NYC cheap eats
 

Many of the posts in the NYC dining forum are dedicated to fine or expensive dining, places that most of us wouldn't dream of going to regularly. What eating establishments do you go to on a day to day/week to week basis? Share your wealth and help out the smaller establishments!

1. Nyonya: on the outskirts of Chinatown, on Grand Street, near Mott. Great Malaysian food, sister restaurant to Penang, but less expensive, a meal for two can easily cost less than $12 (w/o tax,tip.) Especially enjoy the Hainese chicken with rice and roti canai (thin flat bread with curry sauce.)

2. Teresa's: On 1st Ave. between 6th & 7th streets (maybe a block further in either direction.) Polish diner, roast duck is great, they usually run out of it by 8 or so, blintzes and pierogies are excellent too. Dinner for two can be had for under $20.


3. Bendix diner: 1st Ave, near Teresa's, not sure on the cross streets. Diner/Thai, chicken soup is wonderful.

4. Big Wong's: Mott Street not too far from Canal. V. inexpensive, all the locals come here to buy their roast meats and dinner items. Roast pork (char sieu) and roast duck on rice is great, so are the congee and noodle soups.

5. Burritoville: a few locations, I used to frequent the one on Chambers Street in high school (you can order a plain or flavored tortilla $.54 and sit there and eat the chips and salsa while waiting for it to be heated, kind of mean, but great for high schoolers with limited funds.)

6. Go Sushi, 8th Street and 6th ave. Fast-food sushi (not bad), also serve bento boxes and noodle soups, might not be Nobu, but it's a far cry from sushi-boy. The noodle soups are huge and well worth your $5/$6, the dragon roll and alaska rolls are my favorite.

7. Not sure of it's name, and location, but the vegetarian place across the street from the old 1 Police Plaza (large off-whitish building now home to a few elite, such as Calvin Klein and Cindy Crawford), off of Grand street. Run by a female buddhist Monk and a business woman.

8. The Family Restaurant: Queens Blvd. and 75th Ave(?), good family Italian, filet of sole francese is delicious.

9. Sal Anthony's SPQR: In Little Italy on Mulberry Street, the early bird prefix dinner (before 6 or 6:30-ish) on weekdays is an excellent deal, clam linguine is highly recommended.

10. Sahara East: either 1st or 2nd ave near 10th and 11th Streets (I think, sorry I can't be more precise.) Decent Mediterranean, and added fun (but costs more than the food,) hookahs and flavored tobacco, apple flavored tastes best I think (personal preference though.)

11. Many of the Indian, Bengali, Bangladeshi, Pakistani places on 6th Street between 1st and 2nd Aves. Some have better food than others, but all have great specials, appetizer, entree, dessert, coffee/tea under $6.

12. The deli in Garden of Eden (a couple of locations, one is on 23rd Street bet. 6th & 7th Aves. Garden of Eden and Gourmet Garage are excellent specialty food stores, lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, desserts, cheeses, etc. Both are less expensive than Balducci's or Dean and Deluca's) Fave sandwich is roast turkey, brie and mustard on baguette.

13. Chinatown ice cream factory (not sure of it's location, but they have the best ice-cream, home made green tea, pumpkin pie, mango, banana, coffee, ginger, etc. It's on a side street off of Mott between Canal and Bowery.

14. Veniero's: on 11th(?) between 1st and 2nd Aves. Desserts only, excellent everything (but especially the cheesecakes, cannollis, and minis. My mother swears by this place, we waited in line for 3 hours one Christmas to buy desserts for our family dinner because she refused to go elsewhere.

15. Ferraro's: across the street from Nyonya's, desserts only, their gelato is wonderful, they also have a branch on 6th Ave in the village.

Can't remember anything else off the top of my head, but if I do, I'll add it. Please add your own great NYC cheap eats (any borough is welcome)!

Let's see....

I agree about Go Sushi. I go to the one in my neighborhood about 4 times per week for sushi and it's solid daily sushi. For special occassions, I'll go to the more fashionable sushi locales.

Pongsri is a great Thai restaurant in the theatre district and very well priced.

Republic is a pan-asian restaurant on Union Square West and is incredibly inexpensive.

Isabella's on the corner of 77th and Columbus has a good menu and very well priced for Sunday brunch.

The Dumpling House on Pell Street in Chinatown has scrumptuous dumplings and a great menu well priced. The fact that you see so many Chinese people eating there to me accounts for how good it is. But it's a cash-only basis.

If you are into quick diners try the Prime burger opposite St. Patricks on 51st. Two burgers and fries $7.99. While the burgers are small two are plenty and the food is excellent. Plus the location is Prime.

Burritoville is great! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

A couple of steps above the burrito palaces and well below "fine" dining is Becco in the West 40s. http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7186233/

To properly calibrate, every bottle of wine is $20. Very friendly service.
Rich

a little bit more expensive than the usual Chinese joint but, well worth it, is Wu Liang Ye. Three branches (48th bet 5th/6th; 40th & Lex; 86th bet 2nd/3rd).

It is owned by a PRC liquor company of the same name. Probably the only authentic Sichuan food in Manhattan. Order from the Chef's Special and Sichuan Specials. However, only for those who love real fiery food.

There is a good consensus that Grand Sichuan International (51st & 9th as well as 24th & 9th) are the top-notch restaurants in that category. Do a search on http://chowhound.com for past discussions on this topic http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

1) Le Rendez-Vous - middle eastern/Lebanese - the BEST falafels in the city, and good chicken shawarma - there are two locations I know of, and both are good, at Lex/30th and 8th/46th.

2) Abitino's Pizza - two locations, Midtown East and Murray Hill. Excellent pizza.

3) Clancey's Pub - 2nd/52nd - take it from a burger connoisseur - these are the best no-frills burgers in Midtown.

4) Jerusalem Pita, something like that, Upper West Side, on Broadway in the 90's near Carmine's - clean hole in the wall with excellent doner kebabs/gyros/shawarmas.

5) Casablanca Cafe, north side of 53rd between 2nd and 3rd Avenue, in a shop in one of the rowhouses - the sandwiches are good, but the baklava is better - light, buttery, delicious.

I'll put in a nod for the Baluchi's (North Indian) around 6th st and 2nd ave. Food is consistently good, price is very reasonable. For some reason, all food items are 50% off, and have been for months and months. The better half and I are stuffed for under $30 all in.

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Perhaps it's just the slow economy? http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/frown.gif

The place sounds good! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

How about this place? Anyone been? Thanks! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

Brick Lane Curry House

342 East Sixth Street (First Avenue), East Village; (212) 979-2900.

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Spicy Indian Spot That Doesn't Care to Fit In

Theold saw has it that there is a single communal kitchen under the cluster of Indian restaurants on East Sixth Street from which they all take their food. The arrival in late 2000 of Banjara, a nonfacsimile on the corner of First Avenue, did some damage to this moldy chestnut. Brick Lane Curry House, a spare and casual place that opened next door to Banjara about three months ago, breaks it wide.

The food is powerfully spiced, distinctively flavored, extremely fresh. From the sweetly moist mint-heightened minced lamb shammi kebabs ($8) that might start a meal to the frothy mango lassi ($3) that might come at its end, almost everything about Brick Lane calls to mind a skilled and careful hand. Sitting in the tiny front dining room, listening to the world-beat soundtrack beneath walls stained to a soft-focus sunset red, it is possible to feel transported — if not to Bombay, than at least to England.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/31/dining/31UNDE.html

Baluchi's has always had 50% off lunches as far back as I can remember. If they've 50% dinners now too, then that's new. They actually have many locations aside from 6th; I've personally been to the one on Spring and the one on W 56th.

Alas, my Indian friends consider Baluchi's only mediocre at best, but I think it's okay on the price/quality ratio.

Theres also a Baluchi's wiht 50% dinners in Forest Hills on Queens Blvd.

OK, I finally tried Grand Sichuan International. I thought it was pretty good but, IMHO, not nearly as good as Wu Liang Ye (especially Wu Liang Ye 48th St location).

A new burger place opened in Chelsea @ 8th and 19th (used to be a deli) - Better Burger NYC, 178 Eighth Ave., Monday - Saturday 4:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. and Sunday 4:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., web www.betterburgernyc.com

Meat is hormone-, nitrate- and antibiotic-free, 100% organic, no fillers, reduced fat where possible, otherwise non-hydrogenated fats, buns with no preservatives or sugar.

How does it taste?

Very good! It seems very healthy, and the fries are especially good. You enter the hi-tech, chrome diner with booths on the side and walk back to the McDonald's-style counter (kind of a letdown), place your order "for here or to go" and they either bring it out to you on a tray or come out from the kitchen to hand you your bag of fixins'. Sizewise, it's like a McD's 1/4 lb.er with cheese. A cheddar cheeseburger comes with lettuce and a garnish of marinated chopped onions and tomatoes. The fries are spiced and salted and taste great. A basic hamburger is $4.95 and fries are $2.50 (which could make a satisfying lunch itself).

How does it COMPARE, you ask? Well, honestly, it's not as tasty as other burgers I've had, whether it's because of the quality of the meat or it's overcooked or I don't know what, but I don't know if I would go out of my way to go there again, especially because I don't eat much meat to begin with, so it's not like I'm getting lots of hormone/antibiotic laced meat normally, i.e., I can afford to eat something unhealthy now and then.

If you are in the neighborhood, have the munchies and are health-concious, by all means, get your butt over there! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by anonplz (edited 07-07-2003).]

Originally posted by Medora626

4. Big Wong's: Mott Street not too far from Canal. V. inexpensive, all the locals come here to buy their roast meats and dinner items. Roast pork (char sieu) and roast duck on rice is great, so are the congee and noodle soups.

This place rocks. Gotta love the roast pawk ! ! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...m/thumbsup.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...m/thumbsup.gif