The Most Underrated Food Spots in SoHo and Nolita

The hardest part of finding a hidden gem is, well, finding it. SoHo (South of Houston Street) and Nolita (North of Little Italy) in Manhattan are dotted with plenty of under-the-radar restaurants and bars doling out some seriously good grub—you just need to know where to look. From cafés tucked away in bookstores to a Thai dining room buried below ground, these are the food places in SoHo and Nolita that only locals know about.
Housing Works Bookstore Café
Bookstore, Store

Soup Kiosk
Food Kiosk, Soup
On Mercer and Prince Street, there’s a tiny shack jutting out from Fanelli Café. To most, it won’t look like much, until you walk by at lunchtime and see a line dotted with construction workers and young professionals snaking down Mercer Street. Here, the menu is slim: choose from a roster of soups (“Tomato!” “Moroccan lamb stew!” “Chicken vegetable!”), all spooned into white paper cups and served with hunks of baguette. Pro tip: it’s cash only.
Spring Lounge
Bar, American

Lovely Day
Restaurant, Thai
McNally Jackson Bookstore Café
Cafe, American
M&O Market & Deli
Deli, American
M&O easily passes as your neighborhood bodega; it’s a cramped store bestrewn with your quintessential snacks and canned items. But tucked in the rear end of the store is a serious sandwich operation. Here, pick your own bread from the cabinet, then make your way over to the counter, where sandwich makers tuck hunks of roasted pork and plump meatballs into crusty bread. A hand-written menu lists the always-available sandwiches, but there’s also specials written out and papered along the glass case.
Lahore Deli
Restaurant, Indian, Pakistani
Squeezed into a sliver of a space, Lahore Deli is only well known by off-duty taxi drivers and in-the-know SoHo workers. The teeny storefront offers up Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi home cooking like kebabs, briyani, and curries, all for around $5. There’s no seating, so take the heavy containers and a cup of the famed chai to go.
Nom Wah Nolita
Restaurant, Chinese

New Yorkers are quite familiar with the storied Nom Wah Tea Parlor, one of Chinatown’s oldest dim sum restaurants. But most are unaware there’s a tiny—and unusually uncrowded—outpost on Kenmare Street, pleating and steaming a host of dumplings (think shrimp & snow pea and pork soup dumplings), along with rice and noodle dishes. Everything is small and shareable, so order a bunch of dishes for the table.
Mikaku Sushi
Restaurant, Japanese
There’s certainly nothing fancy about the charmingly teeny Mikaku. There are no more than five tables in the hallway of a space, with a couple of stools in the window and by the sushi bar. Although the business mostly relies on delivery, the move is to snag one of the few chairs and have the wallet-happy lunch special. The bento box comes with your choice of protein slick with teriyaki sauce, plus gyoza, salad, and rice—for under $9—and the sushi-roll special features either two or three rolls, for $9.25 or $12.50, respectively.
Cocoron
Restaurant, Japanese
Pepe Rosso To Go
Restaurant, Italian
For such a small restaurant, Pepe Rosso To Go boasts a pretty substantial menu of Italian classics: paninis, pasta, salads, and larger mains like chicken milanese and poached salmon. The portions are big, especially for the price, but if you come for lunch you’ll get the best deal: for $9.95, choose between the soup of the day or a salad, plus either a panini or a bowl of pasta (like penne flush with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella).
Little Rascal
Restaurant, Turkish

Rubirosa Ristorante
Restaurant, Italian

We’re not here to tell you all about Rubirosa, the offshoot of Staten Island’s beloved pizzeria Joe & Pat’s, because you’ve probably already heard about the famed cracker-thin pies. But what most people don’t know is that between 11.30am and 5pm, the kitchen serves slices at the bar or to go, a semi-secret move that’s beneficial to both your wallet and stomach.
Uncle Boons Sister
Restaurant, Thai
It’s certainly almost impossible to snag a reservation at Uncle Boons, but the hip Thai restaurant has a funky sister restaurant around the corner. This restaurant is modeled after Chinese takeout spots—neon-lit photos of the dishes hang above a woven bamboo wall—and it’s just as small, peppered with a few tiny tables. The menu is slim, but takes inspiration from Thai street food; try the steamed curried fish, tucked in a banana leaf.
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