NYC On the Cheap: Food
Your Guide to Great Food in the Big Apple Without Breaking the Bank
This article contains restaurant suggestions for NYC. It will help college students and thrifty travellers alike to make the most of their NYC experience!
New York City is known for its culinary excellence. Top chefs from around the world come here to open the trendiest restaurants. The food is great, the drinks are innovative and the atmosphere is hip. However, for those traveling or living in the city on a budget, $50 per entrée is not the most affordable option. Lucky for you, NYC is the biggest city in America. This means that it has a lot of mouths to feed, which also means that there are tons of restaurants to choose from! All of the restaurants listed are fun, inexpensive and casual. You will find the address of each restaurant, as well as the subway stop. Bon appetite!
Chelsea Grill of Hell’s Kitchen
675 9th Ave (Columbus Ave.)
New York, NY 10036
212.974.9002
C, E to 50th St.
Located in the fabulous restaurant district of Hell’s Kitchen (yes, formerly the biker group’s hang out), Chelsea Grill is a great place to go with a small group of friends. The interior is simple but aesthetic. Dark tables fill a dimly lit room and there is also the option to sit at the bar or at a few booths in the back. The food is considered “American” with a wide selection of gourmet burgers, pasta, steak and fish, as well as a small vegetarian menu. With prices ranging from $9.50-17.50 per entrée, you might even be able to order dessert as well!
Blockheads
Worldwide Plaza (50th St. between 8th and 9th Ave.)
New York, NY 10019
212.307.7029
C,E to 50th St.; 1 to 50th St.
This Upper West Side location of the chain, Blockheads, is a great warm-weather spot. The food is good, but even better are the famous $2.50 frozen margaritas! A mere $.50 more will get you a flavored one. The restaurant itself is small, but there is plenty of room when the patio is open. The menu consists of Mexican food, such as burritos and quesadillas. The prices are fair, ranging from about $8 to $12 for an entrée and $2.50- $4.50 for various appetizers.
Cafetasia
38 E. 8th St
New York, NY 10003
212.529.2363
6 to Astor Place; R,W to 8th St
Spending time near NYU? Stop by trendy Thai restaurant, Cafetasia. Electric candles suspended from the ceiling give the space a nice glow. For couples there are smaller tables around the perimeter of the room. For larger parties, there are two long tables in the center of the room that can seat a few groups at a time. The menu is creative and is split up into sizes (XS- XL) that allow you to order a few smaller items, or one big entrée. Prices range from $2.00 for an “extra small” dish to $13 for an “extra large” dish. “Large” dishes run between $8-9.
Kenka
25 St. Mark’s Place
New York, NY 10003
212.254.6363
6 to Astor Place
This Japanese restaurant is owned by Umeki Yuji who also operates Search & Destroy, a punk clothing store located directly upstairs. The food is Japanese “izakaya” style, the equivalent of pub food. It opens at 6pm (dinner only) and still tends to draw a crowd on weekends after four years of business. The atmosphere is noisy but fun. Cartoonish Japanese music blares from the speakers while parties of people order plates and plates of noodle dishes while sipping $1.50 draft beers. Sometimes the beer is enough to make someone order one of the more “unique” dishes, like fried beef intestine or the special turkey testicles. Prices at Kenka range from about $3-7 while the nabe “hot pot” dishes are between $15-18.
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