We are first time visitors to NYC and are staying at the Belvedere in two weeks. Do any of you have suggestions for restaurants within walking distance of the Belvedere Hotel? We are looking for ethnic food and casual restaurants. We are not looking for formal dining since there is a large number of us who plan to eat together at any given meal.
We also would like suggestions for breakfast in our area around the Belvedere. We'd like a deli with breakfast or a pastry shop. Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help.

No suggestions? We like may different types of ethnic food. How about a good pizza place close by? Italian? Thai? Indian? Afghan? Chinese? Vietnamese?

I don't know, but I do know about a cool thing on google. Enter the address and get a google map. Then, search for a business and enter just about anything you want.

Try restaurants - and you will see what is nearby.

Try Thai and you'll see what's nearby. Some have reviews. There's a well-reviewed Thai restaurant by the hotel I'm staying at.

Handy dandy little tool!

Sounds like Pongsri Thai a block away is a pretty good bet. 32 reviews and many are good.

244 W 48h St.

Le Rendez-Vous gets good reviews for inexpensive ethnic (Middle Eastern) food.

Kyma seems to have decent Greek.

Ah, but the winner so far is definitely Becco - also highly rated on this board.

355 w 46th - a couple of blocks away

Here are some very informal establishments near the area:

Vynl (9th bet, 50/51) - it's relatively new but starting to get some positive reputation among the locals. Good American/Asian(thai) fusion. I heard that breakfast is quite good, too.

Amy's Bread (9th and 48th) - Quick light breakfast from one of the better baker of breads and cakes in the city. It's a locals favorites for fresh breads and birthday cakes.

Luigi's (53rd and 8th) - Solid pizzeria with some really good italian salads (Chicken Parm salad is terrific), good Italian hot sandwiches and more than decent pizza. You'll find yourself eating among theater actors/actresses,an production crews.

China Gourmet (8th bet. 52/53) - a Chinese hole-in-the-wall with a few tables and nothing else. Pretty good Chinese, though.

Enjoy.

bill boy, would Amy's be a good place to get a SMALL wedding cake for an informal wedding. (REALLY informal!)

I'm not really into cakes. But everybody that I know here seem to always end up getting their birthday cakes at Amy's. I suggest you Google on Amy's website to check, at least, online. I know that Amy's has a few locations in Manhattan, including one in the Chelsea Market

Vikingcool - if you like casual French (Bistro style) my husband and I have gone to Tout Va Bien a number of times for its homey feel (I know , I know, there are tons of these in Manhattan). It's just a small gem of a place, the food is good as are the prices. Last time I had steak and frites. The frites were so good that I inhaled them. It's located on 51st st. around 8th ave.

That's where I'm staying Liz. Can't wait!

starrsville, Do you mean that your staying at the Belvedere too and were looking for a restaurant suggestion? I'm a bit slow on the uptake....

No. My hotel is at 51st and 8th.

starrsville, Staying any place good (and not too expensive)? I'm always on the lookout for nice moderate hotels (< $325) in the Broadway theater area. DH and I come to the city every few months for a nice weekend w/ dinners and shows.

Not very exciting, but the reviews have been really good. I'm staying at the fairly new Hampton Inn. I like the Hilton points and the free breakfast. Check out the reviews on tripadvisor. It's 1/2 business, 1/2 leisure, so it's a good choice for me - and the rate if far lower than what you quoted.

If I had my choice, I'd be at the Muse hotel - which is a Kimpton Group hotel. It would be a "sexier" option for you and hubby. My favorite hotel is the Monaco in San Francisco - another Kimpton Hotel. emd got a GREAT rate at the Muse on travelzoo and I'm going to see if I can snag something similar before my trip.

I just checked and rooms are available at your price point for certain dates (but not for mine!)
www.themusehotel.com

Thanks, bill. I did some searching and I think I'm going to try a mix of cake and cupcakes (for the groom's cake) from www.sweetsugarsunshine.com. I'll check out Amy's when I get there to see what they have to offer. I need "cake" for 20, but don't want a "real" wedding cake - since I'm going to have to travel with it!

bill_boy, Vynl is not new - just its location is. It's old spot was on the corner of 9th, a few blocks uptown. It was there for years and years before they upgraded to the larger space. Way yummy, eclectic, definitely local.

starrsville, Amy's does an amazing red velvet cake with white frosting. (I think that would be so cool for a wedding cake!!) Also many other yummy yummy cakes which are somehow escaping my memory at the moment. Their location in Hell's Kitchen is the original, with the bakery in back. (BTW, I can't get the website you provided to load. Is it a shop??) Amy's Bread: amysbread.com

Viking, the Belvedere is on the eastern edge of Hell's Kitchen (also known as Clinton, but not to be confused with Clinton Hill, which is in Brooklyn!!). The neighborhood is choc-a-bloc full of casual ethnic restaurants - from multiple Thai and Vietnamese to Italian, Greek, Afghan, Turkish, Mexican/Latino, and some of the best German food in the city. The one food group I find relatively weakly represented is pizza! Really, you can't walk more than a few steps west from the hotel without stumbling on a good place to eat, especially along and just off 9th Ave.

Pongsri is good Thai and should have space for larger groups. The only issue is that most places are relatively small by non-NYC standards. By large how large number dining together, how many do you mean?

For breakfast, try Amy's (though the seating is really limited; better to bring it back to your room or sit in a park), any of the diners in the area (fine but not stellar), or Pax Deli on Broadway and 49th Street - premade sandwiches, fresh fruit cups, egg dishes, etc. There are Pax Delis all over the city; their advantage is that it's relatively healthy food yet accessible for the hotel dweller...

If you're a first timer to NYC perhaps some terminoogy will help. There are 2 types of delis. The local neighborhood place is mostly for people who are shopping to take home - or ffice wrokers taking lunch back to desk. It serves breakfast - VERY inexpensively - but its for take out only. There are no seats.

Sit down delis - of which there are not that many - are usually for lunch since they specialize in enormous sandwiches - althoug you can go in for brkfst - but may be $$.

I think what you're looking for is a coffee shop - inepensive sit down with all the basics - often a small counter and some booths and/or tables (think Seinfeld).

For tons of otions go to menupages.com - you can search by location and cuisine and each entry includes diner reviews and actual menus.

ggreen and bill boy, thanks for your help. The bride's favorite cake is red velvet and the groom likes another one of Amy's offerings - so it's going to be 2 cakes from Amy's for this VERY casual wedding. They weren't planning to "do cake" after the afternoon ceremony - but an aunt just can't let that happen! They will have a big shin-dig / reception after they are finished with school later on. I'd bake the cakes myself if the wedding was closer to home (or if my friend still lived on W. 52nd )