The Best International Restaurants in New York City’s East Village

| Courtesy of Oiji
Julia Goicochea

Ready your culinary passport. These 10 international eateries are taking your taste buds on a trip. From Greek home cooking to hard-to-find Filipino fare, lucky locals can eat their way around the world without ever leaving Manhattan’s East Village.

1. Drunken Dumpling

Restaurant, Chinese

Courtesy of Drunken Dumpling

Treat your taste buds to a trip to China at the East Village’s Drunken Dumpling. Here, xiao long bao, or extra-large steamed buns, come stuffed with bubbling broth, vegetables, and generous pieces of crab meat, pork, scallops, and more.

2. Jules Bistro

Restaurant, French

From its French bistro bites to its nightly live jazz performances, Jules Bistro brings “a taste of Boulevard St. Germain” to St. Marks. Francophiles flock to this East Village establishment to enjoy continental classics, such as buttery garlic snails, hand-cut beef tartare, and white wine mussels with French fries.

3. Han Dynasty

Restaurant, Chinese

Can you handle the heat? Szechuan hot spot Han Dynasty invites you to find out! Fiery fare—such as dry pepper chicken wings, hot sauce-smothered fish, and sizzling hot pots featuring Szechuan peppercorns—are guaranteed to heat up your next dinner date.

4. Veselka

Restaurant, European

More than 1,970 Yelp reviews don’t lie: Ukranian coffee shop Veselka is a must-visit for East Village eaters. For over 60 years, this 24-hour diner has delighted New York noshers with down-to-earth dishes such as potato pancakes, saucy stuffed cabbage, award-winning blintzes, and pierogi.

5. Ippudo East Village

Restaurant, Ramen, Japanese

One East Village eatery has racked up nearly 9,000 raving Yelp reviews for a dish you might not expect. The first international outpost of a beloved Japanese chain, Ippudo East Village specializes in “Japan’s soul food,” or, as it’s known locally, ramen. The slurp-worthy soups here involve pork, chicken, or seafood broths, plus seasonings such as soy sauce or miso; various toppings include noodles, eggs, meat, and more.

6. Love Mama

Restaurant, Asian, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian

Thai, Malaysian, and Vietnamese cuisines all share space on Love Mama’s menu. Enticing eats, such as hot Thai fried chicken wings with coconut milk, Malaysian curry, and mango sticky rice with coconut sauce, allow you to eat your way across Asia without ever leaving the city.

7. PYLOS

Restaurant, Greek

Thanks to PYLOS, you don’t have to embark to Athens to enjoy Greek home cooking. At this East Village eatery, rustic fare, including herbed fried potatoes, spinach rice pilaf with crumbled feta, and garlicky, olive oil-smothered sardines, taste just like giagiá used to make.

8. Huertas

Restaurant, Spanish

Basque-influenced bites (and the Northern Spanish lifestyle) are what’s on the menu at Huertas. Great for groups, the spot’s pintxos, or small bites, such as octopus with peppers and potatoes, olive oil-soaked mackerel with bread, and Spanish-style omelets, are ideal for sharing—or not.

9. Oiji

Restaurant, Korean

Courtesy of Oiji

Oiji sets out to create a new category in Korean cuisine: “Refined Authentic Korean.” And one taste of the eatery’s offerings proves its success. Elevated Korean classics, such as fried chicken with spicy soy vinaigrette, baby octopus with gochujang butter, and pork belly slow cooked in kimchi, set the standard for Korean cuisine in New York City.

10. Jeepney

Restaurant, Asian

Courtesy of Jeepney

There’s a reason Jeepney’s tagline is “Welcome to the Philippines.” The fan-favorite Filipino gastropub brings the most unique eats from the Philippines—such as pork ribs with a spiced banana ketchup glaze, fried chicken with peanut butter gravy, and sugary soy sauce sausages—to American eaters.

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