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By Root 1815 0

St. and West Broadway | 212/925–6999) to experience chocolate nirvana in a Parisian-style café setting. At the front of the shop you’ll find an assortment of artisanal chocolates filled with velvety ganache. But real chocoholics head to the Cacao Bar at the back of the store for MarieBelle’s überrich hot chocolate, crafted from ground cacao beans instead of cocoa powder, then mixed with boiling water (European-style) or steamed milk (American-style). For an unusual treat, try the spicy hot chocolate—it has a real kick to it. Tea lovers will be delighted by MarieBelle’s diverse hand-blended selection. Not to worry if you’re visiting during the late spring or summer: skip the hot chocolate and cool off with MarieBelle’s Aztec iced chocolate—the warm-weather version of her decadent cacao elixir—or the house-made chocolate gelato.

SPOTLIGHT ON EAST VILLAGE AND LOWER EAST SIDE

With luxury condos stretching as far east as Avenue C, the East Village—once Manhattan’s edgiest enclave—has become yet another high-rent neighborhood. Nearby, the Lower East Side, home to generations of immigrant newcomers, has nearly completed a similar transformation.

Both neighborhoods still offer some of the best meal deals in the city, and the influx of flush new residents has steadily raised the bar on high-quality eats. Legends like Katz’s, the late-night Jewish deli, coexist these days with high-end destinations featuring tasting menus and hard-to-score tables. There’s something for every budget and craving, from yakitori parlors to midprice trattorias. St. Marks Place is the center of New York’s downtown Little Tokyo, and 6th Street is its Indian row. On the Lower East Side, meanwhile, cute little bistros and some restaurant heavy hitters have been inching into new gentrified stretches south of Delancey Street. And the neighborhoods have even given birth to their own homegrown star chefs, wildly creative renegades with cultish followings like Momofuku’s David Chang and wd~50’s Wylie Dufresne.

TOP BUDGET EATS

Be careful with the incendiary hot sauce at Mamoun’s Falafel (22 St. Marks Pl., between 2nd and 3rd Aves. | 212/674–8685), where tahini-topped pitas are packed with fresh, green-on-the-inside falafel balls. Gluttony reigns at Crif Dogs (113 St. Marks Pl., at Ave. A | 212/614–2728); indulge in a bacon-wrapped, deep-fried hot dog and chili-cheese tater tots. Next door, Tuck Shop (115 St. Marks Pl., between Ave. A and Ave. B | 212/979–5200) offers Australian street food. Try a spicy beef meat pie followed by a dense, sweet vanilla slice (vanilla custard surrounded by puff pastry and topped with icing).

RAMEN REVOLUTION

A Japanese ramen noodle revolution has stormed the East Village, starting with Momofuku Noodle Bar (171 1st Ave., between 10th and 11th Sts. | 212/777–7773), David Chang’s flagship restaurant. Chang’s ramen features fatty slabs of Berkshire pork belly and shredded pork shoulder in savory broth topped with fresh vegetables and a slow-poached egg. At Ippudo (65 4th Ave., between 9th and 10th Sts. | 212/388–0088), the first American branch of the Japanese chain, crowds wait more than two hours for noodles in a thick miso brew and a slick of spicy oil (not to mention the sleeper dish: peppery chicken wings). Japanese expats flock to Rai Rai Ken (214 E. 10th St., between 1st and 2nd Aves. | 212/477–7030) for ramen sunk into one of three signature broths. Minca (536 E. 5th St., between Ave. A and Ave. B | 212/505–8001) has received the least fanfare, but its ramen may very well be the best. Start your meal with light, panfried whole shrimp dumplings and then dive into the shoyu (soy sauce) pork ramen.

LATE-NIGHT EATS

From dirt cheap to stylish, the city’s best late-night eats can be found right here. Grab a gargantuan slice at table-less Artichoke Pizza (328 E. 14th St., between 1st and 2nd Aves. | 212/228–2004), where lines snake until 5 am for the artichoke-spinach slice, which tastes like cheesy dip on crackers. For authentic Ukrainian cuisine, 24-hour diner gem Veselka (144 2nd Ave., at 9th St. | 212/228–9682) offers a solid