All restaurants listed below were found on Citysearch.com and NYmag.com with a $-$$ rating (below $35/entrée).
Chelsea Neighborhood
Artepasta
81 Greenwich Ave
Phone: 646-402-6909
Average entrée: $14
Directions: 1, 2, 3 @14th Street
Brick and sunflower-colored walls and paintings from local artists create a homey vibe while customers gobble down classic dishes like lump crab cakes, homemade butternut squash ravioli and filet mignon marsala.
(www.artepastanyc.com)
El Cantinero
86 University Pl
Phone: 212-255-9378
Average entrée: $15
Directions: L, N, Q, R,
This festively-decorated Mexican restaurant caters mostly to nearby NYU students and locals lured in by sangria, margaritas, and dinner discounts.
(www.elcantineronyc.com)
Tir Na Nog
5 Penn Plz
Phone: 212-630-0249
Average entrée: $18
Directions: A, C, E @34TH Street
With authentic food, antique woodwork, wood and stone floors, stained glass, chandeliers, vintage photos and bric-a-brac, the pub setting feels homey and welcoming.
(www.tirnanognyc.com)
East/West Village Neighborhood
Cafetasia
38 E 8th St
Phone: 212-529-2363
Average entrée: $12
Directions: 6 @ Astor Place
Wood-slatted walls, tropical greenery and a presiding Buddha make up a stylish backdrop for the Eastern-inspired cuisine, from Japanese soba salad to Malaysian massaman curry to Laotian-style chicken.
(www.cafetasia.com)
MJ Armstrong’s
329 1st Ave
Phone: 212-358-9946
Average entrée: $13
Directions: L to 1st Ave
With a classic pub decor and vibe, M.J. Armstrong’s gives locals a relaxed spot to eat, unwind and drink.
(www.mjarmstrongs.com)
McCormack’s
365 3RD Ave
Phone: 212-683-0911
Average entrée: $14
Directions: 6 @ 28th Street
Old-school McCormack's hosts a crowd of shepherd's pie devotees from late afternoon to late night. In the evening, the friendly crew of bartenders makes it a popular pub for slurping Irish stew and Guinness alike.
(www.mccormacks.net)
Highlands
150 W. 10 St
Phone: 212-229-2670
Directions: 1 at Christopher St.-Sheridan Sq.; A, B, C, D, E, F, V at W. 4th St.-Washington Sq.
Average Entrée: Not Provided
Highlands, the Scottish gastropub features bar snacks such as cheese boards, pâtés, salmon plates, and light salads such as beet and goat cheese, Cullen skink (a creamy smoked-haddock soup), scallops, halibut in brown-butter sauce with capers, and ravioli stuffed with haggis made by Andrew Hamilton of import company Scottish Wild Harvest. In the meantime, you’ll have to settle for cocktails such as a raspberry–Thai-basil whiskey sour, a classic blood and sand (beloved by Scotsmen), and a gin and tonic that’s made with cucumber ice cubes and served, in the Scottish way, with a tonic bottle on the side. There will also be Scottish beers and spirits.
(www.axsv78.dsl.pipex.com)
Greenwich Village Neighborhood
Cafe Condesa
183 W 10th St
Phone: 212-352-0050
Average entrée: $12
Directions: 1 @Christopher Street – Sheridan Square
The friendly staff whips up a menu that dips back and forth across the Atlantic, running the gamut from bagels to soft-boiled eggs with jamon serrano for breakfast, and from Cobb salad to Spanish meatballs with pilaf for lunch and dinner.
(www.cafecondesa.com)
San Loco
124 2nd Avenue
Phone: 212-260-7948
Average entrée: $7
Directions: 6 @ Astor Place; N, R, W @ 8th Street
This Mexican joint's kitchen churns out a homemade menu of tacos hard and soft, wrapped in tortillas stuffed with guacamole, cheese or black beans; burritos of beef, breaded catfish, pork pipian and chipotle chicken; plus a choice of four sauces from mild to just plain "stupid."
(www.sanloco.com)
La Lanterna Caffe
129 MacDougal St
Phone: 212-529-5945
Average entrée: $12
Directions: A, C, E, B, D, F, V @ W 4th Street
The menu--so large it almost covers the tiny table--lists dinner, snacks and a rambling wine list, in addition to creamy cappuccino and a selection of international desserts, and panini or pizzettes loaded with fresh Italian ingredients such as prosciutto, mozzarella and artichokes make it worth staying for dinner.
(www.lalanternacaffe.com)
Robataya NY
231 E. 9th St.
Phone: 212-979-9674
Directions: 6 at Astor Pl.
Average Entrée: $8
Focusing on the robata technique of cooking proteins over a charcoal grill — the latest type of Japanese cuisine served by Bon Yagi. Diners sit around the counter and pull their dishes and drinks from long-handled wooden paddles wielded by the chefs (and similar to what pizzaioli use to turn pies).
(www.robataya-ny.com)
Room Service
166 8th Ave
Phone: 646-233-2718
Average entrée: $12
Directions: A, C, E, @14th Street; L @8th Ave
Hotel room doors sporadically appear throughout the racy design of the Thai restaurant. The menu ranges from authentic pad Thai encased by an egg omelet to the more modern seared duck glazed with an espresso sauce.
(www.roomservicerestaurant.com)
Little Italy Neighborhood
Chatham Square Restaurant
6 Chatham Square
Phone: 845-694-4668
Average entrée: Not available
Directions: 6, J, M, Z, N, R, Q, W @Canal Street
Wallet-friendly Chinese restaurant heaps on the dim sum and other seafood, in addition to made-to-order noodle dishes and lunch specials.
Broome Street Bar
363 W Broadway
Phone: 212-925-2086
Average entrée: $10
Directions: C, E @ Spring Street; N, R @ Prince Street
In its relaxed atmosphere this American Bistro serves lunch and dinner, including daily specials, all for a low, moderate price. The bar offers an extensive beer menu and selection of wines. Stop in, unwind, and be merry.
(www.broomstreetbar.ypguides.net)
Midtown Neighborhood
Gente
153 E 45th St
Phone: (347) 394-2639
Average entrée: $17
Directions: S; 4, 5, 6; 7 at 42nd St-Grand Central Terminal
A touch of Milan in New York City; serving authentic Italian food under black-and-white blow-ups of film stars like Marilyn Monroe and David Niven, young professionals settle into this film noir-ish spot to appreciate their inexpensive bottles of wine and tasty dinner menu. Service is very efficient and practical.
(www.genteny.com)
Annie Moore’s
50 E 43rd St
Phone: 212-986-7826
Average entrée: $15
Directions: S, 4, 5, 6, 7 @42nd Street
Authentic Irish pub serves classics like fish-and-chips, shepherd's pie, and corned beef and cabbage.
(www.annimooresnyc.com)
Keats Restaurant
842 2nd Ave
Phone: 212-682-5490
Average entrée: $10
Directions: 4, 5, 6, 7, S @ Grand Central; 6, E, V @ Lexington-3rd Aves-51st Street
American restaurant and bar offers dancing, drink specials and weekend karaoke.
(www.keatsrestaurant.com)
Lucy's Mexican Cantina
1 Penn Plaza
Phone: 212-643-1270
Directions: A, C, E at 34th St.-Penn Station
Average Entrée: Not Provided
A café on Penn Plaza that seats 50 under a retractable roof, the Tex-Mex menu features Gazpacho Tequila shooters, Pineapple Scallion Pork, and "Mexican Chihuahua in the Poncho" (chorizo wrapped in pastry with lime mustard); on the liquor side, sample any number of their exactly 100 types of tequila -- just don't accidentally stumble to the LIRR in Penn Station on your way home.
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Upper East/West Side Neighborhood
City Diner
2441 Broadway
Phone: 212-877-2720
Average entrée: Not available
Directions: 1 to 86th Street; 1, 2, 3, to 96th Street
Overstuffed sandwiches, soups, salads, vegetarian platters, pastas, seafood entrees and more, served up 24/7.
MXco
1491 Second Ave
Phone:212-249-6080
Directions: 6 at 77th St.
Average Entrée: Not Provided
Husband and wife John Dempsey and Maren Powell (El Centro, Hell’s Kitchen) replace their Upper East Side outlet Vynl with MXco. The menu emphasizes sharing with a trio of guacamole, ten types of tacos, and three flavors of queso. To drink: Carafes of margaritas come with mix-and-match fruit purée, and we're eyeing a frozen tres leches cocktail.
Chinatown Neighborhood
Doyer’s Vietnamese
11-13 Doyers St., downstairs
Phone: 212-513-1521
Average entrée: Not provided
Directions: N, Q, R, W, J, M, Z, 6 to Canal Street
The Chinatown basement locale may be hard to find, but this windowless dive is one of the “best Vietnamese bargains” around.
Pho Viet Huong
73 Mulberry St.
Phone: 212-233-8988
Average entrée: $18
Directions: J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6 @ Canal Street
In the “no-frills Chinatown” mold, this Vietnamese standby delivers “superior”, “bargain”-rate dishes to tantalize the taste buds; its noodle soups are the highlight pho sure, but the extensive menu boasts plenty of other choices for a quick lunch.
Joe's Shanghai
9 Pell Street
Phone: 212-233-8888
Average Entrée: $10
Directions: J, N, Q, 4, 5, 6 to Canal St.
The extensive menu hits the mark on all your favorite Chinese dishes, but the real specialty is the soup dumplings, filled with pork, or a combination of pork and crab. It’s brightly lit and bustling—a place for a fun meal, not romance or lingering.
(www.joeshanghairestaurants.com)
Lower East/West Side Neighborhood
T Poutine
168 Ludlow St.
Phone: 646-833-7444
Directions: F, V to Lower East Side/2nd Ave.; J, M, Z to Essex St.; F to Delancey St.
Average Entrée: $9
The narrow, candlelit space is mostly for takeout, though there are tables and counter stools provided so you can eat it fresh from the fryer. There are 10 ways to get poutine here, with toppings that range from steak and blue cheese to spicy Tex-Mex. You can even get sweet potato fries dusted with spiced cinnamon sugar and warm Canadian maple syrup if you're in the mood for dessert.
(www.tpoutine.com)
Xie Xie
645A Ninth Ave
Phone: 212-265-2975
Directions: A, C, E to 42nd St./Port Authority or C, E to 50th St.; 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W, S to 42nd St./Times Sq. or 1 to 50th St.; N, R, W to 49th St.
Average Entrée: $9
The small space is sleek and playful, with colorful fortune cookies affixed all over one wall (note to the hungry: they're fake). The Hanoi-style tilapia sandwich is brightened by turmeric, onion jam and sriracha mayonnaise, and sweet glazed pork on a Chinese bun is layered with sweet and sour shallots. The beverage department features artisanal sodas, boxed wine and cans of sparkling wine.
(www.xiexieproject.com)
Yerba Buena
23 Ave. A
Phone: 212-529-2919
Directions: F, V at Lower East Side-Second Ave.
Average Entrée: $22
For pisco-sour fans, try this outsize version in a soup-bowl-size goblet with its froth of organic egg white. The guacamole and the house-made chips are fantastic, and you’ll love the picada—a collection the table can share of yucca croquetas, tostones, pork rinds, and chorizo chunks to dip in a spicy sauce.A spirits writer, shares sips of a dessert wine, Alcyone, and insists it tastes like s’mores.
(www.ybnyc.com)
Brooklyn Neighborhood
Piquant
259 Flatbush Ave
Phone: 718-484-411
Directions: 2, 3 at Bergen St.; B, Q at Seventh Ave.; 2, 3, 4, 5, B, Q at Atlantic Ave.
Average Entrée: $24
The main floor offers a lounge with a full bar, the dining room is upstairs, and the 30-seat patio rests out back. The menu spans tacos (with homemade tortillas), sliders (bison and crabcake), four types of ceviches, two kinds of chili, and a slew of entrées. And plates themselves are higher than a Dallas cheerleader’s blowout.
(www.piquantnyc.com)
Char No. 4
196 Smith St
Phone: 718-643-2106
Directions: F, G at Bergen St.
Average Entrée: $18
You can sample over 300 whiskeys here but probably not in one ecstatic sitting, although, borrowing a page from the wine world, every tipple is available by the one-ounce pours. The name of the place refers to the practice of heating the oak staves used to make bourbon barrels. The smell of charring oak is said to be not unlike that of a good pit barbecue—fitting, considering Chef Matt Greco's southern comfort menu of house-smoked ham, a chopped-pork sandwich, and cheddar curds with pimento sauce.
(www.charno4.com)
For more trendy restaurant suggestions, visit nycgo.com/dining
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