Contra is a Lower East Side restaurant that serves a rotating menu of seasonal, experimental dishes, and wine that’s cooler than you are.

You’ll leave Gem on the Lower East Side excited for the future of vegetables, meat, and dining out.

Birria LES is a fast-casual spot on the Lower East Side that serves great mulitas and tacos.

May Kaidee is a small vegan Thai spot in LES with great curries.

Reception Bar on the Lower East Side makes great Korean-inspired cocktails using lots of fresh produce.

Double Chicken Please is a fun bar on the Lower East Side with a rotating menu of cocktails and great fried chicken sandwiches.

Kabisera is a Filipino restaurant in LES that constantly hosts pop-ups and changes its menu (in the best way possible).

Smashed on the LES serves perfectly seasoned smash burgers and has a small patio that’s great for people watching.

Dhamaka is an Indian restaurant in Essex Market on the Lower East Side serving fantastic regional specialties that are hard to find elsewhere in NYC.

Factory Tamal on the Lower East Side is one of the best places in the city to get a tamale.

Ben’s Gourmet Deli is a bodega on Ave B and 3rd that sells delicious Mexican food.

Mi Salsa Kitchen on the Lower East Side serves Cuban food that you should consider for your next casual weeknight dinner.

Cibao, a Dominican spot on the LES, has been open in the neighborhood for over 40 years. It's one of our go-to spots when we want a great Cubano.

Enjoy some beef wieners or a pastrami sandwich at Schaller & Weber at The Market Line on the Lower East Side.

Arancini Bros in Essex Market sells and packages sweet and savory deep-fried rice balls in egg cartons.

This Peruvian spot in Essex Market has rotisserie chickens spinning at all times, and that’s exactly what you should order.