Favorite NYC Restaurants - Favorite Inexpensive Options

These are places that you can get great fast food (pizza, burgers, sandwiches, etc.), breakfast, lunch or a light snack.

Almondine - 85 Water Street, Brooklyn

Website: http://www.almondinebakery.com/

Netta and I actually have gotten up early in the morning and driven to Manhattan, caught the A train to Brooklyn to get breakfast at Almondine. We love their croissants, and supposedly it's hard to find croissants like this outside of France. We buy croissants and coffee and then walk around the corner to Brooklyn Bridge Park, find a table or bench and have breakfast while taking in the view of the bridge, Manhattan and the boats on the East River.

Eataly – 23rd Street near 5th Ave.

A Salt and Battery - 112 Greenwich Ave (between 12th & 13th streets)

Website: http://www.asaltandbattery.com/

Fresh, perfectly cooked fish and chips in this tiny storefront. If you like fish and chips, you have to go to this place. And also visit Tea & Sympathy next door. There are a few metal stools inside and a bench outside to sit on in nice weather.

Bark Hotdogs - 474 Bergen Street (near Flatbush Ave), Brooklyn

Website: http://www.barkhotdogs.com/

New York Magazine picked this as the best hotdog in the city, so my friend Jim and I went to check it out. The place delivered - very good fries also. They tell you where everything they make comes from and they focus on organic and green producers. Not sure it's worth the subway ride to Brooklyn, but if you went to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, it's not far from there.

Bouchon Bakery - Columbus Circle, in the Time Warner Building

Website: http://www.bouchonbakery.com/

Excellent choice for lunch near Central Park. Located on the third level of the mall at the Time Warner Center, overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park South. Excellent sandwiches (we usually split a sandwich) and soups plus great pastries for dessert. They have a counter where you can get sandwiches, pastries, drinks to go and have lunch in Central Park. Their roasted tomato soup with grilled cheese combo is a great lunch and at $12.95 not a bad lunch in NYC.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory - 2 Cadman Plaza West, Brooklyn

Great ice cream and I especially love their hot fudge topping (made at the very expensive River Cafe next door). Located on a pier on the Brooklyn waterfront, looking out towards lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge - beautiful spot. On weekdays I usually walk right in or there is a shot line. On weekends the line can extend down the pier. This is a great destination if you decide to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (great views and nice breeze off the river).

Central Park Boat House Express Cafe

Website: http://www.thecentralparkboathouse.com/

When we stay in the city we always stay in a hotel up by Central Park. In the morning we walk to the Central Park Boathouse Express Cafe for a light (and inexpensive) breakfast of coffee/tea and croissants/scones. In the cool weather they have a fireplace lit and in the warm weather there is plenty of outdoor seating.