A once crime-ridden street in New York City is now so hip that it’s been declared not just the coolest in the U.S., but one of 10 coolest in the world.
That buzzy artery is Orchard Street in the Lower East Side, an area that through much of the 20th century was one of the most impoverished in NYC, rife with pick-pocketing and gang activity.
Since then, the thoroughfare has undergone a dramatic transformation — and today it has been unveiled as No.9 in Time Out’s 2025 ranking of the World’s Coolest Streets.
Time Out describes the eight-block stretch as being “packed with fascinating shops and dining destinations,” a spot where “music spills out of bars and restaurants drag tables into the street as thrift stores, leather shops and art galleries shut up shop for the day.”
The guide also points out that new additions to the street, such as bookstore/podcast studio P&T Knitwear and photobooth museum Autophoto, are drawing crowds.
The best place to eat there? Try Scarr’s Pizza, which mills its own grain and serves slices Time Out claims are among the best in the world.
Drinks-wise, head to Bar Contra for cocktails that “will keep your tastebuds entertained.”
To learn more about the area’s gritty past, head to the Tenement Museum, “which keeps alive the stories of the immigrants who lived there.”
The No.1 spot on the Coolest Streets list, meanwhile, goes to Rue do Senado in Rio de Janeiro, followed by Orange Street in Osaka, Rua do Bonjardim in Porto, Fanghua Street in Chengdu and Sherbrooke Street West in Montreal.
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Commenting on the winner, Time Out said: “With its historic townhouses and traditional bars, Rua do Senado is the first street in South America to top this Time Out list.
“Once known for its antique shops and bohemian vibe, the street is undergoing a stylish revival and now pulses with a new wave of energy.”
It added: “Rua do Senado is known for hosting the lively Samba do Armazém Senado sessions on Saturdays, while offering a wide array of restaurants, shops and bars, and art collective Solar dos Abacaxis, which is located in a former 1912 factory.”
The 10 coolest streets in the world
- Rio de Janeiro: Rua do Senado (Brazil)
- Osaka: Orange Street (Japan)
- Porto: Rua do Bonjardim (Portugal)
- Chengdu: Fanghua Street (China)
- Montreal: Sherbrooke Street West (Canada)
- Brisbane: Montague Road (Australia)
- Berlin: Maybachufer (Germany)
- Thessaloniki: Olympou Street (Greece)
- New York City: Orchard Street (USA)
- Ho Chi Minh City: Vinh Khanh Street (Vietnam)
