Houston Street in NYC- good, cheap eats?
 

I haven't been on the site in a while, Happy New Year! Taking my college aged son and his friend to Angelika Film Center, @ 18 W. Houston St. to see "The Artist" since it won't be anywhere near NE PA for a loong time. Any suggestions for lunch in the area? They are used to "dorm food", so it doesn't need to be too fancy. Any other suggestions of places to see /shopping in the area for would be "hipsters"? Thanks!

Glad you asked because there are a lot of bad restaurants in the neighborhood. Here are places nearby that are cheap to medium.

Blue Ribbon Bakery has a wide selection and the food is good. Here is the map because it is a little hard to find.
http://www.blueribbonrestaurants.com...akery_main.htm

AOC on Bleecker-French Bistro

BLT Burger on Sixth Ave

Jackson Diner on University-Indian

Keste Pizza

Mary's Fish Camp-We really love this place but no reservations and cramped.
http://www.marysfishcamp.com/

Some of my favorite stores are right nearby:

Raffetto's- which makes it own pasta and cuts it to size on a machine that was obsolete 70 years ago.

Joe's Dairy-an 85 year old hole in the wall that makes spectacular mozzarella.

Payard's Bakery and Chocolate
http://www.fpbnyc.com/

Cones-store made ice cream on Bleecker

Murray's-best cheesemonger in the city on Bleecker

Thank you, Aduchamp1

No problem. Ask your son about NYU's attempt at world domination.

Mercer Kitchen
Balthazar

Meatball Shop! By the way - The Artist is wonderful but I would have told you to see it at the Paris Theater and do see New Year's Eve - It's much better than being in TS on New Years.

thestarryeye.typepad.com/explorenyc

Burger and Barrel is even closer by than Aduchamp's excellent suggestions and very good.

Arturo's for pizza and old-school I-talian favorites is one of my regular stops in the neighborhood.

For shopping (not food) take a walk south along Orchard Street where trendy boutiques are interspersed with the older cut-rate discount stores. That area would probably be of major interest to hipsters!

For food shopping, do not forget Russ and Daughters, which is probably THE classic NY "appetizing" store.
You must at least peek in. You can buy food but not eat there.

Katz is just down the street. You CAN eat there.

Another food option is Inoteca on Rivington Street corner of Ludlow. Open on-stop; good food.

http://inotecanyc.com/