Le Dive aims to recreate that classic Parisian tabac experience: a lively space with a long zinc bar, neon tube lights, and cafe tables topped with glasses of wine and simple charcuterie plates. In warmer months, if you can snag a sidewalk table, order a bottle and a mushroom pâté or steak tartare, you could almost be tricked into thinking you’re on Canal St. Martin. Wine-list wise, it’s a crowd pleasing selection of mostly European producers and relatively affordable, with glasses starting at $13 and bottles at $42. There are few better places to take in the Dimes Square scene.

Sunn’s

Located just down the street is the recently opened Sunn’s. Chef-owner Sunny Lee is putting a Korean spin on the wine bar. After hosting a successful pop-up series, Banchan by Sunny, she’s found a permanent home for the concept on the LES. It’s a cozy space at just 16 seats, Lee is often behind the bar herself. Expect to find 30 bottles on the list that she has worked with Grant Reynolds of Parcelle to build out. They are mostly easy drinking, European offerings, but there are also Korean rice wines to choose from as well. The food is seasonally inspired Korean that is meant to be shared, built around a rotating selection of banchan, a refreshing chicory salad with pickled vegetables, and an Italian play on tteokbokki with tomato, garlic, and stracciatella.

Casetta

Casetta is a true neighborhood hangout. Next to Le Dive, it’s the closest thing to truly feeling like you’re in Paris’s 11th. It’s unpretentious, very casual, and open most days from 3 p.m. onwards, making it a great place to stop in for a coffee and pastry or glass of wine and some smokey tinned fish. It comes from the team behind other neighborhood spots like Casino, Mr. Fongs, and Bar Oliver. Where the food is simple—mostly cheese, charcuterie, and a marvelous bowl of cherries on ice for dessert—the wine is more adventurous than one would expect. You’ll find the usual crowd pleasing gamays, but also some interesting blends and eastern European producers. It’s also a popular place for pop-ups from visiting chefs. Watch their Instagram for the latest updates.

Cactus Wren

One of the newest additions to the list is Cactus Wren from chef Samuel Clonts and his partner Raymond Trihn—they are also behind other neighborhood favorite 63 Clinton. It’s a bit of an anti-wine bar wine bar, meaning you won’t find simple plates of prosciutto and slices of tomme de savoie here. Come hungry, as the food is just as much of a draw as the wine. Expect dishes like a 7-layer caviar dip, lobster pot pie, and a pizza topped with comté and honey. The wine list focuses on new producers with low intervention and sustainable slant. It’s that Michelin starred quality they are known for, but in a more casual setting.

Ha’s Snack Bar

This is another one where we’d recommend showing up to hungry. It’s a great place to drink wine, but it also happens to be one of the hottest places to have dinner in the city. It comes from husband-and-wife team Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns, who met as line cooks at the former LES location of Mission Chinese. Ha’s started as a pop-up and now found a permanent home on Broome Street. The food is French Vietnamese with dishes like lobster vol au vent, escargot with tamarind garlic butter, and refreshing salads like shaved carrot salad and herb. The wine is mostly French from producers like JC Garnier and Mosse, but included surprising additions like a juicy Greek red. It’s currently a tough table to get, my best advice is to arrive when they open at 5:30 p.m. and get in line or closely watch their reservation page on Resy.

Lai Rai

In line with the current trend of wine bars serving up ice cream as well—think Folderol in Paris and The Dreamery in London—Lai Rai in the LES is putting a Vietnamese spin on the pairing. The bar is a joint effort from the owners of neighboring Mắm and Greenpoint’s Đi Ăn Đi. Ice cream and wine aren’t an obvious pairing, but it works. The flavors are constantly rotating but, on a recent visit they included flavors like banana leaf, fish sauce caramel, and avocado. For those disinterested in something sweet, they also have savory snacks like chicharrones, prawn crackers, and boiled peanuts. The wine list is diverse, with bottles produced everywhere from Italy to Spain to Virginia and like Sunn’s they are also pouring the locally made Hana Makgeolli rice wine.

Time Again

In warmer months, there’s no better place to take in the LES scene than the corner of Canal and Forsyth on the patio of Time Again. Sitting right on the border of Chinatown, it really is a bar—you won’t be coming here for the food unless it is for one of their frequent pop-up collaborations. It’s co-owned by Nick Poe, an architectural designer and rapper/music executive Alec Reinstein. It often feels like a house party and is a great place to people watch. They serve classic cocktails in addition to wine, which is all natural, but nothing too adventurous: a rotating red, white, orange, and sparkling. If you don’t happen to visit on a pop-up evening, expect a menu of snacks like olives, bread, and charcuterie to go with the lively scene.