Hi again.
Any suggestions for good, local, yet inexpensive restaurants in the NYC/Manhattan area? I'm interested in thai, korean, malaysian, singaporean, vietnamese, japanese, turkish, portuguese, greek, pakistani, soul food. Please advise on your favourites.
Cheers,
M

Try Cabana Carioca if you are in the theater district. It's located at 121 West 45th Street and serves Brazilian/Portugese cusine and the shrimp dishes are my particular favorites. Most entres are served with rice, beans and potatoes, in addition to an interesting salad bar. It's nothing fancy and relatively inexpensive, large portions, and it's excellant ethnic cuisine, been around for years. Don't forget a pitcher of Sangria. Enjoy.

P.S. Monday through Friday at lunch an all-you-can-eat buffet is served, so I'm not sure if you can order off the regular menu. You can call them at 212-581-8088

Haven't been to these recently but Copeland's on 125th Street and the more touristy (now) Sylvia's on Lenox Avenue are good choices for soul food.

Lots of good ethmic choices on 9th Avenue in the 40's and 50's. Siam is between 42nd and 44th and has great Thai at moderate prices. Afghan Kebab house is between 51st and 52nd - very good. I've seen a Turish restaurant in that area on the west side of 9th in the 40's but can't recall the name - should be easy enough to find in Zagat's. Saigon is on the corner of 46th and either 9th or 10th - can't recall which - good Vietnamese. I happen to like the Pink Tea Cup in the West Village. It's the oldest soul food restaurant in the village (perhaps the only one?). Chopped barbecue and fried chicken are bioth good as are the fried chix livers and the sides, particularly the collards. Some say it's goen downhil in recent years but for the price I have no complaints - it's on Grove near Bleecker just west of 7th or 8th Ave. Their Sunday breakfast is famous and draws lines out the door waiting but I have not been for breakfast. I have tried only one Portuguese restaurant in manhattan - it was in the mid 40's between 7th and 6th but I was unimpressed. If you have transportation and don't mind driving it's worth going to the Ironbound section of Newark NJ - dozens of Portuguese restaurants and ridiculously low prices. My favorite is Seabra's Marquiseria but there are many ohter good ones.

General: in Manhattan: East Village & Chinatown are best for inexpensive good food.


Greek: "It's Greek to Me" on 7th St between 1st & Ave A

Korean: Dok Suni on 1st Ave btw 7th & 8th Streets

Japanese: don't know the name: Walk down Avenue A from 7th Street. On your right is a Japanese restaurant with black decor. Walk past it. Go in the next Japanese restaurant you come to, which is down a few steps.

Pakistani or Bengaladeshi, don't know: all the restuarants on 6th St between 1st & 2nd Avenues (the "Indian" restaurants)

I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan so nearly all my choices are in this area. Besides the new restaurant row of Ninth Ave in Midtown another street to check out might be Amsterdam Ave from 74th St to about 90th St.

For soul food my fave place is Miss Mamie's Spoonbread on 110th Street and Columbus Avenue (not far from St. John's Cathedral), I love it for its atmosphere as much as for its food. It was in the news last week as a place Bill Clinton ate at to publicize Mark Green who was running for mayor (and lost.)

For Turkish, there's Turkuaz on Broadway & 100th St which I love, but I know a couple who didn't. It's another place with good atmosphere. For Portuguese an old favorite is Luzia's on Amsterdam & 80th St - they've also added tapas which I haven't had yet. But I once had their grilled sardines which were divine for lunch.

For Vietnamese I go to Saigon Grill on Broadway & 87th St - cheap, fast, no frills, real neighborhood place. Monsoon on Amsterdam & 81st St is more upscale with some wonderful specials.

For Japanese a real no frills no sushi but very authentic place I love is Sapporo on W. 49th St, east of Seventh Ave, in midtown. For relatively inexpensive sushi in midtown, I go to Kodama on W. 45th St, between Eighth & Ninth Ave. And though I go to Jo-An on Broadway & 103rd St most frequently (my neighborhood place), when I go to the movies, I like Tempura Dan on Broadway & 69th St. It's warm, inviting, cozy.

I also like two other places which have all kinds of Asian foods. One is Kelley & Ping on Greene St in Soho. It's almost cafeteria style - you stand in line, make your order, pick it up and try to find a table. But I love it for fast food. The other is fairly expensive but very good - Rain, on Amsterdam & 82nd St. There's another Rain on the East Side (close to 63rd & Third); in fact there are other branches of a few of the restaurants I've listed here I'm sure.

I would second Patty's recommendation of Rain (I ate at the one on 82nd street). They serve Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese. The average entree is $12-$20. The best soul food is in the 120's but if you're in Greenwich Village, you might try The Pink Tea Cup.