Cheap Food in Midtown Manhattan

Finding a good, reasonably priced meal is always a problem in Manhattan. Outside of the chain restaurants (and there are many) where can you get a good meal for under $25 (and most times a lot less)? Look for lunch specials and pre-fix (fixed price) menus. Lunch is usually a bargain and you are often getting the same food that is much higher prices at dinnertime. The following are places to eat from 34th Street to 59th Street that can give you good value for your money and also give you a tasty meal. All of these places can be crowded, but they are worth the wait. The best idea is to go early or wait until the lunch rush is over. If you are staying in Times Square, you will find the prices higher there than if you will walk a few blocks away.

In one of the priciest areas close to Fifth Avenue and within a nice hotel, The Parker Meridian Hotel at 118 West 57th "Street, is the unlikely spot for one of my favorite places. The BURGER JOINT is hidden behind a curtain in the lobby. They serve great burgers, shakes, and fries at very good prices. Everything is cooked on the spot and delicious.

La Bonne Soup, at 48 West 55th Street, is an old-fashioned French bistro what has omelettes, soups, crepes and much more. They have a good pre-fix menu and the food is very good value for the price. If you are lucky, you can even get one of the few tables on the tiny terrace that overlooks the street. As always, adding a glass of wine will increase your bill.

If you are on 59th Street, visit the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. You will find restaurants here, including the most expensive in Manhattan Masa, but you can eat cheaply and well in the basement at Wholefoods Market Cafe. This enormous space has every cuisine imaginable from sushi to pizza to a great salad bar. You can eat you food at the tables inside or take your lunch to Central Park, which is right outside the door, for a picnic. I had sushi here a few weeks ago and it is made fresh constantly at the sushi bar.

For good Mexican food, visit El Centro at 824 Ninth Avenue at 54th Street. They have traditional Mexican fare-tacos, burritos, and fajitas. If you can resist one of their frozen margaritas, your bill won't be too high.

Empanadas Mamas, 763 Ninth Avenue at 51st Street, has an endless variety of empanadas and they are cheap, cheap at about two dollars each. You can have them with almost any filling you want from seafood to bananas.

Pam Real Thai Food at 404 West 49th Street has curries, soups pad Thai and rice dishes that come in a variety of spicy degrees. It's not much on décor and can get crowded, but it's good and inexpensive.

The Market Cafe at 496 Ninth Avenue between 37th and 38th Street is a great place for really good food. The inside is formica, but the food is anything but diner food and nothing is ordinary. You can have great pasta, seafood and seasonal favorites.

One of the best things to do is walk along 8th or 9thAvenue and looks at the varied cafes. Menus are posted out front or on the window. Going just a few blocks away from Times Square, especially towards 9th, will give you a endless variety of choices. There are hundreds of restaurants with every type of cuisine.

One place in Times Square that is a good bargain is Carve Unique Sandwiches at 760 Eighth Avenue. I also frequent the Europa Cafes and there are several in the area. The one across from where the David Letterman Show is filmed on Broadway at 54th has wonderful breakfasts and sandwiches. It's much better than fast food places and I eat there quite often. Also look for the many Pax, Pret a Manger and Europan shops. The food is fresh, inexpensive and delicious. Even the sandwiches at the many Starbucks are not bad, compared to what you get at a chain restaurant and they cost about the same.

If you are near Grand Central Station, at 42nd and Park Avenue, then go downstairs to the huge food hall. You will find everything you might want from Chinese to Mexican to BBQ. It's a good place to eat and people watch. The Little Pie Company has wonderful desserts. If you find yourself shopping at Macy's, check out La Cucina in the basement. They have a wonderful salad bar and daily specials on sandwiches and pasta items. It's a nice place to relax while shopping.

All in all, look at the menus out front, check the specials and don't be afraid to walk the side streets away from Broadway. On these less traveled streets you will find food bargains and charming neighborhood places that have a great deal more character than the national chain restaurants. Sure there are Red Lobster, Applebees and McDonald's and more in Midtown Manhattan, but you may as well be eating at the same place back home. The menus do not change, but the prices get higher.