Ok foodies--list your favorite cheapeats in the Big Apple.
I'll start with Veselka--a wonderful Ukrainian restaurant at 144 2nd Avenue. Looking up name and address of my favorite Vietnamese to post later.

Whole Foods in the Time Warner complex.. Columbus Circle!

The Marketplace buffet at the New York Hilton is the best cheap eat in the city.

C-H-I-P-O-T-L-E. Chipotle Chipotle Chipotle! Rah rah!

Ooh -- and South's on Church Street in Tribeca. Mmmm. My stomach keeps coming back to this post...

woody... is it really good?
The Hilton website says 18.95 for lunch, so I am assuming with tax and a drink it would run about 25.00 or so per lunch.

Burger Joint in Parker Meridien Hotel.

hmm, a lot of these aren't sounding particularly cheap! Veselka is great. Chipotle is a national chain owned by McDonald's.

I love Kim's Real Thai in Hell's Kitchen. About as nothing ambience as you can stand, but yum-my!

Mamoun's Falefel in the Village is a classic. And rather than Chipotle, I like Uncle Mo's for East-LA style burritos on 19th Street. La Petite Abeille for Belgian waffles and croques monsieur and salads.

Do you know of this Japanese creampuff company called Beard Papa? I wasn't a huge fan of the pastry until I tried theirs; now I am addicted! They have locations near NYU and one in midtown that's part of a larger Japanese cafeteria on 41st Street across from the NYPL.

Now you've got me going - I'm sure I'll think of more!

While McDonald's used to own a majority share in Chipotle, it was completely divested last year. Chipotle is now an independent chain.

It's sort of national, in that various cities have a lot of 'em and some (like Philly, sob) don't. But it's an addiction for many NYers, so I consider it a valid NYC cheap eat.

Papaya King. Best hotdogs ever.

Junior's! Eat cheap on the meal so you can save room for the cheesecake!

If the lunch is $18.75 with a beverage (not alcoholic drink) and tax you're OK. If you mean a glass of wine or alcoholic drink add another $5.

My niece spent a summer in the city attending a theatre arts program at NYU, and she told me about a chain called Cosi which does great sandwiches on bread baked on the premises. We tried it in NYC and enjoyed it. There is now a Cosi in downtown Seattle, (where we live), as well.

A glass of wine or an alcoholic beveraege is $5 at the Hilton in NYC? I doubt it.

In Seattle a glass of wine is usually $7.50 or more which, with tax and tip, adds about $10 to the tab.

Angel's for Italian on 1st and 62nd. I can't get enough of that gorgonzola bread!

Jackson Hole Burgers on 35th Street and 3rd Avenue. 7 ozs of the best beef you'll ever eat for as little as 10 bucks (and that includes fries and a drink).

If it still exists ... Dojo on St. Mark's is delish and cheap. They use to have a Hijiki Tofu Burger and salad that I also think came w/brown rice that I was addicted to when I lived in the city.

tmontauk - they closed that Dojo's!! I was heartbroken when I saw it shuttered a few months ago - so many memories of my first broke days in NYC when it was one of the truly delicious cheap eats... Happily, the one they started a number of years ago closer to NYU still exists; I ate there in December and the soy burger with tajiki (sp?) and veggies was the same as ever. (If you remember back long enough ago, it's where Swenson's ice cream was on the corner of W. 4th and Mercer.) So yes, add Dojo's to the list!

TxTravelPro: Re: the Marketplace at the Hilton. We have stayed at the Hilton a number of times (trade shows in the hotel) and while we are on expense accounts, and get reimbursed for everything/anywhere, we love the convenience, the variety of good foods, the cleanliness, the service, and the modest price. Great value. We have only done lunch there, so I can't comment on evening service.

Crazy thing... I love good buffets when I am busy and I am always busy when working in NYC!
I am happy to know that it's a good one. I'll put it on my list of easy meals.
Thank Goodness I'm on an expense account, too