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the corner you’ll find a modestly priced sit-down café featuring those same tacos along with more ambitious fare like fine chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) and carne asada (grilled meat). Meanwhile, the real hipster draw remains completely hidden from sight. La Esquina’s basement brasserie, like a Mexican speakeasy, is accessible by reservation only, through an unmarked door just inside the ground-floor taqueria. Once inside, you’ll discover a buzzy subterranean scene along with potent margaritas and robust upscale fare. Though prices downstairs are high, portions are huge. | 106 Kenmare St., between Cleveland Pl. and Lafayette St., SoHo | 10012-4076 | 646/613–7100 | AE, MC, V | Subway: 6 to Spring St.

Lure.

$$$ | SEAFOOD | Outfitted like the interior of a sleek luxury liner, Lure offers oceanic fare prepared in multiple culinary styles. From the sushi bar, feast on Lure House Rolls, shrimp tempura rolls crowned with spicy tuna and Japanese tartar sauce. From the kitchen, order creative dishes like steamed branzino with oyster mushrooms, scallions, and ponzu sauce, or Manila clams over pancetta-studded linguine. For an all-American treat, you can’t go wrong with a classic lobster roll on brioche. | 142 Mercer St., at Prince St., SoHo | 10012-3806 | 212/431–7676 | www.lurefishbar.com | AE, MC, V | No lunch weekends | Subway: 6 to Bleecker St.; B, D, F, M to Broadway–Lafayette St.; N, R to Prince St.

MarieBelle.

$ | CAFÉ | Practically invisible from the front of the chocolate emporium, the back entry to the Cacao Bar opens into a sweet, high-ceiling, 12-table hot-chocolate shop. Most people order the Aztec, European-style (that’s 60% Colombian chocolate mixed with hot water—no cocoa powder here!). The first sip is startlingly rich but not too dense. American-style, made with milk, is sweeter. Preface it with a salad or sandwich from the dainty lunch menu, or request one of the expensive but ravishing flavored chocolates sold out front, like passion fruit, or dulce de leche. Another location at 762 Madison Avenue, off 65th Street, gives Upper East Siders their sweet treats. | 484 Broome St., between West Broadway and Wooster St., SoHo | 10013-2253 | 212/925–6999 | www.mariebelle.com | Reservations not accepted | AE, D, MC, V | No dinner | Subway: 6 to Spring St.; A, C, E to Canal St.

Osteria Morini.

$$$ | ITALIAN | Less formal than his other Italian joints, Osteria Morini is Michael White’s boisterous play on the food of northern Italy. It’s creamy, heavy—and, as usual, delicious. The atmosphere is lively and raucous, with communal tables at the center and a rock-and-roll soundtrack at full volume. Knickknacks and black-and-white photos line the walls, and other items are displayed in glass cases near the kitchen. Start with a little crock of silky braised cockscomb with toasty croutons and a plate of tiny croquettes that ooze ham and béchamel when pierced. Oven-baked polenta comes with either sausage or mushrooms, and the pasta—a lusty ragu Bolognese, a ham- and cream-lashed garganelli with prosciutto and truffle butter, for example—are on point. Waits can be long, so try to come early or stay late, or grab one of the few bar seats for a celery-infused Campari cocktail or a glass of Italian wine. | 218 Lafayette St., between Spring and Broome Sts., SoHo | 10012 | 212/965–8777 | www.osteriamorini.com | Reservations essential | AE, MC, V | No lunch weekends | Subway: 6 to Spring St.

Savoy.

$$$ | AMERICAN | Chef-owner Peter Hoffman’s two-story restaurant has the coziness of a country inn, with blazing fireplaces upstairs and downstairs, soft wood accents, and windows looking onto the cobblestone street. Hoffman is one of the city’s strongest proponents of using local, seasonal ingredients, which shows in disarmingly simple dishes like a confit of pork shoulder with delicata squash, apple, and chorizo, and salt-crusted baked duck with mashed turnips, poached plums, and carrots. The wine list emphasizes small producers. | 70 Prince St., at Crosby St., SoHo | 10012-3306 | 212/219–8570 | www.savoynyc.com | AE, MC, V | No