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The 12 Best Cheap Eats In NYC

Rebecca Fishbein

Published Dec 3, 2015

Modified Dec 4, 2015

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Rebecca Fishbein

Published Dec 3, 2015

Modified Dec 4, 2015

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This city boasts some of the best (and most expensive) fine-dining establishments in the country. But you don't have to shell out for a meal at Eleven Madison Park—or even $8.50 for an egg sandwich—to experience culinary excellence here. We've compiled our favorite under-$10 eats in the city, leaving out some more obvious food items like dumplings and bagels (which are also delicious, and often quite cheap); as always, leave yours in the comments.

Via Yelp

SPICY VILLAGE: This is the cleanest, tastiest cheap noodle in Chinatown. $5.95 buys you a formidable bowl (Spicy Vegetable Hui Mei) of noodles, bok choi, seaweed, and other miscellaneous veggies topped with fresh cilantro and friendly hunks of tofu. Mix everything thoroughly with the quarter-inch of broth on the bottom and feel your eyes sink sensuously into your skull. Thanks to Mark Bittman, who had to blow up the spot for its Spicy Big Tray Chicken, you're better off getting there before 6 or after 9. Pick up an oil can of Sapporo around the corner (Spicy Village is BYOB), get the Veggie Hui Mei and your total is less than $10 with tip and tax. If it's pay day splurge on a pork pancake ($2.95. Cash only. (Christopher Robbins)

Spicy Village is located at 68 Forsyth Street between Canal and Hester Streets on the Lower East Side (212-625-8299).

Via Foursquare

TACO MIX: The tacos al pastor at this East Harlem taqueria run a smooth $3-a-piece, and you'll never need more than three to fill up (two if you pair your meal with a bubbly can of soda), keeping the dinner tab down to a manageable $9. Topped with a slice of pineapple upon request, the thinly-sliced grilled pork taco is impeccably piquant, tasty and authentic; you can also add some of their housemade sauces if you're looking to amp up the heat.

Taco Mix is located at 234 East 116th Street between 2nd and 3rd Aves in East Harlem (212-831-8147).

Via Yelp

NAM NAM: For the best (and some of the most affordable) banh mi in Brooklyn, look no further than this East Williamsburg eatery, which whips up stuffed Vietnamese sandwiches for about six bucks. Vegetarian, grilled chicken, pork and classic banh mi range from $5.75 to $6.00, and they come thick with meat and vegetables tightly packed in a gently-toasted baguette. Wash the whole shebang down with a bubble tea ($3.25 ) and let the tapioca-sourced satisfaction flow through you.

Nam Nam is located at 109 Montrose Ave between Manhattan Ave and Leonard Street in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-302-9200, namnamcafe.weebly.com).

Via Yelp

THE ISLANDS: Our favorite West Indian spot in Crown Heights, Glenda's, tragically shuttered last spring. But though their super-cheap rotis are deeply missed, over on nearby Washington Avenue, eatery The Islands is still holding down the fort. Hot, filling roti run about $8, or you can fill up on tender $9 curry goat with rice and beans, paired with a $5 side dish of macaroni & cheese described by one Gothamist blogger as "buttery valhalla with a proper baked cheese crust on top." A feast for the gods, indeed.

The Islands is located at 803 Washington Avenue between Sterling and Lincoln Places in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn (718-398-3575).

Via Yelp

SOUK EL SHATER: Sunnyside is known for its thriving Middle Eastern community, so it's no surprise that the shawarma at this local Lebanese deli puts all other shawarma in the city to shame. $4.00 here gets you a pita filled with grilled chicken or beef, along with the requisite tomatoes, lettuce, hot sauces, tahini and pickled veggies. If you're particularly hungry, a large shawarma platter runs upwards of $9, and comes with a hefty serving of pita, meat, vegetables, rice and sauce.

Souk El Shater is located at 43-03 Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, Queens (718- 392-2702).

Via Yelp

JACKIE'S WEST INDIAN BAKERY: The patties and coco bread served up at this Jamaican spot in the Bronx are the stuff of legend, earning accolades from bloggers and eaters all over the city. The fluffy $5-and-under coco bread comes stuffed with proteins like tender jerk chicken, oxtail, or codfish; you can also sample homemade sweet patties filled with beef, chicken, vegetable or cheese for under $4.

Jackie's West Indian Bakery is located at 1203 East 233rd Street in The Bronx (718- 994-2541).

Via Yelp

BACON AND CHEESE CACHAPA AT PATACON PISAO: Patacon Pisao has only lived on the LES since September, but in its short time on earth, the Venezuelan newcomer's managed to make us one of our favorite cheap dishes. Double-smoked bacon and piping-hot melty mozzarella sit inside a sweet corn patty, creating a rich, savory delicacy worth clogging all the arteries for. Cachapas here run $9, but you'll be full for long enough that you won't notice the heftier price tag.

Patacon Pisao is located at 139 Essex Street between Stanton and Rivington Streets on the Lower East Side (646-678-5913, pataconpisaonyc.com).

(via Foursquare)

MAMOUN'S: Mamoun's might be the tourist's preferred cheap falafel, and it's true that less blogged-about falafel spots—Taim, Oasis, my beloved former local deli in Greenpoint—serve equally delectable eats. But it's been a while since we've extolled Mamoun's' economical virtues, and it's time they get another round of applause. A $3.50 falafel sandwich here is comprised of the requisite pita packed with piping hot falafel and tahini, and for an extra $2.50, you get a plate with salad and an additional pita. Meat sandwiches like shawarma, chicken kebob, and kafta kebob run about $6, and if you spring for a full $11.50 plate, you'll be fed for at least two meals.

Mamoun's has two locations in Manhattan: 119 MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village (212-674-8685, mamouns.com) and at 22 St. Marks Place between Cooper Square and Astor Place in the East Village (212-387-7747, mamouns.com).

Via Yelp

BURGERS FROM POP'S: Pop's is an underrated gem in an increasingly overrated neighborhood, boasting unreasonably good food for low, low prices. The burgers here are all excellent and run under $10—a basic burger is just $5, and a standout Juicy Louie, consisting of two cheese-stuffed patties topped with more cheese, is the cheapest heart attack out there at $8.95. Again, a basic five ounce burger is only $5 (50 cents extra with cheese, a buck for bacon), and will satisfy more than satisfy a late night craving if you spent all your cash on margaritas at Rosemary's.

Pop's is located at 167 North 8th Street between Bedford and Driggs Avenues in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-486-3663, popsnyc.com).

(via Yelp)

CLASSIC SAUSAGE SANDWICH FROM SCHALLER'S STUBE SAUSAGE BAR: The Upper East Side isn't the most likely spot to nab a cheap eat, but the nearly 80-year-old sausage and charcuterie maker Schaller & Weber's new sausage shack is making filling sausage sandwiches that satisfy without lightening your wallet's load. At Schaller's Stube, a tiny takeout window facing Second Avenue, most of the shop's tasty wurst can be gussied up and topped with traditional and inventive toppings from mustard to bacon, mayo to jalapenos. But for the budget-minded diner, stick to the Classic ($7), a bratwurst topped with their special Dusseldorf mustard and sauerkraut. The brat is flavorful and juicy, the mustard and sauerkraut tangy and spicy and the brioche-style bun from Balthazar buttery and flaky. They're also doing super cheap fried chicken, with a crunchy thigh setting you back just $3. (Nell Casey)

Schaller's Stube is located at 1654 2nd Avenue between 85th and 86th Streets on the Upper East Side (646-726-4355, schallerstube.com).

(via Foursquare)

SOFT PRETZELS AT SINGLECUT BEERSMITHS Pretzels and beer go together like...pretzels and beer? The salty, puffy Sigmund's Pretzels at the tap room at Astoria's Singlecut Beersmiths are the perfect complement to the brewery's excellent suds, which range in super bitter IPAs to mellow pilsners. An enormous, Regular Salted Pretzel sets drinks back just $4 and comes with a spicy horseradish mustard for dipping. If you're willing to part with a few extra pennies, upgrade to a Truffle Cheddar pretzel ($5), which comes with a crock of molten beer cheese, or the Churro Pretzel (also $5) with a decadent Nutella dipping sauce. If you're new to Singlecut's brews, opt for a Beer Flight, which gets you five 5 ounce pours for just $10. (Nell Casey)

SingleCut Beersmiths is located at 19-33 37th Street in Astoria, Queens (718-606-0788, singlecutbeer.com).

Via Facebook

PUNJABI DELI: This indispensable and affordable LES mainstay, open 24/7, boasts an array of refrigerated vegetarian Indian options to be microwaved on site and consumed on paper plates (formerly styrofoam) to your heart's content. Some favorites among the cabbies and hungry East Village bargoers who frequent this subterranean spice paradise include their samosa with chickpea curry ($3) and double veggie-topped rice bowl ($4 small, $6 large). The place has struggled to stay in business due to never-ending construction on East 1st Street, but the community rallied in support and the DOT agreed in May to add a taxi stand to help Punjabi's loyal customers keep coming back for more. You can join them with or without a hack license. (Ben Miller)

Punjabi Grocery & Deli is located at 114 East 1st Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A in the East Village (212-533-3356).

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Rebecca Fishbein

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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