Despite the often sweltering heat, midsummer is an idyllic time of year to spend an afternoon wandering our Lower East Side neighborhood. In fact, not so much despite the sweltering heat but because of it; it gets so hot and humid some days that it’s as if time itself slows to a halt, beckoning you to stop somewhere for some shopping, a drink, or even a movie. 

Below are some – but not all! – of our favorite spots to stop in for a visit for some shade and conversation, with help from illustrator Lucia Dallett. 

Follow along on Maps here. We begin just a little to the north of the store…

Broome St. is home to two of Manhattan’s best new restaurants: Ha’s Snack Bar from longtime Colbo pals Anthony + Sadie as well as Eel Bar from the people behind Cervo’s. Excellent sharable plates + wine lists at both make for a great stop before or after perusing the vintage at Lara Koleji or the latest show at Entrance Gallery.

If you ask anyone familiar with the area about where to get a bite on a summer afternoon, odds are the first name out of their mouth will be Dimes or our Orchard St. neighbors Scarr’s. Absolute musts in general, and especially on a sunny day. If you stop by our cafe afterward you just might catch Scarr himself stopping in for some iced tea.

For a break from the sun, explore the curation of home goods and ephemera at Fox Object (read: Colbo Chats w/ Sophie Randall), make your own at Mellow (where our cafe’s ceramics are made), or take in a screening at Metrograph!

The treats at the still-relatively-new Elbow Bread are as instantly iconic as the bakery’s look and location at 1 Ludlow St. And if you’re more in the mood for a hot and savory snack, King Dumplings up the street has got you covered.

Cervo’s is consistently a favorite dinner destination of ours any time of the year, but their top-tier Spanish/Portuguese wine list is undefeated in the hot months. For an after-dinner drink, head to the decadent Swan Room at Nine Orchard or raise a sake with friends at Sake Bar Asoko.

These are just some of our favorite spots on the LES. You can find a more expansive list below or in the map we put together here. We also printed out a limited run of Lucia’s illustration so stop by the store for a copy in August. Hope to see you in the neighborhood soon!


FULL NEIGHBORHOOD LIST (MAPS LINK)

CLOTHING

Kallmeyer

Tumbau

Kartik Research

Wythe

No 6

Cafe Forgot

VINTAGE

Chad Senzel

194 New York

Lara Koleji

Ending Soon

Leisure Center

Country Of

Ecdysis

RESTAURANTS / CASUAL EATS / DRINKS

Eel Bar

Ha's Snack Bar

King’s Dumpling

Sunn’s 

Casseta 

Sake Bar Asoko

Scarr’s Pizza

Factory Tamale

Gem Home

Michaelis

GOODS + SERVICES

Ramon Tailor Shop

Fox Objects

Mellow 

Top Hat

November 19

Dimes Market

No Gem

Renew Day Spa