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GVG Selects these as the cheapest
& "best -for -the- price" places to eat in New York City
Babbo
11 Waverly Place
btwn MacDougal St & 6th Ave
777-0303
Blue Ribbon Bakery
11 Downing St
by Bedford St
337-0404
Boughalem
14 Bedford St
btwn Houston & Downing St
414-4764
Casa
72 Bedford St
near Commerce
366-9410
Ecco-La
1660 Third Ave at 93rd St (860-5609)
Subway: 6 to 96th St.
11:30am-3:45pm (lunch).
Sun-Thu 4-11:30pm; Fri, Sat 4pm-midnight (dinner).
Average main course $11. AmEx.
The first room at Ecco-La is cheerful, noisy and boldly colorful; the second is
quiet, with gilt-framed pictures and upholstered chairs. Choose your room according to
your mood and enjoy the simple menu, which offers endless variations of pastas and sauces.
Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop
174 Fifth Ave between 22nd and 23rd Sts (675-5096)
Subway: N, R to 23rd St.
Mon-Fri
6am-5pm, Sat 7am- 4pm.
Average main course $5. No credit cards.
You've got two reasons to stop by this time warp of a restaurant: its chicken
and tuna salads. You won't find a better version of either anywhere in the city. The
narrow, cramped space looks as though it hasn't changed in 50 years, and so does the
staff.
Elvie's Turo-Turo
214 First Ave between 12th and 13th Sts (473-7785)
Subway: L to First Ave.
Mon-Sat
11am-9pm, Sun 11am-8pm.
Average main course $5. No credit cards.
This Filipino buffet-style diner caters to hungry New Yorkers from all walks of
life. They come for Elvira Samora Cinco's stews, grills, barbecued pork and seafood--a
choice of two served on a mountain of rice costs under $5. A New York delight.
Fanelli
94 Prince St
near Mercer St
226-9412
Florent
60 Gansevoort St
btwn Washington & Greenwich St
989-5779
Honmura An
170 Mercer St
btwn Houston & Prince St
334-5253
Jane
100 W Houston St
btwn LaGuardia Place & Thompson St
254-7000
Japonica
100 University Place
@ 12th St
243-7752
La Taza de Oro
96 Eighth Ave between 14th and 15th Sts (243-9946).
Subway: C, E to 14th St; L to
Eighth Ave.
Mon-Sat 6am- 11:30pm.
Average main course: $8. No credit cards.
You don't need to be able to speak Spanish to get by at this Puerto Rican lunch
counter. Just remember three words in English: rice and beans. They simply don't get any
better than this. Don't miss the vinegary avocado salad, either.
Mama's Food Shop
200 E 3rd St between Aves A and B (777-4425)
Subway: F to Second Ave.
Mon-Sat
11am-11pm.
Average main course $6. No credit cards.
An instant institution in the East Village, this pint-size, casual eatery offers
a taste of the South, cafeteria-style. Maybe it's the mother-size portions of of mashed
potatoes, macaroni, fried chicken and meatloaf, or the portraits of various moms on the
walls, but the regulars keep coming back for a dose of comfort.
Margon
136 W 46th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves (354-5013)
Subway: N, R to 49th St.
Mon-Fri 6am-4:45pm, Sat 7am- 2:30pm.
Average main course $7. No credit cards.
Margon is a packed Cuban joint that offers a blessed deliverance from the usual
midtown lunch hustle. Line up for Cuban sandwiches, octopus salad, tripe and pig's feet,
or soft beef pot roast--all of it served with great amounts of beans (black or red) and
rice. Sharing tables with strangers is encouraged, so don't hog the hot sauce.
Omen
113 Thompson St
btwn Prince & Spring St
925-8923
Panna ll
93 First Ave between 5th and 6th Sts (598-4610)
Subway: F to Second Ave.
Noon-midnight.
Average main course $5. No credit cards.
An Indian restaurant American-style, with riotous paper decorations, loud,
piped-in sitars and a typically East Village mix of customers. Panna II serves North
Indian specialities (most of which cost less than $5) at a rapid clip.
Paris Commune
411 Bleecker St
btwn Bank & W 11th St
929-0509
Plan-Eat Thailand
184 Bedford Ave between N 6th and N 7th Sts, Brooklyn (1-718-599-5758)
Subway: L to
Bedford Ave.
Mon-Sat 11:30am-11:30pm; Sun 1-11pm.
Average main course $7. No credit cards. Sit at the bar and watch the cooks concoct extra-spicy peanut or coconut
curries, or grab a table and take a gander at art created by some homegrown Williamsburg
talent, while sampling the delicious vegetable pad Thai. Portions are large enough to
warrant a doggie bag.
Pommes Frites
123 Second Ave between 7th and 8th Sts (674-1234)
Subway: 6 to Astor Pl.
Sun-Thu
11:30-midnight; Fri, Sat 11:30am-1am.
Regular fries: $2.50. It's midnight. You're drunk, and you need fried food: Welcome to Nirvana. Pommes Frites'
Belgian-style fries are so good--hot, crispy and salty--that this storefront doesn't sell
anything else, except a selection of 28 mostly mayo-based toppings.
Raoul's
180 Prince St
btwn Sullivan & Thompson St
966-3518
Velli
132 Houston St
btwn Sullivan & MacDougal St
979-7614
