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Eating in NYC on the cheap..

Hi, Going to NYC for the first time (from the UK) on a limited budget, will be staying midtown. Would be grateful for best areas for authentic NYC eateries/best value Cheers Rod

Topping this for Rod . There might be a Cheap Eats in NYC book. Look online at Barnes and Noble .com and see if you can find one. NYC has thousands of restaurants and diners!!

Rod, 9th Avenue from about West 42nd Street to West 50th Street has many inexpensive (but very good) ethnic restaurants to choose from.

NY is outstanding for eating very cheap. several hundred ethnic restaurants all cheap all good. check out new yorker magazine, it reviews alot of restaurants including cheap ones. ask around when you get here you'll find no shortage of great food.

Just this week Rod New York City magazine just put out an issue on where to eat in NYC. There are all different categories but I am sure they included cheap eats. Two favorites of mine are "Spice" serving in several locations. They are an American vesion of Thai very affordable, $11. last night was enough for Volcano Chicken YUM a marinated and flaming chicken set a top of steamed veggies, portions are large HUGE by British standards and tasty. I have never taken anyone here that did not love it. Get a zagats for locations and other ideas. I also like Saigon Grill on 88 and second a small hike from the met. We are better known for our European food here in NYC but I have to say much of our Asian food is a step up of what is available to you in Britain. ENJOY.

see you wanted mid-town. INHO and I have lived here for 20 years the best and most interesting restaurants are down town and up town in residential communities. Don't let a subway or $5 dollar cab ride deter you from experiencing them. I rarely eat mid-town. There are certainly spots there but pricier than what I see up/down town (upper east side/upperwest side/ east/west village, chinatown.

Rod, eating on the cheap in NYC is a breeze. Here's some ways to stretch your food funds: 1. Have breakfast in your room if not provided by the hotel. Even if no fridge is in the room, you can purchase muffins, bagels, etc the evening before and grab coffee or tea nearby. If not provided by the hotel, consider buying or bringing a cheap coffee/tea maker for your room. 2. There are loads of corner markets that have self-service take-away with everything from fresh fruit to prepared entrees and veggies that you can use for a dinner in your room or a nice picnic (weather permitting). Also, don't forget the great food carts - the hot dogs, falafel et al are luscious! 3. Do indulge yourself at least a few times. Some places to do that without busting the budget: Cibo (pronounced Chee-bo)at 767 2d Ave (41st St and 2d Ave) - great prix fixe dinner for under $30 in a very nice white tablecloth atmosphere with excellent service; online at www.cibonyc.com Hourglass Tavern at 373 W 46th in the theatre district - incredibly low prix fixe prices (some under US$15!) in a funky cool environment. The place is mentioned in John Grisham's novel "The Firm". The gimmick is that each table has an hourglass hung on the wall, when the sand runs out you are supposed to be through and clear the way for the next set of diners. This is in line with folks who are in a pre-theatre rush, but no one is ever really thrown out of the place! Restaurant Florent - 69 Gansevoort St (btwn Greenwich amd Washington, 2 blocks south of 14th St) online at www.restaurantflorent.com serves some of the best mussels I've ever eaten. La Nacional, 239 West 14th Street (off 7th Avenue) is often recommended for great Spanish food such as tapas and paella; haven't been there myself yet. I find Little Italy overrated, with prices inflated and food no better than elsewhere in town. Do check out the Italian pastries there, however! You might also check out what locals recommend at www.chowhound.com And don't limit yourself to midtown; get a metro pass ($4 for all day or a multi-day pass) and explore!

Greenwich Village has a ton of small reasonably priced treasures.

ROD DON"T MISS YOUR CHANCE AT FRESHLY MADE BAGLES BY BUYING THE NIGHT BEFORE.

We always eat "cheap" when traveling. My teens and I just came back from NYC, it was our 3rd trip this year. We always find inexpensive options. One you might want to try is Little Italy for lunch. If you walk down Mulberry St. at lunch most of the restaurants have their lunch menus posted and we saw many for $7.50 which included a choice of entree, salad and bread. We enjoyed a nice italian lunch there that day.

For advice on New York restaurants, try www.chowhound.com. There are folks in New York who eat out every night of the week and come home to talk about it on line.

My sister and I enjoyed our dinner at Island Burgers and Shakes I believe on 9th between W.51st and 52nd. Nice staff, great selection and under $11. Had a great Saturday breakfast at VNYL in the same vicinity. Wonderful food for lunch in lower Manhattan at Zigalini's, 66 Pearl St.

Check out Chinatown - wonderful little places - reasonable. Also, go to chowhound.com. Scroll down and hit CHOWHOUND. Then scroll down to the map of the USA and you'll get all the help you need from NYC Hounds!

For great pub food (plus a fun pub to boot) go to Walker's in Tribeca...it's on Varick Street at No. Moore and has a subway stop (the 1/9 Franklin Street stop) right outside the door. Also nearby, South's on Church Street near White Street has some good pub food. If you like an excellent burger, go to Old Town Bar on 18th east of Broadway. And of course, the cheapest authenic NYC food is...pizza! You can't go wrong for about $1.50-$2 a slice. Go to a "mom & pop" pizza place (not a flashy chain like Sbarro's) to get the best NY-style pizza.

Ray's Pizza, Zabar's, Chinatown foodcarts, deli across from Hilton just off of Avenue of the America's (it's where the employee's eat).

When visiting NYC, we eat at least one meal a day at our favorite midtown west deli, Cranberry Gourmet on West 45th Street between Sixth (also known as Avenue of the Americas)and Seventh Aves.

Try John's Pizza on 42nd I think? I know it was right next to the where the Producers in playing. My sister and I had a great pizza and salads for less than $25 together. In Greenwhich we had Burrittoville, it was fast, good and filling about $7 each.

For really cheap eats, go to any of the Dallas BBQ restaurants. You can get a chicken dinner for $6-8. It's a good meal at a cheap price(by NYC prices). In midtown, there is one at 132 West 43 There are several more throughout the city.

Rod I think you are going to find our prices very cheap when comparing with British prices

Thanks for all the posts - I have to say I am looking forward to visiting the delis! oh, and everything else ;-)