New York City New York City Lower East Side Food

Yonah Schimmel Knishery, 137 E. Houston St. (www.yonahschimmel.com), As a sign in this famous knishery says, “You don't have to be Jewish to eat a knish.” Very true. And for 100 years, Yonah Schimmel's people have offered their fluffy, delectable knishes to Jews and gentiles alike. They come in all flavors: classics include potato, mushroom, and vegetable, while some cheese knish options are apple, blueberry, chocolate, or apple strudel. They also sell generous portions of homemade kugel ($5) and homemade yogurt, borscht, and soup ($6). So try a knish. And per the directions on a different sign, maybe “Send knishes to your mother in Florida.” Knishes $3.50, cheese knishes $4. Homemade yogurt, borscht, soup $6. Latkes $2. Kugel $5. Coffee and tea $1.25. Open M-Th 9am-7pm, F-Sa 9am-8pm, Su 9am-7pm. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access.
Doughnut Plant, 379 Grand St., at Norfolk St. (www.doughnutplant.com), The Doughnut Plant: delivering circular happiness to New York's Lower East Side for a century. They offer both smaller, dense cake doughnuts ($2.25-3) and larger fluffy yeast doughnuts ($2-2.50). With a taste for adventure, these creative bakers move beyond the bounds of your everyday flavors, developing treats such as the lavender flower doughnut and tres leches. A cup of organic coffee ($1-1.50) or milk from the milk bar ($2-2.50) completes this delicious snack! Tea $1.50-3. Open Tu-Su 6:30am-7pm (until doughnuts are sold out). Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Schiller's Liquor Bar, 131 Rivington St., at Norfolk St. (www.schillersny.com), Remember the song about 99 bottles of beer on a wall? At Schiller's, they have literally hundreds of numbered bottles of..well, maybe it's not beer, but it's certainly alcoholic. The wine on the menu is conveniently classified as “Cheap” ($6 glass, $15 carafe), “Decent” ($7 glass, $19 carafe), and “Good” ($8 glass, $21 carafe), so you know exactly what you're getting yourself into. Cocktails are very site-specific, with options such as the Delancey, New York Sour, and Jerry Thomas Manhattan ($12). The food items are similarly New-York-minded (New York Strip $29). And you don't have to be engaging in heavy drinking or eating to hang out here; the free Wi-Fi encourages many a laptop user to linger awhile. Appetizers $8-12. Salads and sandwiches $11-17. Entrees $14.50-29. Desserts $7. Beer $4-6. Wine $6-15. Carafe of mixed drinks $12. Open M-W 11am-1am, Th 11am-2am, F 11am-3am, Sa 10am-3am, Su 10am-midnight. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Has internet. Serves alcohol.
Pink Pony, 176 Ludlow St., between Houston and Stanton St. (www.pinkponynyc.com), When you sit at your little, pink rose-embellished table, be prepared to be whisked away on a culinary journey to Paris. Executed in the style of an endearingly-cluttered French cafe, the Pink Pony is filled with books, oversized wine bottles, and photographs of celebrities past and present. Franco-favorites on the menu include steak au poivre ($22) and crème brûlée ($8). If your visit is brunch-oriented, ask about the pancakes du jour ($8). Entrees $8.75-22. Salads $6-9. Appetizers $6-12. Sandwiches $8-11. Brunch $1.75-10. Beer $6. Wine $8-$11. Open daily 10am-1am. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Sugar Sweet Sunshine, 126 Rivington St., at Essex St. (www.sugarsweetsunshine.com), Sugar Sweet Sunshine is a bakery's bakery, and their cupcakes are the most formidable of their achievements. Other bakeries would be content with merely chocolate, vanilla, and maybe a few different colors of frostings. Not so here. The cupcake flavors are perfectly paired with icings for an explosively tasty indulgence. Pumpkin cake with cream cheese ice cream. Coconut cake with meringue. Red velvet cake with almond buttercream. It's just too exquisite to be true. Cupcakes $1.50, 1 dozen $18. Mini cupcake $1. Layer cakes $25-200. Cheesecake slice $5, whole cake $45. Mini Cheesecake $1.50-2. Cookies $0.50-$0.75 each. Muffins $2. Brownies $2.50. Pudding from $4. Coffee and tea $1-$4.50. Open M-Th 8am-10pm, F 8am-11pm, Sa 10am-11pm, Su 10am-7pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Freeman's, Freeman Alley, off Rivington St. (www.freemansrestaurant.com), Walk down this graffiti alley and you will suddenly feel as though you have entered somebody's 19th-century cottage on the Hudson. The walls have lots of taxidermy: we're talking deer, birds, a wild boar of some variety, and lots of antlers. The menu has a wild-game flavor, with an emphasis on trout. At lunch, you can order both the smoked trout with hard boiled egg, horseradish cream, and toast ($11) and the Grilled Eden Brook trout with thyme, garlic, and lemon ($16). The soup of the day is generally a unique and tasty starting option. Appetizers $6-15. Lunch entrees $9-16, dinner entrees $13-26. Brunch $10-14. Desserts $7-9. Wine $9-20. Beer $6-12. Open M-F 11am-4pm and 6pm-11:30pm, Sa-Su 10am-4pm and 6-11:30pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Kossar's Bialys, 367 Grand St., between Essex and Norfolk St. Bialys are legit New York, and these bialys, baked under the kosher supervision of Rabbi Shmuel Fishelis, are about as legitimate as they come. Kossar's also happens to be New York's oldest bialy bakery, and true bagel and bialy connoisseurs know that this is their best option for fresh, fluffy bialys. The bakery closes on Friday nights but opens after Shabbat for an all-night bialy-selling extravaganza that doesn't end until 8pm on Sunday. Bialys $0.90. Bagels $1. Small bulka $1, large bulka $2. Sesame stick $1. Mini onion disk $1. Mini bagel $0.90, low-carb bagel $1.75. Open M-Th 6am-8pm, F 6am-3pm, Sa sundown-Su 8pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Clinton St. Baking Company, 4 Clinton St., by E. Houston St. (www.clintonstreetbaking.com), The delicious fare here is all American in one sense or another: Southern Breakfast ($14), Po' Boy Catch of the Day ($15), Huevos Rancheros ($14), etc. The decadent bakery and dessert items (blueberry cheesecake, chocolate-banana cream pie, $7, $10 a la mode) are perhaps the best part (these desserts definitely would not be found in a Lower East Side tenement!). Breakfast $9-15. Lunch $10-16. Appetizers $8-12. Entrees $13-23. Desserts $3-9. Beer $6-15. Wine $8-13. Open M-F 8am-4pm and 6-11pm, Sa 9am-4pm and 6-11pm, Su 9am-6pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
The Pickle Guys, 39 Essex St., between Grand and Hester (www.nycpickleguys.con), Prepare to have your mind blown by a pickle! These guys have barrels and barrels of them just waiting for you to take away and enjoy. Prefer other types of pickled produce? No problem. Choose from a long list of specialties: pickled carrots, pickled turnips, pickled celery, sour kraut, there is probably nothing in the world they can't pickle. 1 pickle $0.75, 3 pickles $2, 1 quart $6.25, 1 pint plum tomatoes $4, 1 pint pickled string beans $7. Platters $23-37. Open M-Th 9am-6pm, F 9am-4pm, Su 9am-6pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Teany, 90 Rivington St., between Orchard and Ludlow St. (www.teanyny.com), When your name is Teany, being adorable is pretty much part of the description. Every detail, from the matching yellow flowers in miniature vases to the coordinated mint green walls and microsuede couch in the petite interior to the Lilliputian bottles of water, is properly precious. The menu focuses heavily on vegan and vegetarian-friendly items (vegan BLT $6.50), though it also lists plenty of healthy options for meat-consumers (mango chutney chicken sandwich $10). Creative drink possibilities include various flavors of Italian sodas ($3.50) and French sodas (Italian soda with half and half or soymilk $4). Breakfast $3.50-9.50, salads $9-12. Sandwiches and pressed baguettes $6.50-10. Appetizers $5-10. Entrees $10-14. Beverages $2.50-4. Beer $7. Wine $8-10. Open M-Th 10am-midnight, F 10am-1am, Sa 9am-1am, Su 9am-midnight. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access.
Tiengarden, 170 Allen St., between Stanton and Rivington St. (www.tiengardener.com), A health-oriented establishment where they have replaced all animal products with nutritious, plant-based foods. You can't go wrong with the noodle dishes ($9), which come in a variety of types: sesame noodles, buckwheat noodles, udon noodles, and rice noodles are available. If you really want to take control of your meal, try the i-Dish ($10), which allows you to pick up to 4 veggies or proteins and a sauce. The vegan floats, smoothies, and sundaes ($4.50-6.50) should not be overlooked for a glorious vegan finale! Sandwiches and wraps $6-8. Appetizers $6. Entrees $9-13. Vegan ice cream $3.50-6.50. Smoothies $4.50. Open daily noon-10pm. Weekend brunch noon-4pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Falai, 68 Clinton St., between Stanton and Rivington (www.falainyc.com), If you get tired of New York pizza and bagels, though it's hard to imagine that you could, try the daring culinary skills of the chefs at Falai. It's safe to say that you will never have tasted some of the ingredients on the menu—at least not in these combinations! The Spaghetti Chitarra ($19) contains “laughing bird shrimp, parsley pesto, fried parsley, cannellini beans” and “sea urchins.” Not even the dessert menu is predictable. For a particularly dramatic finish, try the Elementi (Banana Raviolo, lychee and coconut caviar, almond financier, pineapple frozen air, $11). Appetizers $13-16. Pastas $16-22. Fish $25-26. Meat $28-30. Wine bottles $12-16. Desserts $4-20. Open M-Th 6-10:30pm, Sa-Su 6-11pm, Su 5:30-10:30pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Serves alcohol. Has outdoor seating.