No trip to New York City would be complete without trying some of the city’s fantastic food.
Having spent decades eating my way through the city, I've discovered many places with sublime food for downright cheap prices.
In this post, I share 14 top-notch cheap eats under $10 in the Big Apple so you won't have to take a bite out of your wallet!
As a local walking tour company, we lead thousands of visitors every month through New York City and, on every tour, at least one guest asks where to find the best inexpensive food.
It's our business to know where to go for tasty cheap eats around the city.
The food joints in this post are some of my favorites and they also get the thumbs up from my fellow walking tour guides.
This tiny shop in Greenwich Village is the oldest falafel restaurant in NYC, going strong since 1972.
I first experienced Mamoun's incredibly savory falafel when I was in college at nearby New York University.
This was our go-to late-night cheap snack.
For those unfamiliar with falafel, it’s a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine.
It's fried balls of ground chickpeas flavored with a range of herbs and spices.
Mamoun’s throws in parsley which gives the inside of the balls a light green color.
It's usually served as a sandwich inside a pita bread.
Once inside the pita, the balls are topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, tahini sauce, and, if you dare, Mamoun’s famous hot sauce.
The sandwiches are large and filling, so the sticker price of $7.85 is well worth it.
Mamoun’s is so good and affordable that it's a stop on both Greenwich Village Food Tours (see the video above).
- Address: 119 Macdougal St.
- Hours:
- Monday - Wednesday: 11 am - 2 am
- Thursday: 11 am - 3 am
- Friday - Saturday: 11 am - 4 am
- Sunday: 11 am - 1 am
Also at 30 St. Marks Place in the East Village.
Xi’an Famous Foods began as a 200-square-foot stall in the basement of the Golden Shopping Mall in Flushing, Queens (NYC’s largest Chinatown) in 2005.
This family-run business was the first to bring the little-known cuisine of Xi’an, in Northwest China to the US.
It has since opened multiple locations around NYC. The appeal is the savory, spicy seasoning on its dishes.
Get the spicy cumin lamb burgers tucked into a crispy flatbread-like bun or the Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles.
For most dishes (not their signature lamb burgers), you can request how hot (or not) you want it!
This is fortunate for me since I love the flavors at Xi’an Famous Foods, but I can't always tolerate Xi'an's level of heat.
Need your greens? The Tiger Vegetable Salad is a fiery mix of cilantro tossed with celery, scallion, and sliced long-horn peppers in a sesame vinaigrette.
- Address: 45 Bayard St in Chinatown
- Hours: Every day 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Besides Chinatown, Xi’an Famous Foods has locations all around the city.
It is also in the following neighborhoods:
East Village, Lower Manhattan, Chelsea, the Upper East Side, Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, and Midtown Manhattan.
3. Joe's Pizza
Since 1975, Joe’s Pizza in Greenwich Village has been feeding hungry New Yorkers looking for a great slice to take on the run.
Joe’s perennially makes our list of the best pizza in NYC.
It's up there at the top of my list when I want a slice oozing with cheese.
The $4 cheese slice is a big triangle of not-to-thin, not-too-thick crispy crust, slathered with a tangy tomato sauce and topped with lots of mozzarella.
The result is a scrumptious - and foldable - slice, ideal for eating while walking as we locals do.
If you prefer sitting, a small park is just across the street.
Joe’s may be well-known for its pizza slices but is also famous for its appearance in Spider-Man 2, in which Peter Parker works at Joe’s but gets fired as he is always late!
The best part is that they stay open until the wee hours of the morning.
- Address: 7 Carmine Street in Greenwich Village
- Hours:
- Sun-Thurs 10 am to 3 am
- Fri & Sat 10 am to 5 am
4. Ess-a-Bagel
Ess-a-Bagel has been making huge, delicious bagels in Midtown Manhattan since 1976. I have been eating them since the 1990s!
I have eaten a lot of bagels in my lifetime, and Ess-a-Bagel remains one of my favorites.
See my other picks from our post, 15 Best Bagels in New York City.
Lightly crunchy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside, their bagels can be eaten plain, but add one of the 20 cream cheese flavors for a filling sandwich.
They don’t do any new-fangled bagel flavors here - just the classics: plain, poppy, onion, garlic, sesame, salt, and everything (a mix of the other toppings).
A bagel with plain cream cheese is just under $5. Want a more substantial breakfast?
Get a BEC (bacon, egg, and cheese) on a bagel for $9.
For lunch, you can’t go wrong with tuna or egg salad on a bagel for around $8.
Though I am not a huge fish fan, I adore the whitefish salad.
- Address: 831 3rd Ave in Midtown Manhattan
- Hours: Daily 6 am to 5 pm
Los Tacos No. 1, was opened by three friends from California, and I can tell you that these may be the closest you can get in New York City to authentic Cali-style tacos.
I'm not the only one who thinks so. Los Tacos No. 1 is rated by many New Yorkers and visitors (even some LA folk) as the best tacos in the city.
The menu is easy to navigate with under 15 items, including beverages.
You can get tacos or quesadillas filled with either: carne asada (grilled steak), pollo asado (grilled chicken), adobada (marinated pork), or nopal (grilled cactus).
Tacos are $5 each, but so fantastic, you’ll happily pay $10 for two!
The first location was at the Chelsea Market. Get your tacos to go and enjoy them while sitting in the High Line park.
Other locations are at Times Square, Grand Central Station and the Financial District.
- Address: inside Chelsea Market at 75 9th Ave. between 15th St and16th St
- Hours:
- Sunday 11 am - 9 pm
- Monday - Saturday 11 am - 10 pm
6. Crif Dogs
This small hot dog shop in the East Village has a big list of toppings for their franks, which are deep-fried in oil instead of grilled.
Start off with a Crif Dog for $4.50 and build on that.
Choose from pickles, cream cheese, hummus, sour cream, tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, sauerkraut, coleslaw, and more.
Or opt for one of their signature Crif Dogs.
Try the “Chihuahua” (bacon-wrapped frank, sour cream, avocado), the “Spicy Redneck” (spicy bacon-wrapped frank, chili, pickled jalapeños, and coleslaw), or the “Tsunami” (bacon-wrapped frank with pineapple, scallions, and teriyaki sauce).
I'm a sucker for tater tots, so I encourage you to get a side order.
It’s open past midnight so you're covered for a late-night snack after a night out in the East Village.
- Address: 113 St Marks Place
- Hours:
- Sunday - Thursday 12 pm - 2 am
- Friday & Saturday 12 pm - 3 am
TIP: Behind the phone booth is the 'secret' door to the now famous speakeasy-style bar, PDT (Please Don't Tell).
Though you'll need reservations, if you can get one, have a Manhattan before or after your dog!
7. NY Dosas
On the south side of Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, you’ll see a small food cart, with a long line.
Join the wait for one of the large, delicious dosas.
Dosas are thin crepes made from a batter of rice and lentils (perfect for gluten-free folk!).
They are filled with potatoes and/or steamed veggies.
Your order comes with a cup of Sambar (lentil soup w/multi vegetables) and a side of coconut chutney -- all for under $10.
For my afternoons in the park, watching the colorful characters and joining in sing-a-longs, I happily take my place in line to get one of these fabulous dosas.
- Address: 50 Washington Square South
- Hours: Mon-Sat 11 am to 3 pm; closed Sundays
This Hong Kong-style fast food restaurant specializes in, you guessed it, rice rolls.
What’s a rice roll, you ask?
It’s rice ground fresh daily by a stone mill into a batter, then rolled on a tray, filled with pork, shrimp, beef, or other vegetables, and then steamed.
The result is a translucent, chewy, and very tasty roll that you can top with soy sauce, peanut sauce, or hot chili oil.
For $8 and under, choose from beef, shrimp, roast pork, or vegetables.
I take my rice rolls simple (just veggies and soy sauce) as what I really want is the chewy wrapping.
For $11, try Joe's Signature Rice Roll with beef, pork, dried shrimp, egg, and three vegetables.
Joe’s Steam Rice Roll has several locations in NYC including Chinatown, the Upper West Side, and Flushing, Queens.
- Address: 261 Canal St in the Canal Street Market Chinatown,
- Hours: Daily 11 am to 7 pm
It is simply impossible not to be lured by the tantalizing aromas wafting down the street at W. 53rd Street and 6th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
So what is halal food?
And what do these guys serve that has made them so popular they now have more carts and storefronts around NYC?
Halal is the set of standards by which meat must be produced to meet Islamic religious laws.
The Halal Guys' signature dish that locals and tourists wait in line for is the Chicken Platter.
First, they start with Halal chicken marinated for 12 hours in their magical seasoning of fragrant spices.
Next, they grill it to perfection, chop it up and serve it over yellow rice with hot sauce and their special white sauce.
If you only eat from one street cart on your trip, it should be this one.
When I go to the Museum of Modern Art, I always walk down the half-block to get some of this stuff!
- Address: corner of W. 53rd Street and 6th Avenue
- Hours: Daily 11 am to 4 am
The Halal Guys also has carts on the Upper West Side and Union Square.
10. Gray’s Papaya
When I bring friends from out of town to Central Park, I like to end our visit by grabbing a cheap grilled hot dog and a tropical-flavored drink at Gray’s Papaya, just a few blocks from the park.
You can’t miss Gray’s, with its huge neon marquee on the corner of Broadway and W. 72nd Street on the Upper West Side.
Ask any New Yorker, and they’ll know Gray’s Papaya. You may too, from the movie "You've Got Mail".
A frank with ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, onions, and relish will set you back at just $3.25.
For another two bucks, get one of the creamy, foamy tropical-flavored drinks.
Those on a tight budget with a big appetite will love the “Recession Special” (two franks and a medium tropical flavored drink) for $7.50 and that’s including tax!
- Address: 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street
- Hours:
- Sun-Wed 8 am - 10 pm
- Thurs-Sat 8 am - 11 pm
11. Mei Lai Wah
One of my favorite Chinatown hole-in-the-walls, Mei Lai Wah serves heavenly roasted pork buns.
They are just $1.75 apiece.
They are a bit smaller than the size of a fist, with a firm, yet slightly flakey shell. Inside is a tangy roast pork filling.
Expand your horizons and try a Pineapple Bun.
There’s very little room to move around in this shop, so once your order is ready, you’ll have to take it to go.
If you are going late in the afternoon, you may want to call ahead as they may sell out of them as devotees snatch up 5 boxes at a time!
- Address: 62 Bayard St. in Chinatown
- Hours: Daily 8:30 am to 7:30 pm
12. B&H Dairy
This tiny no-frills diner-style restaurant has been serving old-world comfort food since 1938.
It's one of the best restaurants in the East Village given the amazing food and equally amazing prices.
The $8.50 breakfast is available until 11 am and comes with two eggs any style, home fries, thick challah bread, orange juice and coffee or tea.
You can't order a side of bacon as B&H is Kosher and vegetarian.
Other terrific dishes on the menu are sweet cheese blintzes, boiled pierogies, and borscht.
When I get a hankering for latkes (crispy potato pancakes), I make a beeline to B & H Dairy.
Be sure to check the menu if you crave something in particular. Each day of the week has its own specials and soups.
- Address: 127 2nd Ave in the East Village
- Hours:
- Mon- Fri 7 am to 11:30 pm
- Sat-Sun 7 am to midnight
13. Fried Dumpling
This hidden gem in Chinatown is little more than a counter where you order.
If you didn't see the long line of people waiting, you'd walk right past it.
The menu is limited: 13 fried pork dumplings for $5 (or 26 for $10).
Don't worry. If 15 sounds like a lot, they aren't the biggest fried dumplings in town.
Given how delectable they are, two people can easily gobble these up.
The line moves fast as one 'auntie' takes your order (just say 13 or 26) and she loads your dumplings into a takeaway container in a matter of seconds.
Ask for napkins and a fork in case she is moving too fast to give you some.
There's soy sauce or hot sauce on the counter.
Once you get your order, you will have to take them outside the shop to eat, but it won't take you more than 5 minutes to finish them all -- they are just that good!
HAVE CASH! That's all 'auntie' takes!
- Address: 106 Mosco St. in Chinatown
- Hours: Daily 10 am to 9 pm
This New Orleans-inspired sandwich shop started in 2009 in a tiny space and has grown so much in popularity that they are moving into the upscale Essex Street Market on the Lower East Side.
Try the authentic shrimp and oyster po’boy or the succulent fried chicken sandwich with biscuits and gravy.
Another fave is the braised short rib sandwich served on challah bread. Go full Louisiana with a muffuletta sandwich or beignets dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
- Address: Currently closed as they move to a new location at the Essex Market at 88 Essex Street at a soon-to-be-announced date. Visit Essex Market with us on our Lower East Side Food Tour!
- Hours:
- Mon-Thurs 7 am to 9 pm
- Fri 7 am to midnight
- Sat 8 am to midnight
- Sun 8 am - 9 pm
Tips from Locals and Travelers
You don't have to take it from us that the places above are great.
We asked the more than 230,000 members of our NYC Travel Tips Facebook Group what their favorite cheap eats are.
Here are just a handful of replies, but many more members have loved the cheap eats listed in this post.
A group member visiting NYC asked for recommendations of the best bagels and Ess-a-Bagel was pretty popular.
Los Tacos came up often as did Joe’s Pizza.
Many of our group members went searching in Chinatown for fantastic and cheap food and found it.
Fried Dumpling was incredibly popular and Mei-Lai-Wah came up as well.
Halal Guys received many votes. Here one group member gives you some tips on what you can expect.
Hope you enjoy the cheap eats in this post as much as we do!
