Sample fresh, affordable, and high quality food and other items from 40+ small businesses in this Lower East Side fixture.S

hop vendors with individual stories and distinctive personality for delicious treats like cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine, cheeseburger empanadas from Dominican Cravings, ube ice cream from  L.E.S. Ice Cream Factory and many more diverse options. Vendor hours vary

Lots of tables available at the light-filled mezzanine with a view to a demo kitchen, or sit outside on the Essex Market Street Seat on Broome St. on the southern end of the market. Sit down for a memorable meal at over-the-top pancake emporium Shopsin’s.

Engaging displays by the entrance tell the market’s history that began 1818 as a covered market on Grand Street between Essex and Ludlow streets.In the basement, find 20+ more vendors at the  Market Line, spacious bathrooms and a Tenement Museum exhibit ‘An America Potluck’ featuring evocative ethnic food.