Sami & Susu

Verdict: Book It, Then Go Back Again

If you have been once and left wondering what else was on the menu, that instinct is right: this is a repeat-visit restaurant. Go back, order differently, work through the natural wine list while you're at it.

What You're Actually Booking

The kitchen at 190 Orchard Street does not have a proper gas stove; that detail matters because it tells you something about the cooking philosophy. This is not a showpiece kitchen chasing technical complexity. It is a focused operation run by Christoph and Felix Düster that takes a tight roster of Middle Eastern-inflected Mediterranean dishes and executes them with consistency. The menu is small by design, the flavors are direct: bright herbs, good lamb, seasonal produce treated without fuss.

On the drinks side, the natural wine list is the anchor of the bar program here, it deserves your attention before you default to ordering food. The list skews toward lower-intervention producers and pairs logically with the food's brightness and acidity. If natural wine is not your usual, the staff are not precious about it; this is the kind of room where asking for a recommendation lands you something genuinely interesting rather than a rehearsed answer. The drinks program is an extension of the kitchen's sensibility: no excess, no performance, just well-chosen bottles that make the food taste better.

The room itself is narrow, the soundtrack is punky, the service is relaxed. You will not be made to feel rushed or judged for over-ordering, which, given the temptation of the menu, is practically an invitation to do exactly that. For a night out in the Lower East Side that does not ask you to dress up, overthink the booking, or spend $$$$ to eat well, Sami & Susu is as solid a call as the neighborhood offers. For other strong options nearby, Dagon covers similar Middle Eastern territory, Hart's is a comparable neighborhood-restaurant feel one borough over in Brooklyn.

The Drinks Program: Natural Wine as a Feature, Not an Afterthought

The natural wine list at Sami & Susu is worth treating as a destination in itself. The selection is curated to complement the kitchen's Mediterranean range, meaning you will find bottles with the kind of acidity and herbaceous lift that makes lamb dishes and grain-forward plates sing. The program does not try to be comprehensive, it tries to be right for the food, it succeeds. If you are someone who finds most restaurant wine lists either too safe or too obscure, this one tends to land in a more interesting middle ground.

Bar program does not extend to an elaborate cocktail menu based on available data, but that is not a gap, it is a deliberate register. This is a wine-with-food room, the list is built accordingly. For a fuller cocktail experience in New York, explore our full New York City bars guide. For a Mediterranean-forward wine experience in a different context, La Brezza in Ascona and Arnaud Donckele & Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton in Saint-Tropez offer a comparison point for what the broader Mediterranean dining category can look like at the higher end.

For the Return Visit: What to Prioritize

If you have already been once, the repeat-visit logic at Sami & Susu runs through two channels. First, the menu changes with the season, so dishes that were on last time may not be on now, new ones will be worth trying. Second, the lamb is a reliable through-line: whether it appears wrapped in cabbage or stuffed into squash blossoms, it is the category to anchor your order around. Ask the staff what form it is taking on that visit and order it.

On the wine side, ask for something the staff is currently excited about rather than defaulting to a familiar region. The natural wine list rewards that kind of engagement. If you are bringing someone who is skeptical of natural wine, this room's low-key service style makes it easy to try something new without it becoming a whole conversation.

For comparable seasonal Mediterranean cooking in New York, Meadowsweet and Theodora are worth knowing. Across the country, if you want to benchmark what seasonal, farm-driven cooking looks like at a higher price point, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg and The French Laundry in Napa represent the upper ceiling of that format. For US dining beyond New York, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Alinea in Chicago, Providence in Los Angeles, and Emeril's in New Orleans all offer points of comparison in different formats and price tiers.

Know Before You Go

FAQ

Is Sami & Susu worth the price?

• Yes, clearly. A Michelin Bib Gourmand at $$ pricing is the inspector's way of saying the kitchen delivers quality well beyond what the check suggests. In New York terms, this is a restaurant where two people can eat well and drink interesting wine without the bill becoming a conversation. For the quality tier, it is among the better-value calls on the Lower East Side.

Is the tasting menu worth it at Sami & Susu?

• Based on available data, Sami & Susu does not operate a formal tasting menu, the format is a short, seasonal à la carte menu. That is actually a point in its favor for return visits: you order what looks good that night rather than committing to a fixed sequence. If a multi-course tasting format is what you want, Le Bernardin operates at a much higher price point but in a different register entirely.

Can Sami & Susu accommodate groups?

• The room is narrow and the format is neighborhood restaurant rather than event venue, which means large group bookings may be constrained by space. Based on available data, seat count is not confirmed, but the physical description of a narrow Orchard Street space suggests parties of 2–4 are the most comfortable fit. For larger groups, contact the restaurant directly to check availability and configuration options.

How far ahead should I book Sami & Susu?

• Booking is rated Easy, the restaurant does not require the weeks-out lead time that Michelin-starred venues in New York typically demand. A few days ahead should secure a table on most weeknights. For Friday or Saturday evenings, book at least a week out to avoid disappointment. The Bib Gourmand recognition will have raised the profile of the room, so do not leave weekend bookings to the last minute.