Category: East Village

Reviews of East Village Restaurants

  • 65 Fourth Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets 212/388.0088 about $40 for two, with drinks, with tip ♥ ♥ Shigemi Kawahara became Japan’s Ramen King after winning three consecutive years in a TV program against other ramen chefs. After twenty years in business, people still line up outside his Ippudo branches in Japan. This East…

  • End of Freeman Alley, off Rivington Street between the Bowery and Chrystie Street 212/420.0012 about $80 for two, with drinks, with tip ♥ Package something well and watch the people come. This seems to be Freemans’ motto and it works. First, the location that still confuses people who do not hang-out in the area: where…

  • 171 1st Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets 212/777-7773 about $58 for two, with one beer, with tip ♥ ♥ Updated: My bad. Momofuku Ko is still under construction in what used to be the original space of Momofuku Noodle Bar. Thanks, Zach. Is there a stronger English word than savory that can describe the…

  • 141 First Avenue between St. Mark’s Place and 9th Street 212/529.2740 about $30 each for three, with sake, with tip ♥ What shoyu, or soy sauce, ramen is to Rai Rai Ken is shio to Setagaya. Shio, or salt, ramen is the only type available at Setagaya, so you better like it more than you…

  • 108 East 4th Street between First and Second Avenues 212/228.4885 about $170 for two tasting menus with wine pairings, without tip ♥ ♥ ♥ It’s almost unheard of in New York City to pay $45 for a six-course tasting menu. At Knife + Fork, chef and owner Damien Brassel pulls it off without sacrificing taste…

  • 45 Bond Street between Lafayette and Bowery 212/529.8600 $120 for two, with 3 drinks, with tip ♥ ♥ It was a Monday night and Mercat has only been open for three days, yet the decibel level made it seem like it was a Thursday night. The place is packed; the white tiles immediately reminded me…

  • 47 Bond Street between Lafayette and Bowery 212/533.1932 $180 for four people with a bottle of wine, without tip ♥ We wanted to eat at Il Buco ever since we walked by one night and took a peek inside. Candles were lit that made the ambiance romantic and rustic at the same time. We just…

  • 21 Saint Marks Place between 2nd and 3rd Avenues 212/529.4805 $25 each for three, with three beers, with tip ♥ ♥ ♥ The Chipotle opened along St. Marks opened first and then the vending-machine store BAM! made headlines. When I saw the Grand Sichuan open, I only thought, Great, I don’t have to go to…

  • 309 East 5th Street between First and Second Avenues 212/254.2244 $25 each for three, with three beers, with tip ♥ ♥ ♥ As soon as the the Dr. had a slurp of Soba Koh’s broth, he said, Sobaya has been crushed. Now, we like Sobaya, our usual Sunday lunch destination, but we’ve been wanting something…

  • 54 East 1st Street between First and Second Avenues 212/677.6221 about $75 for three, without drinks, without tip ♥ ♥ Prune’s selections are influenced by different cuisines and that’s exactly what I liked about Chef Gabrielle Hamilton’s style. The tripe is a must-try even though you don’t like tripe. In Barcelona, I ate a lot…

  • One Fifth Avenue on 8th Street 212/995.9559 $90 for three, with several drinks, with tip ♥ ♥ When a group of my friends and I just want a laid-back night with good food but can’t afford the other Batali establishments, we end up at Otto where we can eat thin-crust pizzas cooked on a flat-iron…

  • 207 2nd Avenue corner of 13th Street 212/254.3500 $9 for one, with a drink, without tip ♥ ♥ ♥ Remember when the Lambs were all over 5th Street opening up to five restaurants in the area? Two of them, a Korean grill, now Degustation, and Makimono, now occupied by Jack Oyster Bar that was around…