Last week I walked from midtown to the East Village to get to dinner, and by the time I got to my destination I was overstimulated and not entirely in the mood for speaking. Something about the East Village in particular feels so overwhelming—being caught between college kids and people who are generally bad at walking on the sidewalk is not a fun environment and inspires the need for some serious decompressing.
While this is a neighborhood that is very fun for social hour, it is also home to a very special category of restaurants that sit somewhere between fast-casual chain and low-key takeout counters. This is not your Sweetgreen or Cava types—it’s an entirely different tier of no-fuss food that is perfect for bringing home to eat in silence on your couch, or enjoying at said establishment solo with your noise cancelling headphones in.
You can go with friends too—being antisocial is not a requirement.
News!!
I am really excited to start incorporating newsletters with themes that apply to cities other than New York…
Osakana
Once upon a time I lived in East Williamsburg, blocks away from the best fish in New York City. I have since moved south, and Osakana’s sole brick and mortar is now in the East Village, but I have no hesitation trekking over to St Marks to pay them a visit.
Osakana is a Japanese grocer and fish market with, hands down, the best quality fish and sushi takeout, for an unbeatable value. Generally, they don’t get the attention they deserve and their storefront is unassuming, but once you’ve been, you will be hooked. Important to note, Osakana is in the middle of a legal dispute with Wegman’s, so this is as good a time as any to support local businesses :)
To get to the food… the Sushi Standard and Sushi Deluxe are beautifully assembled boxes of fresh fish nestled over perfectly seasoned sushi rice. The tuna will melt in your mouth, the salmon is unbelievably fresh, and if you’re feeling fancy the premium boxes are still genuinely great prices for the quality of food you are getting. My personal favorite is the Chirashi, a go-to order of mine when ordering Japanese, a bowl of fresh cuts of assorted fish over a bed of rice. Osakana does Chirashi particularly well with housemade pickles and shiso leaves scattered across the fish for a bright and flavorful garnish—all for a ridiculously good price. I would highly recommend the mini splurge to get the Chirashi Deluxe, with additional fish varieties and a generous addition of Ikura. Do you see these pictures? For under $30? If there were ever an evening to treat myself and eat in silence, this is the first thing I would procure.
If you are looking to be slightly more social, romantic even, the DIY sushi kits are a date-night dream. You get an enormous box of rice, perfectly sliced fish, and either sheets of Nori if you opt for the handroll kit, or pre-portioned rice to craft your own nigiri. They also sell real wasabi paste, a gorgeous selection of fish, uni, and roe to prepare at home as you please, and it can all be pre-ordered for pickup. You’re welcome xo
Madame Vo
There are few things I love more than Vietnamese food, and in a city where there is absolutely no shortage of relaxed, delicious Vietnamese spots, Madame Vo sits at the top of the list. Opening in 2017, Madame Vo moved into a neighborhood with so much fast casual food, their ability to stand out is a testament to the quality of their inexpensive, easy, flavorful food. Ordering Madame Vo for lunch is always a special occasion, and getting it to-go on my commute home is a treat.
The Goi Dudu is a fresh, crunchy, sweet and salty papaya salad—one of my favorite dishes always. The Pho Chay, a rich mushroom-based vegetarian pho is memorable; I think it is a real challenge for vegetarian pho broth to hold a candle to a more traditional beef broth, but this one does. The star is absolutely the Vermicelli Bowl with spicy tofu, which is shocking because I almost never order vermicelli noodles (I often find it to be boring in both flavor and texture). This one, however, is spicy from the tofu, crunchy from the fried shallots and peanuts, with so much freshness from the mint and cucumber, with a dressing that I would like to buy by the bottle. If I am opting for rice, I would definitely go of the Ca Tim Xao Xa Ot. In my vegetarianism I am sure I am missing out on some of their best bites so in my honor, go test them out and let me know your verdict. 100% recommend, and try everything :)
Be sure to check out their sibling restaurant, the more recently opened Monsieur Vo, for a more formal, meat-forward menu.
Spice Brothers
How often do you find yourself in the East Village craving shawarma? Craving shawarma and wanting to enjoy it in silence? Does that not sound like an ideal evening? Just me?
Turns out it is actually possible to not be miserable walking down St Marks, and if Spice Brothers is where you're headed, I am sure you will be able to ignore the 18 year olds passing around vapes and the guys trying to sell you sunglasses.
Spice Brothers hasn’t even been open a year and has already made a name for itself, and gotten the stamp of approval from Jonathan, my sister’s boyfriend, who has very high standards for shawarma. A small space with a few seats and ample sunlight, this is an easy and quiet place to sit and eat really good food. I got the falafel pita as a salad—flavorful and crispy falafel with a soft interior, sitting on a bed of lettuce properly dressed with creamy tahina and zhoug that gave it a bright kick. The salad was served with a rich and smooth hummus, cabbage, tangy pickles, tomatoes, and cilantro. There was so much happening on my plate—I was equally overwhelmed and satisfied. A big bite of crunchy lettuce with some of that spicy Zhoug, the creamy hummus, and a well-fried falafel is unbeatable. Hallie and Jonathan both tried the Shawarma pita sandwiches and raved about them, opinions I trust wholeheartedly. Go get a pita with all the sauces, I can guarantee you’ll be back for more… look at this beautiful plate of food.
I need to take a break from spending money on restaurants this month so these are bookmarked for later :)
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This one is perfect
Keeping writing and eating! I love it.