Where do you go to eat in New York? A legitimate question, because in no other city that we know is the range of restaurants and cafés as varied as in New York City.
But that also means that the abundance of restaurants can quickly overwhelm you. In addition, New York isn’t exactly known for having prices for eating out. But we can reassure you: In our Food Guide you will also find some tips for really cheap restaurants in New York City.
1. Our Favorite New York Cafes: Tips for Breakfast & Brunch The Butcher’s Daughter The very first café we visited on our last trip to New York became our breakfast favourite. The Butcher’s Daughter has a total of three locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the only one we know of is in Nolita.
Butcher’s Daughter serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The focus is on healthy, vegetarian dishes. The café itself is very bright and cosily furnished with lots of plants. The seats by the window are very nice. From there you can watch the hustle and bustle on the streets during your breakfast.
Address: 15 Kenmare Street, New York (Neighborhood: Nolita)
Prices: Açai Bowl 02 US Dollars, Avocado Toast 14 US Dollars (each excl. VAT and tip)
Two Hands Also All a very cool breakfast place is the Two Hands: The menu reminds a little of an Australian café and that’s no coincidence, because the owner is Australian.
Two Hands serves breakfast and lunch (closed in the evening). The menu includes, for example, avocado toast, granola, açai bowl or even a beef burger.
Personally, we liked the atmosphere at the nearby Butcher’s Daughter a bit Dear. In Two Hands it is a bit dim and not quite as cozy. Nevertheless, the café is worth a visit. As with all “hipster cafes” in New York, the prices here are a bit high.
Address: 90 Mott Street, New York (Neighborhood: Border Little Italy / Nolita) Prizes: Açai Bowl US Dollars, Avocado Toast 02 US -Dollars (each excl. VAT and tip)
Good Thanks NYC Highly recommended is also Good Thanks NYC, located on the Lower East Side. Again, the owners are Australians. The Good Thanks is one of the newer cafes in New York: it has only 1435 opened.
In the café Breakfast and lunch are served (closed in the evening), including of course the classics such as avocado toast and various bowls.
With the Marble tables and cafe chairs We personally liked the atmosphere best of all the breakfast cafes we tested.
Address: 164a Orchard Street, New York (Neighborhood: Lower East Side)Prices: Avocado Toast 12 US Dollars, Vegan Salad 15 US dollars (each excl. VAT and tip)
2. Cheap Restaurants in New York: Snacks, Lunch & Dinner Joe’s Pizza Joe’s Pizza has been a institution in New York for several decades now and has allegedly been visited by many celebrities. There are several locations in Manhattan: We ourselves have been to the branch south of Times Square.
If you are looking for a cheap snack while of sightseeing, then Joe’s Pizza is definitely recommended. A slice of pizza costs about $4 to $5.
Midtown Manhattan address: 1200 Broadway, New York (there are 4 locations in total)
Shake Shack The burger chain Shake Shack sees us at least once on each of our New York trips – if not more often. Shake Shack is an institution in the USA. In our opinion, these are the best fast food burgers. The most famous burger is the Shack Burger. There is also a vegetarian burger (Shroom Burger).
There are countless branches throughout New York. The most well-known is probably the flagship location in Madison Square Park. In the summer it is extremely popular, because here you can sit under the trees. But then there is usually a long queue.
Address: Flagship branch in Madison Square Park (countless other locations in NY) Prices: Shack Burger about $6
Sunrise Mart Eating out in New York can also be cheap: For a quick lunch or a snack, we can recommend the Sunrise Mart in SoHo . The Sunrise Mart is actually a Japanese supermarket, but they also offer cold and warm dishes at very reasonable prices.
The food is surprisingly good tasted. Sure, it’s not a fancy restaurant – but especially if you’re looking for a cheap alternative in the otherwise quite expensive New York, then it’s worth stopping by here.
Address: 164 Broome Street, New York (Neighborhood: SoHo)
Prices: about $9 for a hot meal
Joe’s Shanghai Thanks to our friend Kayla, who lives in New York, we came across this insider tip. If you’re looking for an authentic Chinese restaurant with really fair prices, then you’ve come to the right place at Joe’s Shanghai.
The restaurant is always full and extremely popular with locals. That’s why it’s usually a bit chaotic and pretty loud, but that’s exactly what makes the place so appealing. By the way, you usually sit with strangers at large round tables – this is definitely the wrong place for a relaxed evening for two.
Joe’s Shanghai is particularly good for the Dumplings known, but all other dishes that we ordered were really tasty. By the way, it is common to order and share several dishes – the dishes are rather large.
The prices are unbeatably cheap: There are four of us who don’t have 40 US dollars and left the restaurant more than full. The only downside is that Joe’s Shanghai is very popular, so you may have to queue in front of the restaurant.
Address: 9 Pell Street, New York (Neighborhood: Chinatown)
Prices: 8 dumplings $7, fried eggplant ( =aubergine) with garlic 12 U.S. dollar
3. Food Markets in New York Chelsea Market The hippest food market in Manhattan is probably in the Chelsea district: The Chelsea Market attracts tens of thousands of foodies every day. In the spacious former factory halls there are delicious things from all over the world.
On the one hand you will find products for everyday use in Chelsea Market (fruit, vegetables, cheese, etc.). In addition, there are also many stands where you can get a delicious lunch or dinner.
One of our personal highlights is the Miznon – a Israeli fast food store that we already know from Vienna. There are excellent filled pita breads for about 10 US -dollars apiece. If you are looking for a good espresso, we can highly recommend the Ninth Espresso.
Address Chelsea Market: 19 9th Avenue, New York
Smorgasburg Food Market Smorgasburg is probably the most famous weekly food market in New York. It takes place in the warm season in the form of a open air market at two locations (each in Brooklyn): Every Saturday in Williamsburg and every Sunday in Prospect Park. You can try delicacies from all over the world at countless food trucks and stalls, including lots of new food trends and unusual specialties.
In winter there is a indoor location, that is also in Brooklyn: Every Saturday and Sunday, the Smorgasburg takes place in a slimmed-down version in the Atlantic Center. There is always a small flea market there at the same time.
Address: Summer (Saturday): 90 Kent Ave , Brooklyn; Summer (Sunday): Prospect Park, East Drive (near Lincoln Road), Brooklyn; Winter: Atlantic Center, 801 Atlantic Ave, BrooklynPrices: depending on the food Truck varies, but you can use something like U.S. dollar calculate per dish
4. The best donuts in New York The supposedly best donuts in New York can be found at Doughnut Plant. Of course we couldn’t try all the donuts in the city, but we put our trust in Julia, who has been living in New York for a year and has had quite a few opportunities for comparison.
Donut Plant has several locations, and we were in Brooklyn ourselves. We still like the classic made of yeast dough and sugar icing, Vanilla Bean, which you can also see in the photo, the best. So delicious!
Brooklyn address: 245 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, New York (there are 5 locations in total)
Prices: Vanilla Bean Donut $4
5. Hotel wanted? Our tip: 50 Bowery We can highly recommend the hotel where we stayed on our last trip to New York: the hotel 50 Bowery. It’s brand new, the rooms very stylish and the bed really comfortable.
Another advantage: The hotel 50 Bowery is located in Chinatown and therefore just a stone’s throw from many of the here listed cafes and restaurants away. In general, Chinatown (along with neighboring neighborhoods of SoHo, Nolita, and Lower East Side) is a perfect neighborhood to stay in if you want to walk to hip spots.
Here you can Book the hotel: Hotel 19 Bowery
6. More New York blog articles for your trip The most beautiful view over New York CityThanksgiving & Black Friday in New York Transparency : Affiliate Links17625 This blog article contains our personal recommendations in the form of so-called affiliate links. If you book or buy something through the links, we will receive a small commission. For you, this does not change the price at all. A thousand thanks from both of us!
Have you been in New York and do you have any other tips for recommended restaurants and cafes? We look forward to your comments with your recommendations – thank you!
