Lower East Side & East Village

Things to know

• Most of the best places here do not take reservations. Katz's, Russ & Daughters Cafe, Kisa, Scarr's and Superiority Burger are all walk-in, and 45-minute waits at peak are normal rather than exceptional.
• Katz's runs on a paper ticket handed to you at the door. Losing it is a genuine problem, not a joke — you cannot leave without it.
• This is the cheapest good eating in Manhattan. A set meal at Kisa tops out at $32, tacos at Carnitas Ramirez are a few dollars, and Veselka's pierogi have been a bargain since 1954.
• The bars run late — Attaboy is open until 3am daily — and several kitchens run past midnight. This is one of the few parts of Manhattan where an 11pm dinner is normal.
• Attaboy has no menu and no sign, just a small 'AB' on a metal door at 134 Eldridge. You tell the bartender what you like and they build something.
• Weekend brunch on Orchard and Ludlow is the single most congested window of the week. Come on a weekday if you can.