Can It Be Done? Midtown on a Budget
By SETH KUGEL...Food and Drinks
New Yorkers often fight the urge to physically block tourists’ entry to Times Square spots like the Hard Rock Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, which are not cheap and about as New York as an Idaho potato. That’s obvious to many tourists. But even savvy ones can get confused by the generic delis that litter the neighborhood. And anyone can get so overwhelmed with choices that Subway and McDonald’s can seem like oases. But remember the Frugal strategy: if you’re not supposed to pay for anything you could do anywhere else in the world, you certainly can’t eat at a restaurant common at highway rest stops.
It’s so cheap, you say! But lunch for under $10 at an only-in-New York spot is within a few blocks of just about anywhere in Midtown. My go-to has long been Margon (136 West 46th Street), a cheap, plain Cuban spot just off Times Square. Just about everything — from the pressed-to-order Cuban sandwich (which comes with a renegade slice of salami) to a plate heaped with rice, beans and meat — is under $10.
Still too pricey? How about Ming Du (273 West 38th Street), a tiny Chinese place that could be more of a hole-in-the-wall only by being an actual hole in a wall. On offer: your choice of three steam-table dishes, served over rice, for $5. It may not be the prettiest spot, but a tray of roast duck, pork with pickled vegetables, and bok choy, served over rice, looks strikingly similar to what the owner’s family is eating at your neighborhood Chinese restaurant (always a good sign). Need to go cheaper still? Make a meal of fresh pork buns for 80 cents and fresh breads for 70 cents.
For something a tad more upscale try Bann Next Door (350 West 50th Street), the cheap lunch nook in Bann, a sleek Korean spot, for bulgogi tacos with five-grain rice and guacamole salsa for $9. Too L.A.? How about Vic’s Bagel Bar (544 Third Avenue, between 35th and 36th Streets) for the Tokyo Tel Aviv Express (cream cheese, wasabi, lox, scallions and edamame on a bagel; $7.50). If that’s too breakfasty for lunch, there’s the Peruvian chicken lunch special at Pio Pio for $9.50, which is right next to Talent Thai Kitchen’s $7.95 lunches (appetizer; entree, like delicious curried noodle soup with meat; and bottled water), both on 34th Street just east of Third Avenue.
Those are mostly lunchtime spots, but if you’re willing to (barely) break the $10 rule for dinner, try the tiny, cute pasta place Radicchio Pasta & Risotto Company (253 East 53rd Street), with several entrees for $11. I took cheapo hometown friends there for pre-marathon carbo-loading when more standard spots were booked, and we loved the homey service and freshly made pasta.
And if you need a drink after browsing for items you can’t afford at Bloomingdale’s or Williams-Sonoma, there’s the recently renovated Subway Inn bar (143 East 60th Street), where a bottle of beer will run you just $4.
Let’s even toss in a dining recommendation near the Javits Convention Center, so you can avoid the awful food inside: Bis.Co.Latte (667 10th Avenue), a cozy cafe with $8.75 risottos and $1.10 biscotti in flavors like triple ginger and coconut chocolate chip. It’s also within walking distance from the Hard Rock, so no excuses, O.K.?
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