LJM

My girlfriend and I are planning a trip the end of April to NYC. Haven't been in 6 years, so would love to know some reasonably priced restaurants that have great food.
Also would love to find some venues for cabaret type entertainment with dinner or drinks.

Neopolitan

Sorry, but "great" food is expensive. If you eat a meal at Le Bernadin for example it is very reasonable at the current $90 a person. Is that what you're looking for?
Or do you mean you're looking for inexpensive (which needs to be defined by a dollar amount) with food that is worth eating?

Reasonable to me means that you get what you pay for. It has nothing to do with a dollar amount.

ekscrunchy

Neopolitan makes a good point. Here is a cheap restaurant with great food in a dive-ey atmosphere: NY Noodletown on the corner of Bowery and Bayard Street in Chinatown. The roast pork/shrimp wonton soup costs about $4.95. Here is another one that costs a bit more and is kind of trendy right now: Momofuko on First Avenue and 10th Street in the East Village. I get their special noodle dish for $14 and sometimes their duck confit buns to start.

nytraveler

Agree that we don't know what you mean by reasonable - and depending on where you're from "reaonable" to you may be very modest by NYC standards.

Without a dollar amount - and some ideas of which cuisines you favor we can't help much.

You might want to check out the web sites of New York Magazine and the Vilage Voice - both have published lists of the best cheap (less than $25 per person) restaurants in NYC. Also, you could check menupages.com - which allows you to search by area and cuisine - and has customer reviews as well as actual menus.

Also - the further you get from Times Square and midtown - that is getting to the residential areas of Manhattan - the better the chance of getting something good for a lower price.

Finally, there are a lot of neighborhood places to get good food at reasonable prices - but truly great food is usually quite expensive.

hellokittie

There are many ethnic restaurants that have delicious food but are not expensive: ie, River for Thai, Zen Palate for Vegetarian, tons of excellent Chinese restaurants particularly in Chinatown, wonderful Indian at Sapphire.
I sugges having lunch at some of the pricey places (French, Italian) and dinner at the ethnic places.

mclaurie

Some of the best deals are prix fixe lunches or early dinners at some of the best restaurants. Artisanal is a French brasserie (specialty is cheeses) and has both.

Asiate is Asian/fusion food in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (35 floor of new Time Warner building). Fantastic view, $35 prix fixe lunch.

Giorgio's of Gramercy has good food (early dinner $25), romantic.

Check out reviews on menupages.com YOu also might want to invest in a Zagat guide or online subscription.

Most of the classic cabaret rooms are very pricey if you're on a budget (Oak Room at the Agonquin, Feinstein's at the Regency, Cafe Carlyle) but see who's playing while you're there and if it's worth it to you.

For less formal/pricey cabaret, forget about eating also (food usually not great)and just go for the entertainment. I guess one exception might be Joe's Pub at the Public theater.

If you want jazz and food, the Garage is good as is Knickerbocker Bar & Grill.

ekscrunchy

The upstairs at Danny's Skylight on West 46th street often has good cabaret acts.

ink

Neopolitan, Great food does not HAVE to be expensive. You just need the Brooklyn girl to show you where it's at.

Okay. First, great pizza. It's called John's Pizzeria. Do not be fooled. There are a lot of them. This one is on Bleeker St. off of 6th ave i believe. Go there. Great eats for cheap. However, they only sell by the pie. But you can totally finish a pie btwn the two of you.

I really like the Heights Cafe in Brooklyn Heights. It's right off the promenade. The mississippi mud pie is to die for. I'd say the entrees aren't dirt cheap but they aren't fancy expensive. Middle. Its a nicer resturant though, and its hip. I swear.

Chinatown: there is this great place with these great sweet buns called coconut buns. Its on the corner of Walker and Baxter St. Its right across from an information booth.

I hope this gave you a couple of place to go. I don't know how old you are, so obviously my means are a little different than yours. However, these are my favorite places. Aside from MickeyD's and the sketchy, yet really amazing, hole in the wall chinese food place. Enjoy NY!!

Neopolitan

You and I will need to agree to disagree ink.
John's Pizza is very good pizza -- maybe I'd even call it great pizza. But having a pizza at John's or anywhere else is not what I call "eating great food" or having a "great meal". Pizza is pizza -- bad, good, or even great. But in my book pizza does not by nature make a "great meal". Sorry, just a difference of opinion or terminology.


I'd agree with maclaurie that you may want to rethink the cabaret for food and drink and do cabaret for fun and drinks only. Rose's Turn and Marie's Crisis in the village are fun. Don't Tell Mama on 46th is also. Mostly no cover charge. Dinner and drinks at Feinstein's is like taking out a second mortgage!

zwho

Food tastes are subjective. One man's delicacy is anothers garbage! If you would like to take your girlfriend to a restaurant that is (not cheap) but not expensive either, go to Il Buco. It is the most European looking restaurant I have ever been to, outside of, well Europe. Mediterranean, Spanish and Italian, heavy on fresh and organic and great tapas. Log on to their web site. BTW, NY Times called it one of the most romantic restaurants in the city.

Seamus

A place we stumbled across a few years back that has become a reliable favorite, and well reviewed by others to whom I recommended it, is Cibo. It may not rise to the level or Per Se but we have never had a bad meal there. The prix fixe dinner is an especially good deal. www.cibonyc.com

HowardR

I agree with Neopolitan's comments about cabarets. And, when it comes to Feinstein's and Cafe Carlyle, those places and the word "reasonable" are totally incompatible! "Expensive" doesn't even describe the cost of spending an evening at either place.