NYC Upper West Side-- cheap place to meet for lunch
 

Can anyone suggest an inexpensive lunch place near Central Park/HotelBeacon/Natural History Museum? We will be meeting up with a group of college kids who are looking for a good cheap deli or something else interesting.

Thanks!

Bouchon Bakery is surprisingly inexpensive, considering it run by Thomas Keller and one floor below Per Se in the Time Warner Center @ Columbus circle. Great soup and sandwiches and it is worth the trip for dessert alone - especially the sticky buns. :x They also have a to go counter.

If you are looking for something more deli-like or closer to the Nat History museum, Zabar's Cafe on B'way @ 80th is a good eat-in deli.

How many of you are there? The college kids might get a kick out of Brother Jimmy's, on Amsterdam Ave between 80th and 81st. It's a really fun, kitschy place with BBQ and other Southern favorites. I'm not sure of your budget, but at least by NY standards it's pretty inexpensive!

http://www.brotherjimmys.com/

I rec. EJ's Luncheonette at 81st and Amsterdam.

If you want to be superinexpensive Zabar's has a whole section of sandwiches, salads, cheeses etc that you can take out and eat in the park - everything for a picnic.

There's also a Cosi at B'way & 76th I think. All kinds of great salads and sandwiches - to eat in or take out.

Jacque Imo's, behind the Natural History Museum on the corner of 77th, has good Cajun food.

Almost anyplace on Amsterdam Avenue between 79th and 86th fits your request( and several of the places listed here already are in that area)
Also try Arties Deli on Broadway around 83rd street--huge protions, pretty inexpensive

You've gotten lots of good recos here. Go to menupages.com and look them up and read menus. The absolute cheapest option is Gray's Papaya for fantastic (imo) hot dogs but it's not really a restaurant. It's on 72 st & Broadway, just 3 blocks from the Beacon. You get 2 dogs and a drink for around $3.50 but it's not big enough to sit down for a large group. You might also consider getting food from Zabar's or Fairway and taking it to either Central Park or Riverside Park for a picnic.