face it – NYC ain’t cheap. If you want to pinch pennies while staying somewhere stylish, try the Jane Hotel across town in the West Village. If you’re set on the LES, try Public Hotel – a sleek option from Studio 54 cofounder Ian Schrager. Be flexible with dates; you might snag a room for under $250.
Spend
Grab an upper floor at the citizenM Bowery for sweeping city views. The location, on the border between the Lower East Side and Nolita, is perfect for exploring downtown NYC on foot.
Spend More
Sleep steps from Dimes Square at Nine Orchard – a 1912 Beaux-Arts bank converted into a chic hotel. You don’t have to stay here to ogle the interior: grab a drink in the gorgeous Lobby Bar and look up. The ceiling is stunning.
Where to get coffee around the East Village and Lower East Side
In the East Village, head to Abraço for “icey bear” cold brew and olive-oil cake (it’s addictive – you’ve been warned). For something sweet, try Lê Phin’s Vietnamese iced coffee, made with sweetened condensed milk, or a pandan matcha latte.
While strolling through the LES, pop into Colbo – a clothing store with a tiny coffee counter. Don’t expect persnickety baristas; you’re coming here for the scene. Grab a seat on the outside bench and watch as crowds strut by on Orchard St.
Where to eat around the East Village and Lower East Side
Breakfast
New York City’s image as a global melting pot is most evident in kitchens simmering around these blocks. In the morning, stop by Scandinavian-inspired Smør bakery (or the sit-down sister restaurant), which serves egg sandwiches on fluffy brioche along with fresh-baked cardamom buns. Cardamom-bun crazed? Walk to La Cabra and decide which bakery does it best.
The baked-goods game here is competitive. Scarf down Danish treats with Middle Eastern flavors at Librae or pick up pretty laminated pastries at Supermoon Bakehouse. There are plenty of tasty bagel spots, too: drop by Tompkins Square Bagels for a classic BEC.
Lunch
Choose between Tex-Mex flour-tortilla tacos at Yellow Rose and Mexican pork-stuffed tacos at Carnitas Ramirez. You could also join cabbies scarfing down affordable Indian fare at Punjabi Deli or order Ukrainian varenyky (also called perogies) from Veselka.
The LES is famous for Jewish comfort food brought by Eastern European immigrants. If you’ve never had smoked meat in NYC, you’re obligated to get the pastrami sandwich from Katz’s Delicatessen, going strong since 1888. There’s usually a long line, but it moves quickly – and you’ll be rewarded with a rye-bread beauty stacked nearly a mile high with meat. Just don’t lose your ticket, which you’ll have to return on your way out, or else you’ll risk a hefty fine (even if you don’t end up ordering anything).
Dinner
Night-time options are endless. There’s authentic Thai at Soothr, sustainable sushi at Rosella and Moroccan at Cafe Mogador, a St Marks Place stalwart. Go cheap with thin-crust pizza from Scarr’s, the Orchard St slice shop where there’s perpetually a line. If you’re eating solo, snag a bar seat at cozy bistro Le French Diner. If you’re vegetarian (and even if you’re not), slide into a booth at Superiority Burger to order their namesake patty, best accompanied by the sweet potato side dish.
Top tip for eating out
If a restaurant takes reservations, try to make one. Finding seats for weekend brunch and dinner can be a nightmare. Doing some prep work several days in advance will save you a headache when you’re hungry.
Best bars in the East Village and Lower East Side
Craft cocktails practically run through the East Village’s veins. Ever since mixologists at bars like Death & Co and PDT hopped on the scene in the early 2000s, these nabes have been go-tos for sipping creative concoctions. Attaboy is one of the most popular spots du jour, famous for bespoke cocktails and even more famous for long wait times to get in. Queue up before opening to ensure you get a table, or go to sister bar Good Guys next door. It’s nearly as charming.
Oenophiles will appreciate the natural wine selection at Ruffian, including funky oranges from Eastern European vineyards. Hop heads should check out Proletariat – a skinny beer bar pouring hard-to-find brews. If you’re big on sake, sample the options at Alphabet City’s Accidental Bar. Reading the quirky menu descriptions is worth the trek to Avenue C.
Queer nightlife also thrives in the East Village, ranging from Club Cumming’s themed nights (check the calendar for open mics, drag shows and dance parties) to the Cock’s salacious basement antics.
Where to shop around the East Village and Lower East Side
For clothes
Fashion here gets cut from three cloths: high-end designer duds, street-smart threads and curated thrift. Bode sells fancy-boy statement pieces; Maryam Nassir Zadeh hocks minimalist femme fits. At Only NY, you’ll find NYC-themed street swag far more fashionable than an “I [heart] NY” tee. Then there’s the vintage shopping: 9th St is the epicenter of East Village thrift (start with Cobblestones), and Orchard St is the Lower East Side’s best bet (stop in Pilgrim).
For prints and paperbacks
Peek inside Archie’s Press – a print shop with letterpress art, including designer Archie Archambault’s signature circular city maps. Queer lit lovers will find luck at Bluestockings Cooperative – a collectively-run community space with books by queer, trans and sex-worker writers. At Mast Books, new and rare tomes get splayed out on tables like precious gems.
Best entertainment around the East Village and Lower East Side
Forget Madison Square Garden’s concerts and Broadway’s musicals. You can see equally talented performers for cheaper downtown, where the content is often more interesting and avant-garde.
If you’re big on theater, grab tickets at the Public – an incubator for big Broadway hits and up-and-coming playwrights. Joe’s Pub, the Public’s intimate cabaret space, hosts stage celebs, comics and musicians before (and after) they hit the big time. There’s also the Slipper Room, a hub for all bawdy variety acts. Check out PJ Adzima’s Saturday night show, Stage Time, blending burlesque, circus, drag and comedy. For inexpensive rock, pop and indie-music concerts, scan the line-up at Bowery Ballroom.
Best museums around the Lower East Side
History buffs can immerse themselves in the impoverished, inspiring immigrant heritage at the Tenement Museum. Small group tours explore the nooks and crannies of historically restored tenement apartments from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Follow it up by walking to the Museum at Eldridge Street – a Moorish-Gothic-Romanesque synagogue from 1887, once the center of Jewish life in the neighborhood. Don’t miss the stunning stained glass upstairs.
The New Museum, a contemporary art bastion, will reopen in September 2025 with a massive expansion doubling its exhibition space. The addition complements the original building’s Tetris-style architecture, worth admiring from the street.
Best weather-dependent activities in the East Village
When it’s sunny
Grab a bench in Tompkins Square Park – the East Village’s open-air living room, shared by prancing puppies, talented buskers, gritty ghosts from its punk past, plus a Sunday morning farmers market. You’ll find more green space in Alphabet City, where a collection of community-run gardens blossomed in the 1970s and now serve as the neighborhood’s green lungs. Most open to visitors between spring and autumn; check the Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens map for opening hours.
When it’s raining
Beeline for the Russian and Turkish Baths. People started shvitzing in this slender basement spa in 1892, and these days, the army of regulars represents the neighborhood’s dynamic diversity. You might sidle up in the sauna next to a budding ballet dancer, hop in the cold plunge with an Orthodox Jewish grandpa or join a gaggle of Millennial friends sipping beer on the tiny rooftop. Most hours are co-ed and clothed; some blocks are men- and women-only, when clothing is optional.