The Lower East Side is one of the most interesting neighbourhoods in New York City. It’s particularly known for its Jewish history, but the Lower East Side has been a melting pot of different cultures as waves of immigration swept into New York City over the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, the Lower East Side is still one of the best places to go to find traditional Jewish cuisine, but is also home to some of the coolest bars in New York City. I wrote this Lower East Side neighborhood guide after living in New York City for two years, living right by the LES in Nolita. Don’t miss the Tenement Museum, the Museum at Eldridge Street, Katz’ Deli or Bar Goto.
In the late 19th century, nearly 85% of Jewish immigrants to America moved to New York City, and 75% of those immigrants moved to the Lower East Side. The Lower East Side became one of the most densely populated Jewish communities on the planet. The Lower East Side was also home the garment district and factories, and attracted immigrants from all over the world but in particular from Ireland, Vietnam and Puerto Rico, over the 19th and 20th centuries.
Where is the Lower East Side?
The Lower East Side is located in downtown Manhattan, south of East Village, east of Nolita and Little Italy and northeast of Chinatown. The Bowery is one of the main streets running through the Lower East Side, but this street is better avoided.
The Best Things to do on the Lower East Side
The best things to do on the Lower East Side are to visit the Tenement Museum, marvel at the Museum at Eldridge Street & Eldridge Street Synagogue and take the Tenements, Tales & Tastes food walking tour of the neighbourhood with Urban Adventures.
The Tenement Museum
The Tenement Museum is one of New York City’s greatest historical treasures, and is the best thing to do on the Lower East Side. The Museum offers tours of historically recreated apartments, restored to as they would have been throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Spread across two buildings, the apartment tours step back in time to bring the stories of real immigrant families to life. There is no traditional museum, the only experience is an apartment tour, or a walking tour of the neighbourhood. I’ve visited twice, once on my own and once with my family when they visited us in New York – it was a hit! Booking your tour in advance is essential.
The Museum at Eldridge Street & Synagogue
A National Historic Landmark, the Museum at Eldridge Street is housed in the Eldridge Street Synagogue, which has to be one of the most beautiful places in New York City. A visit to the Museum at Eldridge Street is easily one of the best things to on the Lower East Side, to appreciate the Jewish history in the area and to marvel at a truly spectacular space. The Eldridge Street Synagogue was the first purpose built synagogue in America, built by Jewish Eastern European people. Other synagogues had been converted from former halls or other buildings, so this one holds a special place in Jewish history in America.
Tenements, Tales & Tastes Food Walking Tour
Food & history walking tours are my favourite tours to take in any new city. The Tenements, Tales & Tastes tour from Urban Adventures is one of the best food & walking tours I’ve ever done, and I highly recommend it to all visitors to New York City who are interested in history. This walking tour takes you through the Financial District, Chinatown, Little Italy & the Lower East Side, and does an excellent job of exploring the immigrant history of Lower Manhattan.
M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden
The M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden is a peaceful pocket, perfect for keeping up your sleeve for when you need a break from the chaos of Manhattan. The garden was founded in the 1980s by the Roosevelt Park Community Commission, to be a stabilising and positive force in a community which was becoming overrun by drugs and crime. The garden encourages community members to be resourceful and also participate in community life. The name ‘M’Finda Kalunga Garden’ means ‘garden at the edge of the other side of the world’ in the Kikongo language, and is named in memorial of the African Americans buried at a mid 19th century African American burial ground on nearby Chrystie Street (now underneath the New Museum).
The Best Places to Eat on the Lower East Side
Katz Delicatessen
Katz Deli doesn’t need much of an introduction, but in case you’re wondering about the hype – it’s the setting for an iconic scene in When Harry Met Sally. While Katz is firmly on the tourist trail, it’s a genuine institution that is still frequented by New Yorkers as well. Order a pastrami on rye (a monster sandwich!), and don’t lose the ticket handed to you when you walk in!
Russ & Daughters
Russ & Daughters does some of the bagels in New York City. Founded in 1904 by Joel Russ, a Jewish immigrant from Poland, Russ & Daughters was the first business in America to use “& Daughters” in its name, and is one of a handful remaining examples of a Jewish appetizing store. Not to be confused with a deli, an appetizing store sells things to go with bagels: smoked fish, salads, spreads and other dairy products. Jewish dietary laws prohibited meat & dairy from being sold together, with meat products sold at delicatessens, and dairy and fish sold at appetizing stores. Russ & Daughters feels a bit less touristy than Katz.
Yonah Shimmels
Yonah Shimmels is the last remaining knish bakery, or knishery, in Manhattan that makes knishes on-site, and serve them piping hot fresh out of the oven. A traditional knish is mashed potato wrapped in dough, but you can also get dessert knishes filled with cream cheese and blueberry. This is a classic Jewish food, and it’s such a precious piece of living history to have it still operating on the Lower East Side. Knishes are heavy, hearty, cheap and delicious!
Golden Diner
Okay, so technically this is Two Bridges, but it’s right next to the Lower East Side, and it’s the best diner in New York City. Golden Diner is a new, fresh remake of the classic New York City diner, with a nod to its proximity to Chinatown, with the Chinatown Egg & Cheese Sando. Two Bridges is an odd area, but it’s worth the walk!
Morgenstein’s Finest Ice Cream
For the best ice cream in New York City, head to Morgensterns. Made without preservatives or additive stabilisers, Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream serves out of this world flavours from their Lower East Side flagship. The menu categorises their creative flavours in groups of flavours like Chocolate, Strawberry, Classic, Caramel and more.
The Best Bars on the Lower East Side
Sel Rrose
Sel Rrose is one of the best bars in New York City, and one of my personal favourites from when I lived nearby. Sel Rrose attracts a quintessential downtown crowd, and is one of the loveliest bars on the Lower East Side, without being too scenery.
Bar Goto
Owner Kenta Goto brings Tokyo’s incredible bar scene to New York City to Bar Goto, one of the coolest bars on the Lower East Side. Small, always packed and yet never pretentious, Bar Goto has been recognised as one of the best bars in the USA.
Mr Purple
Now this is a scene, but it’s fun. Mr Purple is a rooftop bar on the Lower East Side, located on the 15th floor of Hotel Indigo. Getting in isn’t guaranteed, but if all else fails, you’ve got Bar Goto around the corner.
Ray’s
Ray’s styles itself as a hometown style bar, but with the extra cachet of being owned by celebrities Justin Theroux and Nicholas Braun (Cousin Greg in Succession). It’s warm, inviting and looks refreshingly low key, but its high profile owners makes it a bit of a hotspot.