Fun and inexpensive places in NYC?

Question

I'm bringing a couple of my friends from massachuesetts back to NY with me and I'm bring them into the city. They have never been..and I'm trying to find a fun and inexpensive place for us to go to dinner... any ideas?

Answer 1

If your friends are from Boston, I doubt that they'll be very impressed with New York pizza - Boston has some great pizza!

My favorite Mexican restaurant, Del Valle on Tenth Avenue and 48th Street is very inexpensive - a large order of shrimp is served with rice and beans and hot homemade tortillas is $11. Wash it down with Mexican beer (I like the Mexican orange soda)
Inexpensive Italian restaurants:.
Near Union Square: Via Emilia on East 21st Street and Park Avenue. Appetizers are unusual and outstanding - gnocco fritto - large platter of Italian coldcuts served with delicious little fritters; tigelle (not served in too many places) hot biscuits with proscuitto and melted cheese; wonderful soups, good pastas, fish is always fresh. Some desserts are outstanding.
http://www.viaemilianyc.net/dinner.html....

In the West Village: Da Andrea on Hudson Street and West 11th Street.
Excellent pastas - I especially love their clam sauce, they, too, make tigelle, can get very crowded on weekends.
http://www.biassanot.com/

There are a lot of very inexpensive ethnic restaurants in the East Village - you can have Thai food, Vietnamese food, Tibetan food, Cuban food, Filipeno food, Russian or Polish food., South American food or barbecue (I didn't mention Indian food, because I don't like any of the East Village Indian restaurants. A tapas restaurant (there are a few in the East Village) can be a lot of fun.

If you stay in the Times Square area, . Brazil, Brazil on 46th Street and 8th Avenue is a really fun place - you have different options - cold salad bar about $10, cold salad bar and hot buffet about $14 and salad bar, hot buffet and MEATS - about $18. If you get the all you can eat meat, the waiters come by with huge skewers of steak, roasts, chickens, spare ribs - if you want some, you turn the flag to green, if you don't want it or are taking a rest, you turn your flag to red. You can also order something a la carte here. Desserts and beverages are not included in the price.

http://www.brazilbrazilnyc.com/enter.htm...

There is a bar, the Joshua Tree on 46th and Eight Avenue, that serves a very good lobster with baked potato and corn for $15. There are large screen tvs showing different sporting events the waitresses are charming.
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Have a great time!

Answer 2

Always a good idea to head on down to Chinatown, you can't go wrong there. As long as the restaurant is full you should be safe and get a good meal. Some of the better but less known places are on East Broadway. There's always some places to go. Nothing is really inexpensive in Manhattan, but you can go moderate priced. Always fun is Ellen's Stardust Diner in midtown, I think B'way around 54th St. A great place is The Barking Dog Cafe, there are 2 on the upper eastside, and one in midtown. For Italian there is always Little Italy, I think Puglia's is still around. Also, midtown and upper westside there is Carmine's, but without a reservation you have a wait. In midtown there is Virgil's for great ribs, but again a long wait without reservations. In the village there is a little restaurant that is charming with a fireplace called Chumley's that I remember not being too expensive and very New York.
You can always take a look through Zagats, they do list restaurants by price and I believe have a section on moderate priced restaurants.

Answer 3

I found the little neighborhood restaurants to be great - and pretty inexpensive by comparison. There are so many ethnic choices, and every block seems to have a restaurant A trip to Chinatown is fun, and it's packed with interesting places to eat. Have a bagel w/coffee from a deli for breakfast - fantastic deli's and bagels in NYC. Some of the neighborhood bars have a cafeteria-style lunch set up. Not expensive and lots of atmosphere. Don't leave NYC without having a slice or two of pizza. As for cheap touristing, window shopping and browsing the exclusive stores is a kick( like Tiffany's) and doesn't cost a dime. Take a walk in Central Park, people watch in Times Square and Greenwich Village, go up the Empire State Building(not very expensive), and if you want to see a Broadway show, go to Times Square where they sell off the unsold tickets for that day's performances at half price. I could continue, but you get the idea!

Answer 4

1. Gray's Papaya Hot Dogs - As seen on Seinfeld, really good!
2. FAO Swartz Toy Store - Tom Hank's in "Big" and lots of celebrities shop there.
3. Central Park
4. Empire State Building
5. Stand outside of David Letterman Show (3:00 PM) on side street where he throw's thing off the roof and goes to Rupert Gees Hello Deli
6. At night stand on esplanade in Times Square and look up at lights.
7. Order a corned beef sandwich at Carnegie Deli. and look at all the celebrity photos. Great experience.
8. Ride the subway.
9. Walk through Waldorf Astoria Hotel and marvel at the ornate lobby or have high tea there.
10. Find a small mom and pop italian restaurant and have some NY pizza!

Answer 5

the most fun and inexpensive place- check out restaurant row deals in midtown. Some great Italian family-style at a decent price.

Answer 6

Um nope no inexpensive place in NY

Answer 7

Not for dinner, but take them to Canal street to get some inexpensive knock-off clothing, no one in Mass will know the difference, then get some pizza. They've never tasted REAL pizza B4!

Answer 8

les halles is a sheek place very reasonable and has fun music...you might like it...its in midtown so thats a plus!!

Answer 9

the chesecake factory.. its fun and like 25 dollars for a tour

Answer 10

anywhere north of 125th street in Harlem should do nicely.