Freemans

Tucked away in a hard-to-locate pocket of the Lower East Side—Freeman Alley, to be specific—this rustic, quirky joint is packed with suspended taxidermy, worn wooden floors and attractively hip folks enjoying gussied-up comfort food and an eclectic wine list. It's a popular spot that doesn't accept reservations, so a wait is inevitable—but worth it. Weekend brunch may be your best chance to snag a table pronto, and it's a surprisingly good bet: There's hardly a wait, service is relaxed and unrushed, and the menu—divvied up into "sweet" and "savory"—should leave you sitting smug while you relish the last sweet-smoky bite of that squash-and-mushroom "hash."

See more: Lower East Side restaurants, Lower East Side bars, American restaurants, Seasonal restaurants