Forget the overhyped Willamsburg. Okay, okay, not really because it's nice there too, but still: LES, the Lower East Side, is where you want to be for quieter and oh so nice places. Okay, okay, also quite a hype but hey, that's why you're scrolling on this site. One of the nicest places in the LES is El Ray Coffee Bar and Luncheonette. Quite a mouthful for the small place that could have been in South Africa or California (reminded me of Cape Town favorite The Power and The Glory). On nice days, people hang out on and around the bar stools by the large open window, making it more cocktail bar than coffee shop, and on bad days, El Ray simply holds on to that sunny feeling with sunny dishes: breakfast pudding with chia seeds, coconut and fruit, an 'everything' bagel with everything, like avocado, egg, chorizo ​​and I don't know what else, the 'this is not falafel' falale (recommended!) and, and, and. Anyway. Go. Oh, and it's affordable too: the above dishes cost an average of 7 dollars and it's a plate full. El-Ray