I'm taking my teenage niece and nephew to NYC and we have a morning tour of Ground Zero. I'm looking for an easy, reasonably priced place to grab lunch afterwards. We have a busy day, a Sunday, so we don't want to spend too much time eating. I was looking at Stage Door Deli. Is there anywhere else close by we should consider? We would like to avoid national chains we have in Texas.

Thanks!

O'Haras is a pretty good Irish pub and very close by.
Another place we like, especially for the view is Merchants River House. Right on Hudson River

I had been looking at the Merchant river house. It’s a little pricier than I was hoping for lunch and I was concerned about getting in and out quickly. As for O’Haras, is that related to Gabby O’Hara’s? Gabby’s Is right by our hotel, do well be going there the day we arrive. I love Irish pubs.

Go to Shake Shack in the Fulton Center (on Broadway ... this is where the subway station is). If you download the app in advance, you'll be able to avoid waiting in line for so long. There'a another Shake Shack on Murray Street in Battery Park.

If you don't want to go that far, then there are two other options. There's a great food court in the Winter Garden (on the south end of the plaza, which you can access by the underground walkway). They have Umami Burger, a sushi place, and many other choices, mostly NYC-based (but Umami Burger is from California).

If you'd rather sit down, there are a variety of places to eat in the Westfield Mall, directly under the plaza (enter through the Oculus or one of the other plaza-side entrances.

I'm going to also vote for the rather fancy mall food court nearby, Brookfield Place. All quick service, plenty of room to sit, etc as you would expect from a food court. No china pandas or sbarro's or stuff like that. Everything there is a "step above" like Mighty Quinn bbq and etc and the seating area is very nice, nothing you'd find in texas.

I appreciate these suggestions! Thanks!

I'll second this recommendation.

Lee Ann

Just a word to the wise -- we don't use the term "ground zero" any longer. It's the 9/11 Memorial or the World Trade Center Museum. "Ground Zero" brings up raw memories in many NY'ers. (Don't apologize -- No offense taken.)

Third the rec for Brookfield Place. Mighty Quinn is probably the best BBQ in the city. "Parm" is a hipster nod to Italian-American classics and very good.

Fra, word hasn't reached all New Yorkers that Ground Zero is not to be used. My mom is from NY and still has family and friends there who say Ground Zero. And, your tour operators use it. I say personally for myself that Ground Zero and 9/11 both conjure sadness and horror in me equally. My uncle was supposed to be at work in one of the towers that day, but something had delayed him and his life was spared.

You may want to go to PICK A BAGEL. It's a short walk from the memorial and you can get quick bagel sandwiches (and experience a most delicious New York bagel). Right outside the PICK A BAGEL is a long seating wall which is where we like to sit to eat our bagels and do some great people watching.

Another vote for O’Haras. The place is small but the food is amazing. The service is also awesome.

Thanks for the additional recommendations! They all sound great. I’ll share them with the kids and let them pick. NJriverchick, thanks for the bagel rec. At minimum, I’ll pick up some bagels to go. I love NY bagels. My aunt in Scarsdale fedexes a big box of bagels every Christmas. My mom, who will also be on the trip, is already plotting to bring back a big stash to freeze and enjoy as long as they last.

Just a quick anecdote - when I was 8 years old, in 1959, my NY family was driving to Knoxville, TN for my cousin's bar mitzvah. No bagels in Knoxville then. We brough TWELVE DOZEN freshly baked bagels with us!

Twelve dozen!!! Wow! Awesome family to do that!