Nolita is one of New York’s most charming downtown neighbourhoods. It’s a tiny neighbourhood, only spanning a few blocks, and is wedged between SoHo, Greenwich Village, NoHo, the Lower East Side and Little Italy (Nolita = North of Little Italy). It’s a short walk to West Village, Chinatown and East Village from the neighbourhood too.
Nolita is great for boutique shopping from independent and mid-size brands (rather than the major global brands in SoHo), with many jewelry, skincare, homewares and accessories boutiques in particular. It gets very busy on weekends, as it’s home to so many great restaurants, bars and cafes (especially Australian ones!), as well as a deliciously high density of bakeries & ice cream shops!
It’s not as much of a household name as West Village and SoHo, which is why I’m excited to share this guide to a slightly lesser-known neighbourhood that is definitely worth some time on your next trip to New York City.
Planning a trip to New York? Check out my New York City Travel Guide.
Things to do in Nolita
Elizabeth Street Garden
Elizabeth Street Garden is a gorgeous, one-acre community sculpture garden tucked away in the backstreets of Nolita. It’s open at around midday every day, and has free entry. It’s such a beautiful spot, and is the perfect place to bring a book or lunch.
Nolita Outdoor Market
Nolita Market is an artisan market that pops up every weekend along Prince Street, between Mulberry & Mott Sts. There is some really beautiful jewelry here, and even though it’s small it’s worth a browse.
Brunch & Coffee in Nolita
Brunch is big business in Nolita, especially at the several Australian cafes and coffee shops which have taken the neighbourhood by storm (there are four!).
Ruby’s Cafe
A Nolita favourite for more than ten years, Ruby’s is an Australian cafe which is permanently packed. A table is worth the wait, whether you’re stopping in for coffee, brunch or dinner – the meals are delicious and well priced and the coffee is consistently perfect.
Epistrophy
Epistrophy is one of my favourite cafes in Nolita. It was founded by a group of friends from Sardinia, Italy, and the menu reflects Sardinian culture and cuisine. I love love love the food here, it never disappoints! It’s perfect for brunch or dinner, and gets quite busy on weekends.
Charley St
Another Aussie cafe, Charley St is a great spot for a healthy bite and Aussie coffee on Kenmare Street. The coffee is great, and they also have a great range of healthy bowls, smoothies and salads.
Bluestone Lane
Bluestone Lane is quickly taking over New York – and the rest of the US! The popular cafe chain was founded by Australians who live in New York, and they now have multiple coffee shops & cafes all over New York City. This location, on Kenmare Street, is my favourite of their cafes. It’s beautifully designed and is just as good for a healthy breakfast as it is for a boozy brunch.
The Grey Dog
The Grey Dog is a charming and cosy farmhouse-style cafe, which offers home-style comfort food of the American midwest. It has a few locations around New York, but their Nolita location is constantly packed. Love the simple yet delicious food here, and the affordable prices. The pancakes here are the best!
Fiat Cafe
Fiat Cafe is a super cute cafe on Mott St, with a very-Instagrammable hot pink wall (not pictured) and a French-leaning brunch & lunch menu. Note that it’s cash only!
Black Seed Bagel
Black Seed Bagel is one of the most famous modern bagel shops in New York. They’ve recently renovated and re-opened their Nolita store, which frequently sees long lines on the weekends. There are only a few tables, so take your bagel to go and eat it in Elizabeth St Garden instead.
Restaurants & Places to Eat in Nolita
Nolita has plenty of great Italian food, thanks to it’s proximity to, and history as being part of, Little Italy. There are iconic pizza joints and Italian restaurants, as well as a number of great Asian restaurants and Michelin-starred restaurants like The Musket Room and Estela.
Prince St Pizza
It’s not a restaurant, but Prince Street Pizza is one of the most popular slice shops in New York City. There will be a queue snaking out the door from when they open, until the early hours of the morning. Every time you walk past, you’ll hear tourists ask incredulously “Can it be that good? It’s just pizza.” It really is that good and it is 100% worth the wait. Try the SoHo Square or the pepperoni.
Rubirosa
Rubirosa is regarded as an instant classic. This cosy Italian restaurant is super popular and always has a wait time, so pop your name down early and then grab a drink at Mother’s Ruin or YN Bar around the corner while you wait. They’re famous for their vodka pizza, but I can’t go past their ricotta ravioli.
Lovely Day
Lovely Day is a tiny and trendy Thai restaurant, which makes it possible to go out for dinner and not blow the budget. You’ll definitely need to wait for a table on Friday or Saturday nights, and it’s a bit noisy and crowded, but the food is delicious and it won’t break the bank.
Tacombi
A fun, casual Mexican spot on Elizabeth Street, Tacombi is housed in a warehouse-style space and is a great spot for dinner & drinks.
Ice Cream & Dessert in Nolita
Nolita is full of classic New York City desserts, from traditional ice cream shops, to Italian cannoli to Brooklyn Black Out cake and my personal favourite, banana pudding. Brace your sweet tooth!
Cafe Belle
This is probably a contentious opinion, but I think the best cannoli in New York are not in Little Italy, but just a bit further up the street at Cafe Belle in Nolita! The Scala family, by way of Sicily in Italy and then Brooklyn, have been serving hand-baked, authentic Italian pastries for more than 70 years. I am obsessed with the chocolate covered cannoli, which are piped with ricotta filling to order.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream
Van Leeuwen is one of the most popular ice cream chains in New York City, with the aim to revive the art of traditional ice cream making using ingredients perfected by nature, rather than science. They use many local artisanal producers, and all the ice cream is still made fresh in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. There are plenty of dairy-free and vegan options too. Take your scoop to the small park opposite, or around the corner to Elizabeth St Garden.
Milk Bar
Christina Tosi’s famous Milk Bar empire made a name for itself with Cereal Milk soft serve, Crack Pie (now renamed Milk Bar Pie) and Compost Cookies, and you can try the lot at their tiny shopfront on Mott Street. Get in the mood for Milk Bar’s creations by checking out the episode featuring Milk Bar on Netflix’s Chef’s Table.
Little Cup Cake Bake Shop
Little Cup Cake Bake Shop is famous for having the best chocolate cake in the USA (according to Food & Wine) but I can’t go past their heavenly banana pudding. Banana pudding is big business in New York, so if you haven’t tried one, don’t miss out. It sounds so-so, but is actually America’s greatest contribution to dessert.
Bars in Nolita
Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Somewhere between the edges of SoHo and Nolita, Compagnie is a fantastic wine bar with a bible-like bottles list, a diverse list of wines by the glass and great happy hour specials ($5 off wines by the glass, and cheese & salumi options for $5 a piece). Love this spot!
Mother’s Ruin
Mother’s Ruin is the best of both worlds: a laidback local hangout, with a commitment to premium cocktails. You’ll get cocktails just as good as you’d find in a scene-y and expensive bar with a strict door policy, yet you can come as you are feel right at home.
YN
YN is a natural wine bar, which is an ambitious undertaking for such a polarising style of wine. I’m not the biggest fan of natural wine, but I still found something to suit me. Beyond their impressive wine list, they sling sophisticated cocktails, a range of craft beers and Italian-style share plates. Their burger is reportedly one of the best in New York!
Sweet & Vicious
Sweet & Vicious has been a popular Nolita hangout since the 90s (and arguably, since before Nolita was Nolita). I love the courtyard here, the fact that I’ve never had to wait at the door or the bar and their $10 frozen margaritas.
Spring Lounge
A favourite dive in the area, Spring Lounge is PACKED every day after work. It’s popular with New Yorkers looking to blow off some steam without breaking the budget and has a really fun atmosphere.
The best shops in Nolita
McNally Jackson Books
The holy grail of all book stores. McNally Jackson has three locations in New York, but the Nolita location is the best in my opinion. They have such a wonderfully curated selection of books and magazines, and offer the top indie bestsellers (nationally) for 20% off, which makes it so easy to scoop up the book of the moment. There’s a cafe attached, so you can dive straight into your book with a coffee & cake.
The French Cheese Board
A gorgeous fromagerie specialising in French cheeses, The French Cheese Board has a tightly edited but affordable range of cheeses, along with everything else you’ll need to assemble the perfect cheese board. They give you a cooler bag with every purchase, which makes it even easier to pick up some cheese on your way to a picnic.
Mejuri
Mejuri makes elegant and affordable everyday luxury possible with their range of stylish and well-priced jewelry. They have a popular online store, but I much prefer to shop for jewelry in person at this store.
Sezane
A beautiful mid-range clothing store by a popular Parisian label. The Nolita boutique is Sezane‘s only physical store in the US.
Goods for The Study
From the crew behind McNally Jackson, Goods for The Study is a beautiful stationery store. It has two halves – one dedicated entirely to pens and pencils, and the other for paper stationery.
Soludos
The popular shoe brand has expanded beyond their summery espadrilles to offer a range of sandals, sneakers and boots at their Nolita shopfront.
Everlane
One of the few physical stores of the runaway success clothing brand, the Everlane store is always busy and often has a queue out front!
Abnormal Beauty Co
A runaway success, The Ordinary and the rest of Deciem’s beauty brands have made a name for themselves by offering customers affordable but high quality skincare. I love this store and being able to shop their full range of products in one place.
Have you been to Nolita in New York City? Would you like to? Let me know your favourite spots in the comments!
The post NYC Neighbourhood Guide: Nolita appeared first on The Wanderbug.
