Nolita (which stands for “north of Little Italy”) is a compact neighborhood you could get to know well in a single afternoon, and the time would be well spent. Framed by Bowery and Lafayette on the east and west, and Houston and Broome on the north and south, Kenmare Street is its sturdy, post-industrial backbone, while Mott is its loveliest street, filled with rusticated-stone Georgian buildings like the Children’s Aid Society and the original St Pat’s Cathedral. Indeed, no part of the city feels so much like Paris, with its low-rise architecture, street cafes, and pedestrians with a feel for fashion. Though wedged between Soho and the Lower East Side, NoLita turns its back on both.
This relaxed neighborhood features Italian hero sandwiches, Jewish cheesecakes, tacos in an antique luncheonette, and Parisian bistros where the rule is, for many patrons at least, one bottle of wine per customer during long, lazy afternoons.
Dining and Cooking