12 Best Restaurants in Sunset Park, New York City

Head to this nondescript spot at the north end of Chinatown for outstanding bánh mì sandwiches that cost just $5. The No. 1, with several kinds of pork, pickled vegetables, and a mound of cilantro on a baguette that's perfectly crusty on the outside and soft on the inside might very well blow your mind. Order one to go, with an avocado shake, and enjoy lunch alfresco in Sunset Park, just a block away.

For unbeatable cheap eats, take a slight detour off 8th Avenue to this small and unassuming restaurant. Its sparse dining room doesn’t offer much in the way of atmosphere, but the four-for-a-dollar pork-and-leek dumplings are a real deal (and delicious). Other deliciously affordable fare includes scallion pancakes, steamed buns, and beef noodle soup. You'd be hard-pressed to spend more than $10 for a filling meal here.

Exceptional tacos large and small are the main attraction at this restaurant with a lengthy menu. Order the small ones, so you can try several different kinds. Favorites include braised pork, carne asada, and succulent marinated pork cooked on a rotisserie. Chilaquiles are among the breakfast options, and there are plenty of affordable dinner entrées as well. The margaritas are excellent and inexpensive.

One of several traditional Chinese bakeries along 8th Avenue, this busy café is a good stop for a morning or afternoon pastry and a sweet milk tea. Savory and sweet Chinese classics like the flaky egg tarts, steamed buns, and airy slices of green-tea sponge cake are all between $1 or $2 apiece, so try as many as your appetite allows. Get your snack to go, or grab one of the few small tables.

For a traditional dim sum brunch experience, this Sunset Park Chinatown institution is a good bet for high quality and variety. Not much English is spoken, so be ready to take a guess and point at whichever plates look good as servers wheel them on carts through the cavernous restaurant. Local families with young children pack this place so the atmosphere can be chaotic but great fun. Arrive early on weekend mornings, or expect a long wait.

Indulge your sweet tooth with slices of cake at this Latin bakery, open since the 1970s and now run by the children of its founding family. The bakers fashion a silky tres leches cake, but also do quatro leches and cinco leches versions. Open 24 hours, the bakery also makes sandwiches, doughnuts, cookies, and so many other types of cakes.

Dishes are served family style at Sunset Park's go-to spot for Cantonese cuisine so you'll get the most out of a visit if you come here with a large group and share appetizers and entrées. Try the signature dish: the Pride of Lucky Eight, a seafood stir-fry with abalone, squid, and scallops. The lunch special—three dishes for less than $20—is a steal.

Maria’s serves classic Mexican breakfast fare like huevos rancheros and chilaquiles (a casserole made of tortillas and anything from salsa to mole to eggs to meats, and garnishes such as avocado or queso fresco) in a brightly decorated restaurant with a charming backyard space. Every brunch entrée comes with an hour's worth of bottomless mimosas or Margaritas. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner, too, but brunch is best.

Diners at this fun, casual restaurant cook their meals at the table, dunking seafood, meat, and vegetables into hot broth. Hotpot meals are meant for sharing, so it's best to come with a group. Be sure to try both the spicy and regular broths, and order a selection of dipping items from fish balls and sliced pork belly to fried tofu skin and lotus root. With its modern decor and pop-music sound track, Mister Hotpot stands out in the neighborhood.

Head to this 5th Avenue food truck for superb tacos at $2 or less apiece. Options include chicken, veal head, spicy chorizo, and spicy pork. If you can avoid the temptation to devour your tacos on the spot, consider strolling to nearby Sunset Park to enjoy them with a Manhattan view. The truck typically operates from 1 pm to 5 am daily except Wednesday, when service starts at 7:30 pm. Another truck, open Friday through Wednesday from 1 pm to 1 am, parks at 39th Street and 5th Avenue, outside the 9th Avenue D train entrance. There's also a sit-down location at 4324 4th Avenue.

Authentic pho and bun noodle soups are this utilitarian spot's specialty. Fans of spicy food should order the Bun Bo Hue, a rice vermicelli soup with three types of beef, including a rich and tender on-the-bone cut. The broth is fiery yet nuanced. The garishly lit dining room doesn’t offer much ambience, but the attentive service makes up for it.

After one bite of Wong Good’s springy and tender hand-pulled noodles, you’ll understand why area residents depend on this place for a quick and hearty meal. This unadorned shop doesn’t offer much in the way of atmosphere or seating, but it’s fun to watch as cooks pull noodles to order for the soup dishes.