Chinatown East

On the lower, Lower East Side of Manhattan, far from aggressive knockoff vendors, past the bubble tea cafes, and just beyond the basement tui na massage parlors is a small but growing colony of design-minded boutiques, restaurants, and late-night hangout spots. Cultural interlopers? Plucky pioneers? Does it matter when you can find fried wontons on your way home?

EXPLORE ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD:

A Ji Ichiban

23 E Broadway 212-571-3755

Hong Kong snack food franchise with a Chinatown outpost as adorably packaged as the dried mangoes, nonpareils, and spicy dried squid themselves. Plus, there’s ample sampling of just about every treat (we suggest the sesame marshmallows, plum tablets, and milk candies).

Photo: Getty Images

Brown Cafe

61 Hester St 212-477-2427

Fat sandwiches, piles of magazines, the scent of coffee, and an inconspicuously handsome crowd.

Photo: Courtesy of Brown Cafe

Ale et Ange

37 Orchard St 212-219-3670

Enter the sidewalk hatch to a basement shop channeling London (or Paris!) in the ’60s. Clothing for men and women is styled near jazz records, apothecary potions, horn-rimmed glasses, and a vintage bathtub. Co-designers Osore Oyagha and Eloise Simonet manufacture their wardrobe in NYC in limited runs.

Photo: Nicola Kast

Project No. 8

138 Division St 212-925-5599

The inventive strain of concept shop is so cool it’s ice cold. Cutting-edge designers test out accessory side projects and small-run items.

Photo: Lydia Rodrigues / Courtesy of Project No. 8

Bacaro

136 Division St 212-941-5060

Dreamy Venetian gathering spot for merrymaking. Staircase from the street leads to underground nooks, crannies, and alleyways reminiscent of the streets of Italy.

Photo: Courtesy of Bacaro