Hotels in the Lower East Side: Food, Nightlife and History

What the Lower East Side is like

The Lower East Side sits south of Houston Street and east of the Bowery, down toward the Manhattan Bridge and the East River. In the late 1800s and early 1900s it was one of the most crowded places on earth. Families from Ireland, Germany, Italy and Eastern Europe lived packed into tenement buildings.

You can still see that past. The tenements still line Orchard and Ludlow Streets. Old shops like Russ and Daughters and Katz’s Delicatessen still serve the foods those families brought.

Today the neighborhood is also one of the city’s nightlife centers. The streets around Ludlow, Orchard, Rivington and Stanton are packed with bars, music venues and late-night food.

Hotels in the Lower East Side

The Ludlow Hotel, 180 Ludlow St between Houston and Stanton. A stylish boutique hotel with big windows and a lobby bar that feels like a living room. Rooms on the upper floors have skyline views.

Hotel Indigo Lower East Side, 171 Ludlow St. A modern tower across the street from The Ludlow, with a rooftop bar and pool and big views of Midtown and the bridges.

Nine Orchard, 9 Orchard St at Canal St. A restored 1912 bank building turned into a calm, wood-lined hotel. It opened in 2022.

The Ridge Hotel, 151 E Houston St. A newer, smaller hotel on Houston Street.

Moxy NYC Lower East Side, 145 Bowery. Small rooms and a lively scene on the Bowery, on the edge of Chinatown.

Rooms in this area tend to be small, like most of downtown. In return you are steps from some of the best food in New York.

Things to do on the Lower East Side

The Tenement Museum. Guided tours take you inside restored apartments at 97 Orchard St and tell the stories of real families who lived there. Book ahead. This is one of the best small museums in the city.

Katz’s Delicatessen. At 205 E Houston St since 1888. Order the pastrami on rye. Hold on to your ticket, since you pay on the way out. See our pastrami guide.

Russ and Daughters. At 179 E Houston St since 1914. Bagels with lox and cream cheese, smoked fish and caviar. See our best bagels list.

Essex Market. A food market at 88 Essex St with stalls for cheese, bread, tacos and more.

Walk the Williamsburg Bridge. The bridge starts at Delancey Street. The walkway gives you a view back over the Lower East Side and Midtown and drops you in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Nightlife

The Lower East Side has some of the city’s best small music venues and cocktail bars. Weekends are busy until late, especially around Ludlow and Rivington Streets.

That is fun if you plan to go out, and less fun if you plan to sleep. Ask your hotel for a high floor or a room facing away from Ludlow or Orchard Street.

For live music ideas, see our NYC live music venues guide.

A short history walk

Start at the Tenement Museum visitor center on Orchard Street. After your tour, walk north on Orchard to Houston Street and look at the old shop signs above newer storefronts.

Cross to Eldridge Street to see the Museum at Eldridge Street, inside an 1887 synagogue with a huge round stained-glass window. Then walk south to Canal Street, where the old Jewish Daily Forward Building still stands on East Broadway.

End at Seward Park, one of the first city playgrounds built in the United States, and grab a knish or a bialy on the way. A walk like this takes about two hours at an easy pace and costs nothing beyond the museum ticket.

Getting around

The main station is Delancey St–Essex St, with the F, J, M and Z trains. The F also stops at 2 Av on Houston Street and at East Broadway. The B and D stop at Grand St on Chrystie Street.

From Delancey St, the F reaches Rockefeller Center in about 20 minutes. The J and Z go to the Financial District and across to Brooklyn. Times Square takes 20 to 25 minutes with a transfer.

You can walk to the East Village, Chinatown, Nolita and SoHo in 10 to 20 minutes. Our things to do on the Lower East Side page has a walking route.

Who should stay on the Lower East Side

Food lovers. Few areas pack this much history into its delis, bakeries and markets.

History fans. The Tenement Museum and the old synagogues and churches tell the story of immigrant New York.

Night owls. You can walk home from a show or a bar.

It is less ideal for families with young children or anyone who wants to be close.

Tips before you book

Common questions