The Longtime Bargain Restaurants That Remain

Where to get great kebabs, doubles, noodles, flatbreads and more in places open for more than 20 years

Mar 10, 2025

The other day I stumbled on the text of a Village Voice story I published in 2005, listing the 100 best restaurants in ranked order. I realized that one utility of this piece was to gauge the longevity of restaurants, at least the lower-priced places I have favored. So I carefully looked into the status of each and discovered that 75 of 100 had closed, while 25 remained open — not a bad percentage — often in the same location. Some trends: Those with better food were more likely to have stayed open. And those outside of Manhattan also had longer staying power. Here is a list of 10 great inexpensive restaurants that persist after 20 years.

Memo Shish Kebab (#1 on the original list)

This distinguished Turkish diner on Kings Highway specializes in grilled meat platters and on sandwiches made with pitas, rolled flatbreads, or Turkish bread, plus an admirable range of dips, chopped salads, and desserts. The oniony Adana kebab is blissfully good. 1821 Kings Highway, Midwood; with a newer location in Chelsea

A&A Bake and Doubles (#3 on the original list)

When this place was first started in 2002, it was a narrow closet on Nostrand Avenue, which got crowded early in the morning for bakes (Trinidadian fish sandwiches) and doubles (chickpeas in a pair of small, poori-like breads), which sold out late in the morning. Since then it has moved around the corner — with seating! — and can provide these goodies plus rotis and steamtable curries, morning, noon, and evening. 481 Nostrand Avenue, Bed-Stuy

Taam Tov (#7 on the original list)

Heralded by a bright blue awning over the second-floor premises, this Diamond District stalwart was founded in the late 80s, and still turns out kosher Uzbek kebabs (get the lamb rib), the bread called lepeshka, and manti dumplings, in addition to Eastern European and Israeli specialties. 46 West 47^th Street, Diamond District

*Taam Tov was the first Uzbek restaurant in Manhattan.*

Alsalam Restaurant & Meat Market (#9 on the original list)

This Syrian grocery turns out some amazing prepared food, including the topped flatbreads called manakish, meat and cheese pies, tongue salad, lamb kebabs, and one of the city’s great shawarma sandwiches. 7206 Fifth Avenue, Bay Ridge

Tulcingo del Valle Grocery (#12 on the original list)

Hailing from the mountainous southern reaches of the state of Puebla, this bodega taqueria opened in the late 1990s and quickly morphed into a restaurant. Check the chalkboard outside for daily specials, including such things as pork ribs with verdolaga (purslane) and a very cheesy stuffed poblano pepper in a tomatoey sauce with all the trimmings. 665 Tenth Avenue, Hell’s Kitchen

*The epic chile relleno at Tulcingo Del Valle, 2009*

Momofuku Noodle Bar (#16 on the list)

Momofuku was only a year old when the list was formulated, but it had already remade our ideas about ramen noodles and popularized them in a big way. The design of the place was also revolutionary, and despite higher prices than the early days, the restaurant — the last of what was once an empire — still excites and satisfies. 163 First Avenue, East Village

Cheburechnaya (#26 on the original list)

Kebabs cooked over charcoal at bargain prices remain the forte of Chebuechnaya, with its double dining room filled with good smells and family chatter. Bulging manti dumplings, cow-foot soup, parabolic crackers called nan toki, chebureki turnovers, and Russian-style composed salads with plenty of mayo are further specialties. 92-09 63 Drive, Rego Park

*The legendary sheep tail fat kebabs at Cheburechnaya*

Kashkar (#33 on the original list)

Founded in 2003, long before the plight of Uyghurs was much known in the Western World, Kashkar has been slinging kebabs, dumplings, and plov to a Russian- and Ukrainian-Jewish constituency in Brighton Beach. The plov was originally described as “fried rice” and other Chinese flourishes were apparent in what is basically a Central Asian menu. 1141 Brighton Beach Avenue, Brighton Beach

*A stone’s throw from the beach, Kashkar*

Oasis (#37 on the original list)

By legend, this Palestinian fast food destination opened sometime after 2000 when its proprietors were disturbed that another falafel place not far away was awful. Well, even though it moved around the corner to bigger and more luxurious digs in 2016, its focus remains on Middle Eastern standards like kafta kebab sandwiches, chicken shawarma platters, labneh, and lahmajin. 168 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg

Devin’s Fish & Chips (#83 on the original list)

This Sugar Hill old-timer was closed for a time as a result of a fire but reopened three years later better than ever. Fried local fish like porgy, whiting, and flounder are its primary focus, but it also steams vegetables and provides more exotic and expensive seafood at your request — and the fries are great, too. 747 St. Nicholas Avenue, Harlem