10 Great Cheap Eats Destinations in NYC, Volume 2
Another quick trip around the globe without leaving the city
This monthly column features some of my favorite cheap eats, worth a trip from any corner of the city. Note that seating may be rudimentary or almost non-existent. Check out the first edition of this column.
Carnitas Ramirez
210 East 3rd Street, East Village
Offspring of Greenpoint’s Taqueria Ramirez, this incredible spot concentrates on nose-to-tail eating in its most literal form. Displayed behind glass is a catalogic selection of pig parts — made into tacos on homemade corn tortillas — that run to ear, tongue, tail, brains, cheek, belly, and the more familiar shoulder and rump. This place has some nice seating in two dining areas. Tacos $5 each.
Bosna Express
791 Fairview Avenue, Ridgewood
Located in the tiny Bosnian enclave below the Forest Avenue stop on the M, this place specializes in grilled Balkan meats, including the giant lamb-beef hamburger pljeskavica and the skinless sausages called ćevapi, both served on a pita-like bread garnished with red pepper paste and kymak — something between yogurt and sour cream. Most dishes $4 to $14.
Bo Ky
80 Bayard Street, Chinatown
Bo Ky is the city’s longest-running Teochew restaurant, slinging the chow of a Chinese group who emigrated to Southeast Asia centuries ago but kept their ties to the home country. Find transformed versions of many Vietnamese and Cambodian classics, including pork pho, plus a duck unique to Chinatown, deliciously braised so the flesh is tastier than Peking duck. Most dishes $8 to $12.
New York Pao de Queijo
31-90 30th Street, Astoria
This obscurely located establishment excels at the eponymous bouncy cheese bread, and turns out plenty of fritters, turnovers, and other grab-and-go snacks. Why not drop by for one of 15 Brazilian burgers, or the elaborate mayo-dripping sandwiches? A modest amount of seating is provided. Most dishes $5 to $16.
Evelia’s Tamales
96-09 Northern Boulevard, Corona
On Corona’s bustling Northern Boulevard find this cheery restaurant that specializes in one thing and one thing only: tamales. You can have them every which way, made into egg breakfasts, loaded into sandwiches, and deep fried to make walkaround snacks, or just steamed, with four or five types available per day. Most dishes $3.50 to $12.
Pyza
118 Nassau Avenue, Greenpoint
There aren’t too many of the old Polish lunchrooms left, and Pyza is the best. Named after a meat-stuffed potato, the place also serves killer soups, pierogi, Polish sausages, schnitzels, and other Eastern European fare on platters that often provide two scoops of mashed potatoes. I recently declared it the world’s best restaurant. Most dishes $8.50 to $22.
Irie Jerk
1182 Nostrand Avenue, Flatbush
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the best jerk chicken is found in Flatbush. Walk up Nostrand and see smoke billowing from a chorus line of 60-gallon drums. The bird is ready by noon, tasting of allspice and smoke, the skin nicely charred, the interior smoked-ringed pink. Every bite is delicious and you’ll gnaw the bones clean. Large serving $15.
Famous Fish Market
684 St. Nicholas Avenue, Harlem
Harlem has always been famous for its budget fish joints — some with seating, some (like this one) without. The three kings are whiting, porgy, and catfish, made into sandwiches with mayo and Tabasco or served with french fries. Clams and shrimp are also available. Founded in 1974, Famous generates enthusiasm from locals and piscine pilgrims alike. Most dishes $5 to $20.
Urgut Tandir Express
3915 18th Avenue, Kensington
Restaurants from Uzbekistan are usually ponderous affairs, with stuffy service and a pan-Soviet menu. Well, Urgut Tandir Express, named after a town near Samarkand and its charcoal-stoked oven, offers quite a different ambiance and a more limited menu. There are lamb rib kebabs, and plov (the national pilaf-like dish), and simple salads dressed with sunflower oil and vinegar, but the prize are the bulging manti, lamb-and-onion dumplings with their thin skins holding more meat than seems possible. Most dishes $8 to $15.
Joe’s Italian Deli
685 East 187th Street, Belmont
How did Tony Soprano get so big? Eating giant Italian heroes — which remain one of the region’s best food deals. This deli on the edge of the Arthur Avenue neighborhood has a whole range of Bronx-themed subs incorporating the highest quality Italian salumi, as well as hot dishes like chicken parm and lasagna, with a nice seating area in the middle where you can watch customers come and go. Most sandwiches: $12.
