highexito

Going to New York this weekend 10/20-10/21. Staying at the Park Central Hotel and going to see a couple of musicals and do some sightseeing. Can you all recommend some cheap places to eat that are off the beaten path but really good and priced nicely? Kind of like Rachael Ray $40.00 a day, you know?

jirachii

Go to McDonalds!

2Beagles

Though I've never been there, my husband and son went there last November. My husband said the street vendors had some of the best food and it was cheap! There is one place they went to and you can share the dish it's so large.. it's a deli called Carnegie Deli. There's a line out the door it's so popular. The sandwiches are huge but not expensive for the size.

gormenghast10014

You can eat very cheaply and very well in New York. Avoid places like Burger King and MacDonald's - they cost more and aren't as good as our little hole-in-the-walls. Try some of these instead:One of New York's best bargains: Gray's Papaya on the corner of 72nd and Broadway or, in the Village, at the corner of West 8th and Sixth Avenue - $3.50 for two excellent hot dogs and a fresh tropical juice (no seating - you eat standing at a counter looking out on Broadway)If you are going with someone else, go to Katz's Deli on the Lower East Side - sandwiches are huge - big enough to share - the pastrami and corned beef are spectacular ( sit in the self service section - and tip the counterman a dollar or two before he makes your sandwich. The uptown delis will charge you for sharing.)http://www.katzdeli.com/Great hotdogs at Gray's Papaya - several locations - Greenwich Village on the corner of Sixth Avenue and 8th Street, and one on the Upper West Side on the corner of Broadway and 72nd Street. For $3.50 you get two delicious hotdogs and a fresh tropical juice drink. It's self-service, so you save money on a tip.Try a Vietnamese hero sandwich called a bahn mi - Nicky's Sandwich Shop in the East Village on East 2nd Street and Avenue A -$4 or $5. You can get a great burger for $5 at the Burger Place in Le Parker Meridian Hotel on 57th near Sixth Avenue (small, crowded self-service - all they have is burgers, fries, shakes).http://www.parkermeridien.com/eat4.php.....Other places for good burgers: The Corner Bistro In Greenwich Village on West 4th and Horatio - a great burger for $5 (very crowded)http://cornerbistro.citysearch.com/page/...Another cheap excellent burger is at Island Burger & Shakes on Ninth Avenue and 51st Street - ( burgers - $6. chicken sandwiches - good toppings. soups, chiliPommes Frites in the East Village is on Second Avenue and 7th Street - you'll recognize it, by the giant paper cone of fries outside. These are really good - you can choose different toppings. http://www.pommesfrites.ws/La Taz de Oro, a small hole-in-the-wall on Eighth Avenue and 15th Street - inexpensive, large portions - Puerto Rican food - the best rice and beans.The Indian restaurants on East 6th Street in the East Village and the restaurants around Lexington Avenue in the 20's are inexpensive.Most restaurants cost less at lunch than dinner. If you stay in a room with a fridge and microwave, you can bring back your restaurant leftovers, eat breakfast in your room and save some money there.If you want something more upscale, but still delicious and inexpensive, think about these:If you like Spanish food (from Spain, not Mexico - it's an entirely different cuisine), Costa del Sol on 50th Street and Ninth Avenue is wonderful - for $25, you get a complete dinner with a ton of choices - AND IT's GOOD! You get a choice of soup or salad - (I never order salad when there's another choice, so I can't comment). My favorite soup is the Caldo Gallego - from Galecia Spain - a delicious hearty soup with bacon, chorizo sausage, white beans, kale and other vegetables; you can also order the cold gazpacho or a chicken soup with noodles. You have a choice of more than twenty entrees - at least six different shrimp dishes - my favorites are the very lightly floured shrimp with wine sauce and the garlic shrimp - HUGE portions. You can also order salmon, paella, a whole lobster with butter sauce, various chicken dishes, mixed seafoods, veal., pork chops. These come with saffron rice and string beans - large platters on the table for everyone. You also get dessert and coffee - the cheesecake is good, but you can have flan or rice pudding or icecream. As if all this food weren't enough of a bargain, if two of you order this three course dinner, you can get a bottle of red or white wine for only $6 more ($3 each)http://members.aol.com/cdelsol/...My favorite Mexican restaurant (authentic cooking of the Puebla region) is Dell Valle on the west side of Tenth Avenue and 47th Street. I especially like their seafood soup, the shrimp vera cruz, the garlic shrimp and chicken mole. The portions are large and it's very inexpensive - the most expensive dish is the seafood soup - $15. A large plate of shrimp comes with either rice and beans or salad and delicious tortillas - about $12 Place is very plain, but spotlessly clean. Servers are very pleasant, but they're slow.A few excellent inexpensive Italian restaurants:Near Union Square: Via Emilia on East 21st Street and Park Avenue. Appetizers are unusual and outstanding - gnocco fritto - large platter of Italian coldcuts served with delicious little fritters; tigelle (not served in too many places) hot biscuits with proscuitto and melted cheese; wonderful soups, good pastas, fish is always fresh. Some desserts are outstanding.http://www.viaemilianyc.net/dinner.html....In the West Village: Da Andrea on Hudson Street and West 11th Street.Excellent pastas - I especially love their clam sauce, they, too, make tigelle, can get very crowded on weekends.http://www.biassanot.com/In the Village: Sapore on Greenwich Avenue and Perry Street - Lunch here has to be the biggest bargain in New York - $6 for soup or salad, coffee and a main dish, including good pastas - $3.00 more and you can have excellent fried calamari or grilled salmon as an entree. This is a very small cramped restaurant, but, in warm weather, there's lots of pleasant outdoor seating.Restaurants I like in Chinatown:Fuleen Seafood, 11 Division Street (lunch prices are great )- portions are big and the shrimp dishes - ummmSunrise 27, 27 Division Street, I especially love their fried squid, but all the fish dishes are wonderfulNY Noodletown, 28 1/2 Bowery, small, drab, crowded - the food here is awesomeShanghai Cuisine, 89 Bayard Street - really good Shanghai foodOn West 55th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue (near Rockefeller Center):La Bonne Soup lunch: - omelet with salad and bread is $12Soup with salad, bread and a glass of wine is $16 (great onion soup. They have crepes and sandwiches. The food is very good; it can get crowded during the lunch hour. Dinner is a bit higher, but still very reasonable.Check the menu here:http://www.labonnesoupe.com/Capsuto Freres on Washington and Watts - lovely place with good food and the nicest waitstaff. It's a very comfortable restaurant. Save room for dessert. (They serve wonderful holiday meals, too) They have an excellent $35 prix fixe dinner and a $25 lunch.http://www.capsoutofreres.com/Try a Korean restaurant - 32nd Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue - there are more than a dozen Korean restaurants on this block - prices range from very cheap to very expensive. Their menus are posted in the windows. They all serve little dishes of free appetizers before your meal comes.Try an inexpensive ethnic restaurant in the East Village - walk down First Avenue from 14thStreet to 1st Street; if you haven't found a restaurant, walk up Second Avenue and try something you've never had before.Times Square is a tourist area and there are very few good restaurants there. They know their clientel is transient, so they can overcharge and don't have to worry about serving the best food - they know you're not coming back. If you eat near your hotel, check the restaurants on Ninth Avenue - there are some really excellent spots there - stay away from Broadway and Seventh Avenue.New York pizza - delicious, cheap and fillingThere is a chain called Tortilla Fresca - you can get a tortilla for less than $2Try a Korean restaurant - 32nd Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue - there are more than a dozen Korean restaurants on this block - prices range from very cheap to very expensive. Their menus are posted in the windows. They all serve little dishes of free appetizers before your meal comes.Try an inexpensive ethnic restaurant in the East Village - walk down First Avenue from 14thStreet to 1st Street; if you haven't found a restaurant, walk up Second AvenueHave a great time!

cecille21207

Around Washington Square Park and the Village (which is where I live) I'd recommend Mamoun's falafel (a local favorite), Hummus, Magnolia Bakery (must-see!), Spice (Thai food), and Peanut Butter & Co. You can find all the addresses online.

RichardS9621

nothing is better than street venders! theyre amazing

Susan

The really long answer above is the best.Avoid street vendors or at least be wary of them.They often have high bacteria due to poor refrigeration.Look for long lines and check out their food first.

NYC_DAN

Well, if you're willing to venture "off the beaten path" , i suggest taking a trip to Williamsburg. It's just a few stops on the L train from Union Square. There is a restaurant there called "Sea". It's really a lot of fun to go to and the food is CHEAP. You really get your money's worth. Average entree is $9 and you can load up on a bunch of cheap appetizers. On top of that, the atmosphere is AMAZING. You can probably tell from the picture below. Its truelly a unique experience (or as they say, THE Thai Experience) :-P.

michaelG5862

Under the umbrella.