In New York, lean times don't necessarily mean lean choices. Our man in NYC tracks down first-rate, wallet-friendly places to dine.
Eating well and eating affordably aren’t mutually exclusive in New York. Of course, the Big Apple does big-ticket dining better than anyone, but for every extravagant gourmet temple with (Michelin) stars in its eyes, there are thousands of delicious places to eat that won’t break the bank. Not all these cheap eats have a fixed address. New York’s street food has undergone a quiet revolution. A new generation of street vendors, many in retrofitted ex-delivery trucks, offer sublime food and gentle prices. The wildly popular Dessert Truck, founded by a former Le Cirque pastry chef, has desserts that rival those of the city’s finest kitchens. Dining at the opulent Le Cirque runs well beyond three figures per person, but the truck’s crème brûlée sets you back just $US5. With New York’s sidewalks as your backdrop it’s a fiscally responsible and perhaps more romantic choice.
While its residents are often accused of having a lascivious appetite for the new, New York is embracing classic cuisine like never before, proof positive that when times are tough, appetites return to basics. Just like trashy popcorn movies, comfort food may not always be what’s best for us, but it certainly has the ability to warm the heart without stinging the bank account. Frugal foodies have welcomed the proliferation of new burger joints, many of which give the trusty classic an upscale spin. Typically cheap and almost always delicious, burgers are the ultimate reminder that for all its culinary bombast, New York is a metropolis of surprisingly traditional tastes.
How to eat affordably in New York city
Escape Midtown The city centre has a tepid dining scene and murderous prices, so head to some of the
city’s lesser-known culinary hubs, such as Chinatown, Brooklyn and the Lower East Side.
Eat ethnic With its polyglot population, New York has the most diverse range of ethnic food on the planet. From halal carts to hole-in-the-wall cafes serving unbeatable bánh mì (baguette), there’s a cheap eat for every conceivable taste.
Our picks
Gray’s Papaya
402 Sixth Avenue.
+1 212 260 3532.
Café Select
212 Lafayette Street.
+1 212 925 9322.
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Café Habana
17 Prince Street.
+1 212 625 2002.
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Gottino Wine Bar
52 Greenwich Avenue.
+1 212 633 2590.
Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage Systems
26 East 17th Street.
+1 212 414 0600.
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Txikito
240 Ninth Avenue.
+1 212 242 4730.
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The Smith
55 Third Avenue.
+1 212 420 9800.
Street food
Calexico
Wooster Street at Prince Street.
Daisy May’s
50th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.
Dessert Truck
6 Clinton Street.
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Burgers
Wall Street Burger Shoppe
30 Water Street.
+1 212 425 1000.
The Shake Shack
366 Columbus Avenue.
+1 646 747 8770.
Corner Bistro
331 West Fourth Street.
+1 212 242 9502.
East Village
The Promised Land for thrifty chowhounds, the East Village, with its Babel of cultures living cheek by jowl, cannot be beaten for its sheer concentration of reasonably priced food.
Prune
54 East First Street.
+1 212 677 6221.
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Momofuku Milk Bar
207 Second Avenue.
+1 212 254 3500.
Porchetta
110 East Seventh Street.
+1 212 777 2151.
Caracas
93½ East Seventh Street.
+1 212 529 3214.
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Rai Rai Ken
214 East 10th Street.
+1 212 477 7030.
Pommes Frites
123 Second Avenue.
+1 212 674 1234.
More online Check out other online resources designed for thrifty gastronomes including www.chowhound.com, www.eater.com and www.menupages.com
Source: Qantas The Australian Way November 2009