The 10 Best Cheap Eats in NYC (2026)

1. Joe's Pizza — Greenwich Village, Manhattan

The textbook New York slice — thin, crisp and foldable.

Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street is the slice joint most New Yorkers point to when visitors ask for a classic. The plain cheese slice is thin and crisp underneath, with a bright tomato sauce and just enough mozzarella, and it is meant to be folded and eaten standing up.

There are now several Joe's locations around the city, but the Carmine Street shop is the original.

Good to know: Order a plain slice first, then a fresh mozzarella slice; there's a counter but no real seating.

7 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014

Google Maps Website

2. Los Tacos No. 1 — Chelsea Market, Manhattan

Tijuana-style tacos on fresh tortillas, made in front of you.

Los Tacos No. 1 brought California and Tijuana-style taco stands to New York: a short menu of carne asada, adobada (marinated pork shaved from a spit), grilled chicken and nopal (cactus) tacos on corn or flour tortillas made to order.

The Chelsea Market counter is the original; the line moves quickly even when it's long.

Good to know: Order the adobada on a corn tortilla 'with everything,' and add a quesadilla.

75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Google Maps Website

3. Xi'an Famous Foods — Several locations, Manhattan

Hand-ripped noodles and cumin lamb from a Queens food-court stall turned citywide chain.

Xi'an Famous Foods started as a tiny stall in a Flushing basement food court and grew into one of New York's favorite noodle shops, serving the cooking of Xi'an in northwest China. The signature is spicy cumin lamb with wide, chewy hand-ripped noodles.

There are locations across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, all quick-service and inexpensive.

Good to know: Order the spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles and the liang pi cold-skin noodles to share.

Website

4. Vanessa's Dumpling House — Lower East Side, Manhattan

Plates of pan-fried dumplings and sesame pancake sandwiches for a few dollars.

Vanessa's Dumpling House on Eldridge Street, on the edge of Chinatown, is a bright, no-frills counter where pork-and-chive dumplings come by the plate, pan-fried or boiled, for very little money.

The sesame pancake sandwich — a thick, flaky bread stuffed with Peking duck or roast pork — is the other must-order.

Good to know: Get a mixed order of fried pork-and-chive dumplings and a sesame pancake with Peking duck.

118 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002

Google Maps Website

5. Mamoun's Falafel — Greenwich Village, Manhattan

A Village falafel counter that has fed students and night owls since 1971.

Mamoun's is a tiny MacDougal Street falafel shop serving crisp falafel and shawarma in pita with tahini, plus plates with hummus and salad. It stays open late, which makes it a Village tradition after a show or a night out.

The house hot sauce is very hot — use it carefully.

Good to know: A falafel sandwich is one of the cheapest full meals in Manhattan; seating is a few stools, so take it to Washington Square Park.

119 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Google Maps Website

6. Gray's Papaya — Upper West Side, Manhattan

Snappy hot dogs and papaya drink at a standing counter on Broadway.

Gray's Papaya is a neon-lit Upper West Side hot dog stand at Broadway and 72nd Street, open long hours, where grilled beef franks come with sauerkraut, onions and mustard alongside its signature papaya drink.

It's a quick, cheap and very New York stop on the way to or from Central Park or the Beacon Theatre.

Good to know: Order two franks 'with everything' and a papaya drink — there's no seating, just a counter.

2090 Broadway, New York, NY 10023

Google Maps Website

7. SriPraPhai — Woodside, Queens

The Queens Thai restaurant that set the standard, with a huge menu and fair prices.

SriPraPhai opened in Woodside in 1990 and is widely credited with making Queens a destination for Thai food. The menu runs to well over a hundred dishes, from crispy watercress salad and green curry to fiery larb and whole fried fish, with generous portions at moderate prices.

There's a back garden for warm evenings, and it's an easy ride from Midtown on the 7 train.

Good to know: Go with a group and share; order the crispy watercress salad and anything 'Thai spicy' if you can handle heat. It closes one weekday, so check hours before going.

64-13 39th Ave, Woodside, NY 11377

Google Maps

8. L&B Spumoni Gardens — Gravesend, Brooklyn

Thick, square Sicilian slices with the sauce on top, plus spumoni for dessert.

L&B Spumoni Gardens in southern Brooklyn is famous for its square Sicilian pie: a thick, airy crust with the cheese underneath and a sweet tomato sauce spread on top. Order slices at the window and eat at the outdoor picnic tables in summer.

Finish with a cup of the house spumoni, the tricolor Italian ice cream that gives the place its name.

Good to know: Take the D train to Bay Pkwy or the N to 86 St; order squares at the outdoor window to skip the dining-room wait.

2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223

Google Maps Website

9. Denino's Pizzeria & Tavern — Port Richmond, Staten Island

Staten Island's classic thin-crust bar pie — the reason to ride the ferry.

Denino's is an old-school family pizzeria and tavern in Port Richmond, serving crisp, thin-crust pies with a cracker-like base. The M.O.R. pie (meatball, onion and ricotta) and the clam pie are the house favorites.

It's a sit-down tavern with draft beer, red booths and a neighborhood crowd.

Good to know: Pies only, no slices — share a large between two or three people to keep it cheap.

524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302

Google Maps Website

10. Mike's Deli — Belmont (Arthur Avenue), The Bronx

Huge Italian heroes inside the Arthur Avenue Retail Market.

Mike's Deli is a family-run Italian deli inside the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, the covered market at the heart of the Bronx's Little Italy. It's known for overstuffed heroes, eggplant parmigiana and fresh mozzarella, eaten at tables in the market hall.

Allow time to wander Arthur Avenue's bakeries, pork stores and pastry shops afterward.

Good to know: Go on a weekday to avoid crowds; the market is a short walk from the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden.

2344 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

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