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New York City Food Tasting of the Lower East Side and more!

Happy September! Fall is our favorite season to explore New York City and as we all know what better way to enjoy the city then to taste its yummy foods. This month we thought we’d bring you a list of New York City Food Tasting along the Lower East Side and East Village. This list will be full of belly pleasing stops sure to appeal to all appetites!  We thought that this may be useful as many of you after our Chinatown and Little Italy food tour like to venture to these neighborhoods and now you will have a great list of places to visit (all are very affordable). Enjoy!

Yonah Schimmel’s Knishes Bakery 137 E Houston St (between 2nd Ave & Chrystie St) One of the BEST knishes in town, $3.50 a knish.

Kossar’s Bialays 367 Grand St (between Essex St & Norfolk St) If you’ve never had a bialy before, this is THE place to go. A bialy is a flat roll, similar to a bagel although it is boiled first and then baked. Kossar’s allows you to get a sneak peak of the bialy making action as you are in their shop. They also are great for sandwiches!

Economy Candy Market 108 Rivington St (between Ludlow St & Essex St) This is where you can become a kid in a candy store! This old world candy shop allows you to purchase candy from your youth; you’ll find candies you have not seen in years! Also, to try something unique buy some of the halvah.

Doughnut Plant 379 Grand St (between Essex St & Norfolk St) If you like doughnuts you will LOVE this place, their twist on doughnut flavors are amazing. Creme brulee, tres leches and even peanut butter and jelly! These doughnuts are made fresh on site and taste like no other… even those who are not doughnut fans adore these tasty treats.

The Pickle Guys 379 Grand St (between Essex St & Norfolk St) This shop (mainly outdoors) still reflects the originality of the Lower East Side, at one point in time there were two dozen pickle shops in the Lower East Side. You will find barrels of pickles and a great selection. FYI they are closed on Saturdays.

Otafuku 236 E 9th St (between 2nd Ave & Stuyvesant St) This tiny spot in the East Village pumps out dozens of Japanese dumplings called Takoyaki. Takoyaki is a Japanese dumpling with a touch of octopus that is centered into a breaded texture along with cabbage, ginger, and green onions. It may be a unique food for those who are unfamiliar, but it is delicious! See photo below.

Pomme Frites 123 2nd Ave (between 7th St & St Marks Pl) One of the best fry stands in the world! Pomme Frites produces amazing Belgian style French fries and serves up lots of sauces for dipping. We recommend the Vietnamese Pineapple and Sweet Mango Chutney.

Gem Spa 131 2nd Ave (between 7th St & St Marks Pl) Voted by many for having the “Best Egg Cream” in New York City. The egg cream (a mixture of Fox’s UBet chocolate syrup, very cold milk and seltzer) is something that everyone must try while spending time in NYC. This corner newspaper/candy store serves up some tasty egg creams.

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop 125 E 7th St The very well-known ice cream truck now has its very own shop! The crowd favorite is a cone that combines vanilla ice cream, dulce de leche stripes, and bits of sea salt. We’ve also heard that many other favorite sweet treats from around the city will be invited to share the store space…stay tuned.

Momofuku Milk Bar 251 E13th St Momofuku restaurants are unique with their fusion style and their Milk Bar is just as great. They have a variety of desserts, mainly cookies and ice creams that will melt your heart. Try the Crack Pie and we’ll leave it at that…

We hope you enjoy this New York City Food Tasting experience, share your thoughts with us and send pictures!

And… a helpful tip for your foodies and travelers…. check out our friend Meryl Pearlstein’s Travel and Food Blog!

Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery Mushroom Knish