Living in NYC is about getting the best bang for your buck. Whether it’s scoping out a good spot to eat, or finding a rent-stabilized apartment, it’s no surprise why us New Yorkers look to save wherever we can! One of our favorite inexpensive things to do though, is getting a delicious meal for a steal of a price!
This means juicy hamburgers for less than $10, a pile of dumplings for cheap, thick empanadas for a good price, and a whole lot more. These are our favorite places around NYC to find some cheap eats!
1. Shu Jiao Fu Zhou, Lower East Side
This delectable Chinese spot won’t break the bank in the slightest, and will even have you wondering how it can be so delicious for the price! Everything is extremely affordable, but the talk of the town is their Wheat Noodles with Peanut Sauce ($3), Pork & Chive Dumplings ($3), and wonton soup ($2).
Where: 295 Grand St
2. 7th Street Burger, Multiple Locations
The menu at 7th Street Burger is very straightforward…burgers and fries. Choose between the Cheeseburger ($6.50), Double Cheeseburger ($9.50), or the Impossible Burger ($8) and top if off with a side of fries ($4). Each one is served with grilled onions, American cheese, pickles and a house sauce that is out of this world. It’s the perfect guilty pleasure.
Where:
East Village – 91 E 7th St
West Village – 110 MacDougal St
Upper East Side – 1603 2nd Ave
Upper West Side – 424 Amsterdam Ave
Gramercy – 364 3rd Ave
Midtown East – 304 E 49th St
3. Matto Espresso, Multiple Locations
This espresso and cafe chain has a ton of locations around NYC, and serves up cheap and delightful morning necessities. Between their pastries, coffees, espressos, and signature drinks, everything sits around $2-5, so there’s really no going wrong. Just depends on how hungry and thirsty you are!
Where: Find your location here
4. Djerden Burek Bakery, Astoria & Brooklyn
This cute family owned and operated small business in Astoria serves hand-crafted Balkan food that you won’t find anywhere else! Their delicious, flaky, and savory traditional hand-crafted Phyllo dough pies called Burek are the highlight of the menu, with a large (and super filling) slice costing only $6.50. They come filled with beef, cheese, and everything in between.
Where:
Astoria – 34-04A 31st Ave, Queens
Brooklyn – 2283 65th Street, Brooklyn
5. Los Tacos No. 1, Multiple Locations
It’s no secret why this place is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in NYC, and it’s because of the juicy and affordable tacos! Tacos and tostadas range around a little less than $5 here and quesadillas and mulas are $6-8. All the essentials are here and for a great price!
Where: Find your location here
6. Criollas, Midtown & Hell’s Kitchen
Get your empanada fix in at Criollas, where you can get impressive baked empanadas for about $6 each. We recommend trying out their 3 Empanada Box for $18, which you can mix and match with different types like Chicken and Pork or their more unique options like the Caprese Empanada and Fugazetta Empanada. See both location’s menus here!
Where:
Turnstyle Underground Market – 1000S 8th Ave
Hell’s Kitchen – 888 8th Ave
7. Cheeky Sandwiches, Lower East Side
This “cheeky” and hip sandwich joint serves New Orleans-style sandwiches, with it’s most notable being the mouthwatering Fried Chicken Sandwich, served on a warm buttermilk biscuit with coleslaw and gravy ($6.50). They also have other forms of meat sandwiches and even vegetarian sandwiches for only $8.
Where: 119 Essex St
8. San Marzano, East Village
Although it’s slightly over our $10 allowance for this article, San Marzano is still cheap and one of our favorite spots for affordable pasta! For only $14, you can get all sorts of pasta shapes and sauces to your heart’s desire! Or if you’re feeling something on the lighter side, opt for a salad for $9 or a panini for $12! If you’re looking for affordable Italian, this is our pick.
Where: 117 2nd Ave
9. Scarr’s Pizza, Lower East Side
It’s no secret that pizza is a royalty here in NYC, and hunting down the best slice is a challenge many people are constantly looking to solve! One our honorable mentions has to be Scarr’s in the Lower East Side. A cheese slice will run you only $3.75 while specialty slices, Sicilian slices, and Grandma slices are all $4.75-5.75.
Where: 22 Orchard St
10. Veselka, East Village
Veselka is a cute Ukrainian spot that serves delicious and affordable European bites for a decent cost! Their cheap eats highlights include potato pancake latkes ($6 or 3 for $16), pierogis (4 for $9 or 8 for $16), and a cup of soup for $6. If you’re looking for something a little more, they have full entrees and signature sandwiches that range from $16-22.
Where: 144 2nd Ave
11. Alimama, Chinatown
This tea shop not only serves up flavor-packed cold brewed teas ($5.75), but they’re the only place in NYC that sells Japanese mochi donuts ($4.50-5.50). Our recommendation though is the Boba-Filled Cream Puffs ($5.50) that are chewy, gooey, and bouncy all at the same time!
Where: 89A Bayard St
12. Mei Lai Wah, Chinatown
Mei Lai Wah is at first glance a bakery and coffee shop, but the most iconic item on the menu is their Baked Roast Pork Bun for only $1.75! They also have an assortment of dim sum, noodle rolls, congee, and a whole lot more (for only around $5-6). If you got some spare $1 bills laying around, put them to use here!
Where: 64 Bayard St
13. Birria-Landia, Multiple Locations
Our cheap eats list wouldn’t be complete without a food truck, and Birria-Landia takes the trophy. Focusing on birria style meat, you can snag tacos for $3.50, mulitas for $4.50, and tostadas for $3.50. Be sure to try the consome ($4-6) too which is the delicious dip you’re meant to dip your taco in.
Where: Find your location here
14. Tiki Chick, Upper West Side
Tiki Chick is not only a colorful tiki bar with quirky cocktails, but they also have some of the best cheap sandwiches on the Upper West Side ($5)! Their Hot Honey sandwich (Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Honey Nashville Sauce, Pickle Chips), is probably their most popular, but the signature S’tiki Tiki (Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Shaved Spam, Grilled Pineapple, Tiki Sauce, Pickle Chips) is so unique and tropical it’s worth a try.
Where: 517 Amsterdam Ave
15. Joe’s Steam Rice Roll, Multiple Locations
Steamed rice rolls are extremely sought after here in NYC, and by the name of this place, it’s no wonder it’s the most recommended item. For only $8 or less, you can grab one of their delicious signature steam rolls. Be sure to end it with a Chinese Crepe (eggs, lettuce, crispbread, scallion, and cilantro) for $6 too.
Where:
Flushing – 136-21 Roosevelt Ave, Queens
Chinatown – 261 Canal St
Upper West Side – 422 Amsterdam Ave
16. Great NY Noodletown
Great NY Noodletown just reopened at the end of the last year, so there’s never been a better chance to stop in for a cheap bite! Their Noodle Soups for $7.50 are amongst the most popular and the Lo Mein noodles (Hong Kong style) for $8.75-11.50 are not to be missed either. They also have larger Chinese entrees if you’re looking for something bigger.
Where: 28 Bowery
17. La Masa, The Bronx
Specializing in gourmet Colombian empanadas, La Masa is our must-hit if we’re in the Bronx. They range from Bacon Cheeseburger Empanadas to Hawaiian Empanadas, and they are 4 for $12! With over 20 variations, you’ve got to give this a try.
Where: 1000 Morris Park Ave, The Bronx
18. Xi’an Famous Foods, Multiple Locations
There’s a ton of Xi’an Famous Foods around NYC including a large one in Chinatown, and their Chinese food is as authentic as it gets! Their B1 pork burger and B2 spicy cumin lamb burger are two of their best sellers at under $7 a piece, and their $10 noodle dishes (which are customizable by spice level) are pretty good too.
Where: 133-33 39th Ave, Flushing
19. Super Taste, Chinatown
As you can tell, we love dumplings, and the 10 for $4.50 deal at Super Taste is really hard to top. They also have a bunch of hot & spicy bites that are super affordable, as well as juicy noodles that are so yummy to slurp down.
Where: 26 Eldridge St