Best Chefs Table Restaurants in Lower East Side (10002)
5 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: January 2026
Our Top Pick
Dirt Candy
Michelin-starred vegetable tasting menu where dishes like asparagus lasagna show how far plant-based cooking can go.
Notable Picks
#1
Dirt Candy
8.9
Dirt Candy is Amanda Cohen’s Michelin-starred vegetable tasting-menu restaurant, where seasonal dishes like asparagus lasagna reimagine pasta through a high-end, all-veg lens in a sleek Allen Street dining room. Open since 2008 and now firmly a Lower East Side institution, it’s the most upscale, reservation-only way to experience lasagna-inspired flavors in ZIP 10002.
Must-Try Dishes:
Asparagus lasagna from the seasonal tasting menu, Carrot pizza bite from the tasting progression, Potato sundae dessert
What makes it special: Michelin-starred vegetable tasting menu where dishes like asparagus lasagna show how far plant-based cooking can go.
#2
63 Clinton
8.8
63 Clinton is an intimate tasting menu restaurant where chef Samuel Clonts channels fine-dining technique into a tightly choreographed progression of seasonal plates. The space feels low-key and neighborhood-facing, but the cooking and wine service land firmly in special-occasion territory.
Must-Try Dishes:
Breakfast taco with optional uni, Caviar hand roll, Arroz de mariscos with langoustine
What makes it special: A Michelin-starred, chef-led tasting menu that feels refined yet unpretentious.
#3
Sunn's
8.6
Sunn's is a tiny Korean wine bar where chef Sunny Lee builds a constantly changing table of banchan and seasonal dishes to match a tightly curated natural wine list. The room feels intimate and quietly polished, turning a night of small plates, soju, and wine into a slow, lingering experience.
Must-Try Dishes:
Seasonal banchan selection, Daily hot dishes (like dumplings or scallops), Sesame mochi cake
What makes it special: A banchan-driven Korean menu built around natural wine in an intimate, design-forward space.
#4
8282
8.5
8282 is a compact Lower East Side spot where high-energy K-pop, creative Korean small plates, and strong drinks make it feel like a buzzy dinner party every night. The kitchen riffs on classic flavors with dishes like cheesy tteokbokki and galbi that still read as deeply Korean, even when the presentation leans playful.
Must-Try Dishes:
Cheesy tteokbokki with burrata, Boneless Korean fried chicken, LA Iberico pork galbi
What makes it special: Playful, shareable Korean plates with serious cooking in a lively, compact room.
8.5
Ha’s Snack Bar turns a tiny Broome Street wine bar into a Vietnamese-leaning chef’s counter where a chalkboard menu of seafood, offal, and vegetable plates is sequenced into a loose tasting. Born from the Ha’s Đặc Biệt pop-up, it feels like sitting inside a traveling chef’s table, with dishes landing directly from the open kitchen to the narrow bar.
Must-Try Dishes:
Snails with tamarind butter, Oysters with green chili dressing, Seasonal onion soup or mussel toast
What makes it special: A 24-seat Vietnamese-inspired wine bar where the chalkboard menu becomes a personalized snack tasting.