Why Everyone in the Know Is Already at the LES’s Newest Spot, Ms. Alice

Ms. Alice on the Lower East Side brings aperitivo culture to NYC nightlife with elevated cocktails, standout dishes, and a vibe that builds from early evening drinks into late-night energy.

  • By: Julianne Elise Beffa I Photos By: @ALEXANDROLOAYZA

There is a very specific kind of person who has been waiting for Ms. Alice without necessarily realizing it yet. The kind who is a little tired of the same Lower East Side rotation but not quite ready to defect downtown. Someone who wants a better drink and a better plate of food without committing to anything that feels overly formal. It is less about chasing something new and more about recognizing when something finally lands exactly where it should.

Ms. Alice slips into that space with a level of confidence that feels instinctive rather than forced. The room is warm and layered, the crowd is sharp without trying too hard, and the energy builds in a way that feels organic to the neighborhood rather than imposed on it. Nothing about it begs for attention, but everything about it holds yours, which is exactly why it works.

I must have passed Ms. Alice a hundred times on my way to Equinox, catching quick glimpses through the windows and wondering what exactly was taking shape inside. It carried a quiet, intriguing energy long before it opened, the kind that makes you slow your pace just enough to look twice. When the doors finally opened, the answer revealed itself almost immediately. This is not the kind of place you pop into for a single drink and call it a night. It pulls you in, settles you, and before you know it, one round turns into another, then another, and suddenly the night has taken on a rhythm of its own.

My friend and I started with an Old Fashioned and a spicy margarita, both of which set the tone right away. The Old Fashioned leaned rich and polished without losing its edge, while the margarita brought just enough heat to keep it interesting without overwhelming the citrus. There is a precision to the drinks that signals you are in good hands, but nothing about them feels inaccessible or overthought.

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That same balance carries through to the food, which quietly steals the show. The rigatoni, layered with mortadella, basil aioli, seeded mustard, and cornichons, hits a perfect mix of indulgent and sharp, each bite cutting through the richness just enough to keep you going back for more. It is the kind of dish that feels substantial without weighing down the night, which is a harder balance to strike than most places manage.

The fries, served with aioli and elevated with a cacio e pepe twist, land exactly where they should. They are crisp, addictive, and impossible to ignore, the kind of table staple that disappears faster than expected. Then there is the gnocco fritto, which arrives light and airy with just enough structure to hold layers of prosciutto, stracciatella, hot honey, and parmesan. It is the kind of plate that feels designed for lingering, for ordering another round, for letting the night stretch out a little longer than planned.

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What makes Ms. Alice stand out, though, is not just the execution but the intention behind it. “The neighbourhood’s edge is a huge part of why we wanted to be here,” says Tom Rowse, Chief Strategy Officer in an exclusive interview with LOOP Mag. “If anything, we think a well made Martini and a plate of tuna carpaccio fits the LES better than people might expect.” That perspective feels central to everything about the space, which does not attempt to soften the neighborhood so much as meet it at a different angle.

If anything, we think a well made Martini and a plate of tuna carpaccio fits the LES better than people might expect.

“The aperitivo moment in New York has been building for a while,” Rowse explains, “but most of it has landed in the West Village or Soho. The LES felt wide open for something rooted in that European ritual of slowing down before the night starts.” It is a simple idea, but in practice it reshapes how the night unfolds. Instead of jumping straight into the chaos, there is a moment to settle in, to ease into the evening with intention before letting it take over.

That sense of progression is built directly into the space. Early in the evening, the atmosphere leans relaxed, with guests settling into lighter cocktails and taking their time. As the hours pass, the room shifts almost without notice, filling out as the energy rises and the drinks follow suit. “By 11 the LES has woken up,” Rowse says. “The Martinis are flowing, the room is fuller, and the energy builds naturally.” It never feels like a hard transition, which is precisely what allows the space to hold both sides of the night so seamlessly.

From the bar, that evolution is mirrored in the drinks themselves. Beverage Director Jeremy Ortiz approaches the menu with a focus on brightness and seasonality, pulling in fresh fruits and vegetables to create something that feels both vibrant and familiar. “Nothing says summer like fresh fruits and vegetables,” he says. “I wanted a menu that screamed summer.” Even the more playful elements of the menu are grounded in recognizable formats, which keeps the experience accessible without losing its edge.

That philosophy extends to the current resurgence of martini culture, which Ms. Alice embraces with a sense of clarity rather than nostalgia. Instead of leaning into gimmicks, the focus is on range and execution, from lighter, more sessionable options to bone dry freezer door pours. “The sophistication and class of a really good martini is unparalleled,” Ortiz explains, and the menu reflects that understanding without overcomplicating it.

On a nice sunny day, it is hard to find a table outside (in New York) without a spritz in someone’s hand.

There is also a clear awareness of how New York is beginning to embrace aperitivo culture in its own way. “On a nice sunny day, it is hard to find a table outside without a spritz in someone’s hand,” Ortiz says, pointing to a shift that feels increasingly visible across the city. At Ms. Alice, that shift is given a proper setting, one that encourages people to actually pause, even if only briefly, before the rest of the night takes over.

And then there is the identity of Ms. Alice herself, which is less about a literal figure and more about a presence that runs through the space. “She is more of a feeling than a biography,” Rowse says. “Confident, a little irreverent, and knows how to make a room feel like it is somewhere worth being.” That idea shows up everywhere, from the way the room fills out over time to the way the service becomes more familiar as the night unfolds.

It is that sense of cohesion that ultimately defines the experience. The design, the music, the pacing, and the menu all move in the same direction, creating an atmosphere that feels effortless even though it is clearly anything but. You do not notice the individual elements so much as the overall effect, which is exactly what keeps people settling in rather than moving on.

In a neighborhood that has always been defined by momentum, Ms. Alice offers something slightly different. It does not try to slow the night down completely, but it does give it a beginning that feels intentional, a middle that builds naturally, and an ending that arrives later than expected. And in the context of the Lower East Side, that might be the most insider move of all.

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