NYCGuide

The Best Restaurants & Bars At Essex Market

Eat and drink your way through these 15 spots in Essex Market and The Market Line.
undefined

Essex Market has been a central part of the Lower East Side since the early 19th century, when the city was covered in mud and manure. The market itself has changed over the years, having moved locations in 2019 to a large complex on the corner of Essex and Delancey, where it shares a building with a movie theater, luxury condos, and even more vendors downstairs at The Market Line. Whether it’s Oreo pancakes, stewed goat testicles, or one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city, Essex Market is home to some of the tastiest food you can find on the Lower East Side.

THE SPOTS

photo credit: Carina Finn

Breakfast

Lower East Side

$$$$Perfect For:BreakfastBrunchClassic EstablishmentKidsLiterally EveryoneLunch
Earn 3x points with your sapphire card

Perhaps no place is as synonymous with Essex Market as Shopsin’s, the enigmatic breakfast and brunch spot. Opened by Kenny Shopsin back in the ’80s, the restaurant became a destination for creative dishes like mac and cheese pancakes, and more sandwiches varieties than you can imagine. In addition, people came to interact with and experience Kenny and his family’s vocal personalities (check out Kenny’s documentary, I Like Killing Flies). Although Kenny passed away in 2018, the restaurant lives on, with its large menu, tremendous breakfast food, and a strict no-substitutions policy. Make sure you get the ebelskivers, Danish stuffed pancakes that come with jam.


​​This sit-down spot is from the chefs behind two of our favorite Indian restaurants in the city, Semma and Adda, and it focuses on regional specialties that are hard to find elsewhere in NYC. Try their version of subzi pulao served directly in a pressure cooker, or the tender goat kidneys and testicles in a fragrant onion-tomato stew, and pao shimmering with ghee on the side. The energy in both the indoor and outdoor seating areas is always rambunctious, and at times, feels like you’re not even at Essex Market at all.


A collab between the teams behind Wildair and Ends Meat, Mighties’ burgers are outrageously beefy in all the right ways. There are a few different varieties to choose from at this counter-service spot, but you should go with the double-patty Mighties burger with chopped onions, special sauce, and cheese to best appreciate the excellent quality of the meat. There aren’t too many toppings to distract from the big, charred disks of beef, which come cooked a perfect medium. Despite being run by people behind some of our favorite restaurants in NYC, Mighties is never too busy—which means you can stop by on a whim, grab a burger and crispy fries, and set up shop next door at The Grand Delancey to wash everything down with a beer.


There are always new omakase options in NYC, but it’s harder to find sushi spots that focus on high-quality, relatively affordable stuff. Gouie falls into this bucket, and it’s a spot anybody should try if they like raw fish. Their sweeping counter in The Market Line not only fills a large, sushi-related hole in said market, but they also have a $45, seven-piece special that’s just that: special (and not only because of the price point). All the fish you’ll try here is buttery, the rice is seasoned with just a kiss of vinegar, and the half-roll that accompanies the special comes filled with a crunchy, funky braised gourd. The service here is excellent as well—you might even get an impromptu sake tasting while you wait for a seat.


Seafood spot Essex Pearl is one of the few sit-down restaurants in the market. And their Southeast Asian menu, featuring basically everything from the ocean, is a good move for a weeknight catch-up with a friend. Sit at the long winding bar, and go for dishes like prawn or Cambodian pork belly skewers, a generous portion of little neck clams bathing in nuoc cham, and a fried dorade that’s one of the best whole fishes we’ve had recently. Despite being in a glorified food hall, the dining area still feels busy but also slightly secluded—which makes it ideal for a date at the bar or a small group dinner where you can pick out a whole lobster or Dungeness crab from the tank and have a lively seafood feast.


Dominican Cravings makes one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city: the tres golpes patacon. Between two crispy patacones you’ll find a combo of fried salami, fried cheese, a runny sunny side up egg, and a slathering of mayonnaise-y pink sauce that cuts through all the salty and rich elements. This sandwich confirms that any breakfast sandwich can be improved if you add fried salami. Grab a couple of empanadas from this counter-service spot if you’re looking for something besides breakfast.


Kotti Berliner Döner Kebab serves slow-roasted meat cooked on a rotisserie that’s stuffed into fluffy pide bread full of air pockets. Their Turkish-style sandwiches, loaded with juicy chicken, crispy pickled vegetables, a lemony yogurt sauce, and a spicy harissa-based sauce, deserve your full attention, have so many different textures, and cost under $15. This is one of the best things you can eat in the whole building.


This Peruvian spot has rotisserie chickens spinning at all times, and that’s exactly what you should order. Get a half chicken combo over fries, greens, and avocado salad, or take home a  whole bird to make your weeknight meals easier. If you’re into ceviche, the mixto is worth ordering—it has calamari strips mixed in, and if you get your bowl spicy (which you should), the leche de tigre will clear up your sinuses. We love the large chunks of choclo corn, corn nuts, and soft sweet potatoes that help balance out the whole dish.


Kwik Cup’s piece de resistance is their Korean fried chicken. Both their garlic soy and spicy options are excellent, and even though the chicken isn’t super crispy, you get a huge portion for $15 that’ll be your new favorite weeknight dinner or weekend lunch. You can also get saucy, gochujang-covered tteokbokki and bibimbap from this counter-service spot, but definitely focus on the chicken. 


If you’re looking for breakfast tacos or burritos on the LES, check out the Puebla Mexican Food counter. While they also serve great tortas, Puebla is one of the few places that offer breakfast tacos in the neighborhood. There are so many options to choose from, and the eggs are always fluffy and come intermingled with cheese. Go for the combo of the slightly spicy chorizo and eggs, whether that’s in a burrito or on some corn tortillas with some black beans.


photo credit: Carlo Mantuano

This spot is Permanently Closed.

Que Chevere, a small Puerto Rican spot located downstairs at The Market Line, sells empanadas, mofongo, and their hearty, under-$4 alcapurria. This loaded, very filling, fried ball of yucca and ground beef is crunchy but tender inside, and tastes even better when doused in their spicy green sauce. Order two and you’ve got yourself dinner.


You can now get some of the best pierogi at this outpost of Veselka at The Market Line. While this location won’t cater to your violent dumpling cravings past 10pm, they still serve breakfast all day and remain a great place to stop in for a cup of matzo ball soup.


We often find ourselves meeting up with friends at this convenient beer bar. There’s plenty of seating and fifty beers on tap, with an impressive mix of stuff from New York-based breweries, Europe, and places like Vermont, Iowa, and Virginia. You can also bring any food from any of the vendors at The Market Line or Essex Market and snack while you drink a delicious IPA or sour.


This is where you’ll want to get ice cream in the market. This offshoot of the Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory has a ton of flavors, including pandan, Thai ice tea, and ube. Just know this location is only open until 6pm and closes during the winter.


Sugar Sweet Sunshine should be your go-to dessert spot in the market. This bakery has a large selection of cupcakes, including a delightful Oreo version with an actual cookie on the bottom, and does a bunch of different pudding varieties. Their banana cream pudding is especially good, and will probably have you wondering why you don’t eat more pudding.

Chase Sapphire Card Ad

Suggested Reading

The Best Restaurants On The Lower East Side image

The Best Restaurants On The Lower East Side

From old-school staples to exciting newcomers, these are our favorite spots on the Lower East Side.

a spread of lechon and pickles at Naks

Our favorite spots in a neighborhood packed with great places to eat.

a margherita slice with parm and a basil leaf from L'industrie in the West Village

The top 21 pizzas in NYC, according to us.

24 NYC Restaurants Where You’ll Want To Become A Regular image

24 neighborhood spots you should aspire to go to on a bi-monthly basis.

Infatuation Logo

Company

2024 © The Infatuation Inc. All Rights Reserved.

FIND PLACES ON OUR APP

Get it on Google PlayDownload on the App Store