Manhattan dopers, help me out. I’m going to NYC on Tuesday. I’ll have 10 hours in the city, a pair of jeans and a presentable (but certainly not even business casual level) polo shirt, $30 in my pocket (maybe $40. But not much more), and a need to eat 2 meals.
What’s good and cheap? I’m sure I’ll be stopping at Papaya King, or some such, at some point for a snack, so don’t bother suggesting hot dogs. I want something almost sitdown-y, in Manhattan, preferably south of the park. Give me your best ideas.
It depends what you wanna eat, and how much and what your expectations are in terms of fancyness. There’s plenty of ok places to eat if you can make a meal out of, say, a few sushi rolls. Or, you can eat your fill at a chinese takeout, but it’s not really a good place for a business meeting.
It’s not business. It’s just me, and probably some friends. College age kids. I’ll eat pretty much anything. Generally speaking, the less insects, the better, but other than that, I’m fairly adventurous. And I don’t need classy. I won’t really be dressed for it, nor will I have the money for it.
Virtually all of Second Ave.
If you end up with an extra $5 or so to spare and you like fries, you MUST visit B. Frites! They’re like French fries…but they’re not French; they’re Belgian. With special Belgian mayonnaise for dipping. Just outside Times Square. www.bfrites.com.
Also, have you tried pastrami or corned beef before? From what I understand, you can only get the good stuff in New York…if you’ve tried supermarket pastrami and didn’t like it, don’t let that deter you. I went to the Stage Deli, which I didn’t know at the time is famous, and the service was great. The waiter allowed us to try samples of the meat to see if we liked it, and soda refills always came on time. The sandwiches are large enough to share, but I’m not sure if they charge extra for that. www.stagedeli.com.
You’ll recognize the cheap places to eat when you see them. You can go for Chinese takeout-type places, pizza, or just stick to chains like McD’s or Subway. Try not to eat in the “touristy” parts of town (Times Square, for example), as even the chains have inflated prices.
Some of my favorites: if you’re not averse to Korean food, there’s a few cheap places on 32nd st. between 5th and Broadway, but you gotta get there at the right time. Joong Hwa Ban Jum is on the south side of the street and sells huge and tasty $5 lunch specials. On that same block, same side of the street, there’s a buffet place where you can get a pretty cheap lunch. I forget the name, but it’s got a glass front, and if you pass by it around lunchtime, you’ll see the buffet tables right up against the glass.
Keep walking east and a little south, and there’s the Indian food. The really restauranty-looking places are ok, and they usually have their menus posted out front so you can judge the prices. Don’t be scared of the harshly-lit cafateria-type places. Oh, these will be on and around Lexington ave., in the mid-20s.
Bagels, and plenty of 'em!