- Eating in New York City can be extremely expensive, both for locals and tourists.
- However, New Yorkers know of quite a few places to get delicious food for a great deal.
- Whether you're in the mood for steaming-hot ramen, sushi, or an incredible slice of pizza, here are the best cheap eats you'll find in New York City.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The great thing about New York — the thing that makes it the best food town in the world — is that the same people who'll spend $900 for a meal at Masa will also stand in a snaking line for an $8 chicken sandwich.
Our hunger for the exotic, the daring, and the artery-busting is so great that it's spawned a whole new landscape of cheap eats.
Joining the ranks of the $1 slice and the pastrami sandwich are crave-worthy bites like matzo meal-crusted fried chicken and sustainably caught seafood. Then, there's always the iconic New York City food trucks and carts, which offer up some of the tastiest, cheapest food in the city.
Here are 15 cheap eats that New Yorkers crave, from the perfect square slice to a taco that'll make you drool all over your keyboard.
April Walloga contributed to a previous version of this article.
Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken
At this fast-casual chicken joint, the Bromberg brothers — of Blue Ribbon Sushi fame — sell their famed matzo meal-crusted fried bird alongside eight different chicken sandwiches and sides like cheesy bacon fries and hush puppies. The chicken is dusted with spices and can be topped with three different kinds of honey, hot sauce, or barbecue sauce.
What to order: A two-piece with fries and coleslaw costs either $12.25 (white meat) or $11.25 (dark meat).
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The Halal Guys
People say the secret recipe white sauce that Halal Guys douses its gyros and combo platters with is akin to crack cocaine. Judging by the lines outside their many food carts, it's a fair comparison. The carts have now expanded to restaurants, including locations on the Upper West Side and the East Village.
The combination of the tangy white sauce, crispy meats, yellow basmati rice, and cool lettuce and tomato is the OG halal answer to a Chipotle bowl.
What to order: A small combo platter with chicken and gyro meat, yellow rice, lettuce, tomato, pita, and your choice of white sauce, tahini, and/or hot sauce is $8.99.
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Los Tacos No. 1
New York City is full of cheap, good Mexican food. And even though it's standing room only and in the tourist-laden Chelsea Market, New Yorkers are willing to take the bad with the great to get their fix at Los Tacos No. 1.
Run by three friends from Mexico and California, the taco stand uses made-to-order corn tortillas and your choice of grilled chicken, steak, nopales cactus, or spit-roasted pork. People rave about the quesadilla, which looks like a regular taco and has a layer of sizzling cheese that's been crisped on the flat top.
What to order: The marinated pork quesadilla with cilantro, pico de gallo, guacamole, and pineapple is $4.75 and tacos are just $3.50 to $3.95.
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Fuku
David Chang's Fuku is doing for the fried-chicken sandwich what Danny Meyer's Shake Shack has done for the burger. The East Village chicken shop debuted to snaking lines and six-sandwich-per-person maximum order caps. Somewhat inspired by Chang's love of Chick-fil-A, the sandwich consists of a giant fried chicken thigh, a steamed, buttered potato roll, and pickles.
Plus, Insider's food reporter Rachel Askinasi says the sandwich blows the famous Popeyes chicken sandwich out of the water.
What to order: The spicy chicken sandwich is $8, but at lunchtime, you can get a combo with the sandwich and fries for $12.
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Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle
No cheap-eats list is complete without dumplings. While the actual best dumplings in New York are at White Bear in Flushing, Queens, Lan Zhou is the next best thing for Manhattanites.
The juicy pork and chive filling is among the best you'll find in Chinatown, and the wrappers are thin and delicate, not thick and gummy. Hot chili oil brings it all together.
What to order: An order of 11 pork and chive dumplings is $3.
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Xi'an Famous Foods
Once a solitary Flushing favorite, Xi'an Famous Foods exploded into Manhattan after appearing on a 2008 episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" travel show. With 16 locations in New York, the father-son restaurant chain deals exclusively in the spicy, lip-numbing cuisine of Xi'an.
The city in China's Shaanxi province is famous for its hand-stretched noodles and Muslim-influenced cuisine — think cumin-spiced lamb noodles and burgers.
What to order: Spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles ($7.81 to $11.21) or stewed pork hand-ripped noodles ($6.89 to $10.15). The stewed pork burger ($3.81 to $4.68 ) is also pretty delicious.
Click here for more on Xi'an Famous Foods >>
Luke's Lobster
New Yorkers have been going nuts for Luke's Lobster since 2009, when it opened its first seafood roll shack in the East Village. Now they've gone international, with more than 30 locations and a popular food truck.
The menu is simple: lobster rolls, shrimp rolls, crab rolls, chowders, and chips and sodas. The sustainably caught seafood is fresh from Maine, the rolls are buttered and not overly bready, and the mayo is swiped on judiciously. A drizzle of lemon butter and a dash of celery salt adds decadence.
What to order: Most people get the $17 lobster roll, but the $9 shrimp roll — which uses sweet Maine shrimp that tastes like mini lobsters — is as good or better.
Click here for more on Luke's Lobster >>
Prince Street Pizza
Forget the New York slice vs. Chicago deep-dish debate — the Sicilian square beats them both. And Prince Street Pizza has one of the best, most beautiful square slices in the city. The crust is just the right thickness, the tomato sauce is fruity and slightly sweet, and the pepperoni crisps up into irresistible little cups.
What to order: The Spicy Spring Street Square — with fra diavolo sauce, spicy pepperoni, and mozzarella — is $3.95.
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Shake Shack
With locations around the country, the once niche Shake Shack has gone mainstream, but New Yorkers still crave it with regularity. Its potato roll, flat top-seared Pat LaFrieda beef, and Shack Sauce are the benchmark to which all other burger fixings are compared. The Shack also has one of the best veggie options — a fried portobello mushroom stuffed with cheese — of any burger chain.
What to order: A double Shack Burger is $8.79 and an order of fries is $3.09.
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Sam's Falafel
Next time you stop by the Financial District, wander on over to this hidden gem of a food cart. Sam's Falafel cart is located in Zuccotti Park and serves up cheap — and delicious — eats. Make sure you've got cash on you as this food cart doesn't take any other forms of payment.
Grab a couple of extra napkins, too — these massive sandwiches are stuffed to the brim with creamy, rich hummus.
What to order: A falafel sandwich, complete with lettuce, tomato, and lots of hummus in a warm, fresh pita, costs a mere $5. A combo platter costs $6, and can easily be split between two people. Both can be made either spicy or not. Water and soda are just $1 as well.
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Arepa Factory
If you're looking for seriously delicious Venezuelan food in New York City, look no further than Arepa Factory. They have a location at Columbus Circle with two more locations planned. Opt to build your own arepa, bowl, or cachapa, or choose one of their many menu options.
They use only the best ingredients and even offer homemade lemonades to complement your rich meal. Dreamt up by award-winning chef, Rafael I. De Garate, you're not going to want to skip this delicious food spot.
What to order: The Pabellon arepa comes with shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains, and guayanes cheese and costs $9.95.
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Bánh Mì Place
Banh Mi sandwiches are definitely a secret way to eat on the cheap in New York City. These huge baguettes can be stuffed to the brim with traditional paté, grilled pork, chicken, and even vegetarian options. Options can be found all over the city, but one hidden gem is Banh Mi Place by Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Their spicy sandwiches offer the perfect balance of heat, and the crispy baguettes make this humble sandwich taste practically gourmet.
What to order: A classic sandwich ($7.50) and a bubble tea ($4.50).
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Milk N' Honey NYC
Finding a genuinely good, cheap bagel in New York City can be harder than you think. With so many options, it can be difficult to tell whether you're really finding a good bagel for an even better price. One place that is hugely underrated is Milk N' Honey in the Financial District or Midtown. This kosher establishment has all the fixings for bagels, plus sandwiches, salads, and more.
What to order: An everything bagel with lox spread, tomato, and onions is $6.25.
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Beyond Sushi
Love sushi, but don't want to pay specialty sushi prices? Are you vegetarian, vegan, or willing to just try something a little different? Break out the chopsticks and head over to Beyond Sushi. They have locations all over the city and offer vegetarian and vegan "sushi" rolls, dumplings, and more. You'll be surprised by the low prices, and feel a little better eating this healthier version of your favorite sushi rolls.
What to order: The Spicy Mang roll is $8.25 and is made with black rice, avocado, mango, and English cucumber topped with veggie slaw and a toasted cayenne sauce.
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Udon West
There's no shortage of ramen places in New York City, and some are cheaper than others. If you want a delicious, gourmet bowl of ramen for a super cheap price, check out Udon West on St. Marks Street in the East Village. This cash-only hole-in-the-wall is beloved by the locals and offers cheap, traditional hot noodles and more.
Slurp up a warm bowl of delicious broth, complete with all the fixings of traditional Japanese ramen.
What to order: The fried chicken kara-age soba ($6.50) or the simmered beef niku hot noodles ($8.50).
Click for more on Udon West >>
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