Lowerline

If an alien visited Lowerline, a New Orleans-inspired spot in Prospect Heights, they would go back to their mothership with the impression that running a great restaurant on planet earth is easy. They'd also assume that the term “po-boy” is the standard way to refer to “food between bread.” The aliens have no idea how uncommon a restaurant like Lowerline is. But we do. 

At some casual restaurants, we have to tell the responsible voice in our head to stop bugging us about how we should have just made pasta with butter at home. (His name is Trevor, and he’s kind of an asshole.) But at Lowerline, Trevor can relax. The food is great, and the comforting-but-tiny room makes the dining experience feel about as small town-y as you can get in Prospect Heights.

To be clear, there is no food at Lowerline that we’re making ourselves on a random Tuesday night. (Despite wishing we could casually say “We’re gonna go home and whip up some 30-minute crawfish étouffée.“) There aren’t many other places in NYC where you can find New Orleans-style food this good. There’s a slow kick of spiciness, tons of fresh seafood, and crunchy po-boy bread. If you’re familiar with Louisiana cooking, you’ll be excited. If you’re not, you’ll want to book flights immediately. Especially after they bring out a shot glass of complementary panna cotta at the end of your meal. They make it with Cafe Du Monde coffee, and it’s one of the better things to come in a shot glass since Prohibition.

photo credit: Teddy Wolff

Between the bar and the few tables, there are roughly 12 seats in this place—and that forces you to get kind of close to everyone in the restaurant. Not in a middle-seat-on-an-airplane kind of way, but in a way that feels like Lowerline is a small-town joint in a classic movie scene with “Midnight Train To Georgia” playing in the background. If you sit at the bar, you’ll be within creepy-whisper-distance of the friendly owner (who’s from Louisiana, and will probably be shucking oysters). Post up here with a book or bring a date—but don't come to Lowerline with more than one other person. There’s just not enough room.

As much as we think everyone should be able to experience Lowerline, it wouldn’t be as special if it were a bigger restaurant. The size keeps things quiet and calm, and the Cafe Du Monde panna cotta fully stocked. Lowerline is simply a tiny room full of humans, doing human things like hanging out and eating really good food. The aliens could learn a lot here.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Teddy Wolff

Oysters

Lowerline shucks all of the oysters right in the middle of the restaurant space. They sometimes offer Happy Hour, but we’d still recommend a couple of (mostly) East Coast oysters even if they’re full price.

photo credit: Teddy Wolff

A Cup Of Gumbo & A Fried Shrimp Po-Boy

If you’re looking to try a few things without splitting or over-ordering, get this combo. You can pick whatever type of po-boy you want, but we like the fried shrimp one best.

photo credit: Teddy Wolff

Roast Beef Po-Boy

If someone brought this on a school field trip, their popularity would skyrocket. Or an older kid would steal it. This has thick, warm roast beef, lots of mayonnaise, and homemade gravy.

photo credit: Teddy Wolff

Muffaletta

The one exception to their otherwise-pretty-traditional New Orleans menu is their play on the Muffaletta. Instead of using provolone or Swiss cheese on the sandwich, they put in layers of Parmesan with prosciutto, capicola, salami, and housemade olive salad. We’re into it.

photo credit: Teddy Wolff

Crawfish Etouffee

We don’t know how many crawfish tails were sacrificed for this plate, but almost every bite will have some crawfish in it, along with celery, onions, and a bunch of great spices. Thank you crawfish tails, you helped make our favorite thing here.