Lower East Side Neighborhood Guide

Find delicious Jewish delicacies and bargains on Manhattan's Lower East Side

Once the world's largest Jewish community, the Lower East Side is now best known for great shopping bargains and delicious food. Bargain hunters will enjoy the many shops along Orchard Street, which are well known for offering clothing and shoes at great prices. Along other neighborhood streets you can find great deals on housewares, lighting and linens. Sundays are the best weekend days for visiting the Lower East Side, as many shop owners close on Saturdays to observe the Sabbath. From pickles and knishes to bialys and corned beef sandwiches, many stores and restaurants feature delicious foods reflecting the Jewish heritage of the Lower East Side. The Lower East Side is also home to one of New York City's most impressive museums, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Housed in a former tenement building, the museum offers visitors a glimpse into neighborhood life during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Lower East Side Map

Lower East Side Subways:

• F
  - Delancey Street (transfer to J, M, Z also available)
  - East Broadway
• B, D
  - Grand Street
• J, M, Z
  - Essex (transfer to F also available)

Lower East Side Neighborhood Boundaries

• Houston Street
• Canal Street
• FDR Drive

Lower East Side Architecture

• Breaks from the uptown grid structure with smaller streets that run at a variety of angles.
• Many of the remaining 19th century tenement buildings have been converted to apartments.
• Buildings housing both current and former Synogogues reflect the strength of the Jewish community on the Lower East Side.

Lower East Side Restaurants

• Katz's Delicatessen
• 'Inoteca
• Il Laboratorio del Gelato
• Paladar
• WD-50

Lower East Side Attractions

• Tenement Museum
• Museum at Eldridge Street Synagogue
• SoHo/Lower East Side Museums

Lower East Side Shopping

• Orchard Street vendors (many closed Saturdays)
• Pickle Guys
• Essex Street Market
• Economy Candy
• Lower East Side Shopping Directory
• Russ & Daughters - smoked fish, caviar, etc.