Mr & Mrs Smith

Il Bucco on Bond Street is a two-minute walk from the hotel and a real gem of a restaurant. Serving simple but amazing fresh Italian food, it's a must for a romantic night out. If possible, asked to be seated in the cellar room as you'll be one of the few that evening to enjoy the seclusion of a small, intimate space surrounded by bottles of wine. Simply awesome.

'Think' across the street from the Bowery makes excellent coffee and organic fare. It's a pleasant breakfast alternative to the Bowery if you feel like a change.

If you love mexican food then you have to try Hecho en Dumbo. This fairly new restaurant is right across from the hotel. The head chef is from Mexico City and you can tell the food has authentic origins - the homemade guacomole is wonderful. We managed to get a couple of seats at the bar in the kitchen so we could watch the food being made - so educational as well as delicious! A great range of drinks to go with the food - I fell in love with their margaritas.

We visited the Smoke Jazz and Supper Club at 2751 Broadway between 105th and 106th Streets, a taxi ride away, from the Bowery but really worth it! Live class jazz lineups in a small venue with superb food; presentation and taste! The hotel booked us in and it was a great night. The acts vary nightly so check out their calendar, great atmosphere and value.

First of all I had an amazing stay at The Bowery. I absolutely loved the hotel itself as well as the groovy neighbourhood, and will definitely go back there again. My big discovery however, was the BabyCakes bakery (+1 212 677 5047) just a little further south of the hotel in the Lower East Side at 248 Broome Street (between Orchard and Ludlow). Forget the sickly sweet, calorie inducing cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. Everything at BabyCakes is lovingly made without gluten, dairy and refined sugar, but you would never know it from the taste or the intoxicating smell as soon as you walk in. I have several food sensitivities so I was positively drooling at the sight of all those amazing goodies that I was able to eat guilt free, but my two friends who would normally turn their noses up at such worthy fare were blown away almost even more than I was! The whole place looks like a quirky 50's throwback and the bakery goods are out of this world AND good for you. How cool is that? There was a queue out the door when I was there on Halloween and rightly so. Check it out! www.babycakesnyc.com

Perfect little jewel of a hotel with a back patio that really lets you escape the hustle and bustle of the city. And yet the East Village and all the city is at your feet when you exit. Gemma is the perfect way to start the weekend morning with a wonderful brunch. Rooms a bit small - given I had a suite and it was still "cozy". But all in all a wonderful boîte.....

I can highly recommend Holy Basil, a Thai restaurant about five minutes' walk from the Bowery. Reception can point you in the right direction.

If you leave the Bowery and walk 5–6 minutes to 68 Prince Street. (between Crosby and Lafayette Streets) you'll come to Hampton Chutney Co, a great place for a healthy lunch with an organic, East Indian flavor. Delicious crispy dosas with a choice of so many ingredient combos – quite possibly the best healthy lunch in SoHo. After multiple visits, it's just as reliable as ever!