By: Linda Li
With all of the new Michelin recommended, Zagat rated restaurants in the Lower East Side, it is easy to become overwhelmed just looking for lunch nowadays. Like with most big cities, there are the places the tourists frequent and the places the locals keep to themselves. These hidden gems are typically small and wedged between boutiques, bodegas, and bars. After the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the quota system limiting the rate of incoming immigrants per country, was lifted. Not only did the demographics of the nation rapidly change, Lower East Side became home to many after reaching Ellis Island.
It is in these cramped little restaurants the history of neighborhood can be told through food – usually at a great deal as well. This culinary treasure hunt will definitely satisfy any late night cravings for authentic ethnic food without spending four-star restaurant prices. As gentrification has successfully revamped the neighborhood yet again, New Yorkers look for authentic ethnic food in this culinary hub.
“We came down from 153th street to spend the day in the city. This is our first stop,” says Rog Walker, an art photographer. “We found this place on Yelp while searching for a place with good samosas.”
Just a few steps below street level, Punjabi is a strictly vegetarian restaurant specializing in northern Indian cuisine. After 23 years, they closed for the first time after Hurricane Sandy for six days during the blackout. But since then, they have been open 24 hours a day every day as they always have. The day’s selection is displayed in a glass fridge. Behind the counter is an array of Bollywood DVDs and CDs featuring various Hindi artists. The movies typically come with subtitles, for those interested in making a theme night. The favorite amongst locals are the vegetarian samosas and chickpeas. For the droves of taxi cab drivers that come in late into the night, they typically get the mustard spinach and corn bread.
“Vegetarian is peaceful mind because anyone have it,” says Surinder Pal, the older brother of the owner. He recommends the jamun juice, also known as blackberry juice, to alleviate symptoms of diabetes. Pal insists natural home remedies are better than anything over-the-counter.
Yonah Shimmel’s Knish Bakery, located on 137 East Houston, is one of the few Jewish restaurants left in the Lower East Side. The store opened in 1910, making this is oldest restaurant to make it on the list. In true New York form, Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works” was shot here. There is no better endorsement than from one of the most famous Jewish New Yorkers in show business. The bakery offers 19 different knishes and a modest selection of traditional Eastern European dishes. And to drink, they serve rickys, sodas, and egg creams. Paired with the 100-year-old knish, it is the perfect quick snack on the way en route to the latest “arthouse” film next door.
Pinalito City Restaurant, on the corner of Clinton Street and E. Houston, will be serving authentic Dominican food and their signature margaritas to help transition from dinner to a night of barhopping. This low-key hangout spot has been the go-to spot for decades.
Ariel Mendez, the owner, bought the place a little over a year ago. Although the restaurant is fairly new to him, this location has been a Domincan-style restaurant for forty years. When the rents in the neighborhood skyrocketed, the original owners opted to sell. Mendez bought the place with his father, but kept the kitchen staff.
Although they are renovating to add more color, these changes are purely aesthetic; the menu will remain exactly the same. Like Punjabi, Pinalito is typically open 365 days a year.
The constant stream of salsa, meringue, bacchata, and latest R&B music can still be heard from the outside amidst the drilling and hammering. Mendez claims that although the locals in the area have been apprehensive about the changes to the restaurant, many are eager to see what is in store. When their doors finally reopen, do as the locals do and ask for the garlic sauce.
At Prosperity Dumpling, they have their own version of the dollar menu. For three dollars and change, you can purchase two orders of pork dumplings and plastic tub homemade soy milk. The soft-spoken, succinct man at the counter is Jimmy Chen, the owner. Originally from Fu Zhou, China, he resides in Chinatown just a couple of minutes away. Although there is a bit of a language barrier, the items on the menu can be ordered by number. The menu is fairly small, but everything is made of the premise. Only served in the summer, Chen makes batches of soy milk from scratch. He soaks grinds and boils the soy beans for hours daily to make the freshest soy milk possible.
“It’s only a dollar for an order of dumplings,” says Tim Ho. “There aren’t too many places that serve cheap food left in the Lower East Side. You really have to look for them.”