Originally Posted by
muji
I noticed this thread. We will be staying a few days on the Lower East Side this summer. Are there a few more places in the same $3-25 range (but preferably $3-18 range) you could add to the ones that you listed?
Sure: Congee Village (Chinese), Cafe Katja (Austrian), Little Giant (Hipster/New American), the Meatball Shop (meatballs!), Soy (homestyle Japanese), Antibes (low-key French) and El Maguey Y La Tuna (Mexican) are all places in the $10-15 range we've been back to more than once--some of them many times. Vanessa's Dumpling House is another dumpling place worth trying if North Dumpling doesn't do it for you (North Dumpling is a little cheaper and much more low key, but Vanessa's is a little cleaner, has a more orderly system for taking orders, and has a wider variety of dumplings on offer--both are very tasty). And there are many more excellent inexpensive places in the 'hood. If you're a food tourist staying on the LES, other places worth checking out include Doughnut Plant, Pickle Guys, Kossar's, Falai Paneteria, Russ & Daughters and Katz's. And you might enjoy browsing the Hester Street Fair (weekends only) and Essex Street Market.