Favorite NYC Restaurants - Favorite Inexpensive Options Cont'd

Daddy O’s – 44 Bedford Street, Greenwich Village

My favorite bar in the city serving incredible burgers. Relatively quiet place with a terrific selection of spirits for a bar this size. My “go to” place when I’m in the Village and want to stop for a cocktail or a reasonably-priced dinner..

Financier - World Financial Center, Battery Park City

Website: http://www.financierpastries.com/contact.cfm

Financier is a great place for lunch if you are in the area of the World Trade Center. There is a beautiful promenade that leads from the World Financial Center Marina to Battery Park, offering great views of the Hudson River, New York Harbor, The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We take this walk often and sometimes have lunch at Financier, You can buy a sandwich and a drink to go and either take them to a table near the palm trees in the Winter Garden (if it's hot and humid, the Winter Garden can be a nice respite from the weather) or choose an outdoor table overlooking the marina. Cheap lunch, especially if you split a sandwich.

Grimaldi's - 19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn

Website: http://www.grimaldis.com/

One of NY's top pizzas in a scenic neighborhood. Gets very crowded and a line forms down the street at peak hours. I usually go early on a weekday and get on line about 15/20 minutes before they open (they open at 11:30) or I go late afternoon after the lunch crush.

Harney and Sons - 433 Broome Street (east of Broadway in Soho)

Website: http://www.harney.com/visitus.asp

Great place for a light lunch and a pot of tea. They have a tea tasting bar where you can sample their teas - they carry over 200 kinds of tea. We liked the savory scones, gravlax and vanilla scones with clotted cream.

Joe's Shanghai - 9 Pell Street (between Mott and Mulberry) - Chinatown

Website: http://www.joeshanghairestaurants.com/

We go here for the steamed soup dumplings, which are very tasty, especially when accompanied by a cold beer. If you haven't had soup dumplings, you can order either pork or pork and crab and the soup is actually inside the dumpling. You have to approach eating them the right way (instructions on their website) or else you stand a good chance of wearing the soup on our shirt.

Keste Pizza - 271 Bleecker Street (Between 6th and 7th Avenues)

Website: http://www.kestepizzeria.com/home.html

My current favorite pizza place in New York. This is truly authentic Neopolitan pizza - the crust and toppings are all first rate. The owner had his oven specially designed and he is meticulous about ingredients. There can be lines out the door at dinner time. I usually go here for lunch (around noon) or early dinner (later afternoon) and walk right in. 

The Meatball Shop – 84 Stanton  St (betweenAllen & Orchard Streets)

Website: www.themeatballshop.com

Something I never order when I’m out is a meatball sandwich, but this place was great.  I opted for the meatball sliders, which were on a great little bun and packed with flavor.  They have different kinds and I ordered the spicy pork meatball and a special.  They also make a meatball smash, which is two meatballs mashed down and served on a toasted brioche bun.   I heard this place can be mobbed but we went on a weekday afternoon and walked right in.

Obika - 590 Madison Ave (At 56th Street) in the Atrium of the IBM Building

Website: http://www.obika.it/english/dovetrovarci_ny.html

Netta and I love this place for lunch. It's a 'mozzarella bar', inspired by the sushi bar concept. They don't only serve mozzarella though, they have delicious soups, plates of roasted vegetables, excellent Italian meats like aged prosciutto, speck, etc,, sandwiches and salads. The mozzarella is the best I've had, from specific areas of Italy and each with its own special characteristics. No liquor license here, but they make great ice tea. We go here for lunch - it's located in an atrium on Madison Avenue - and we usually arrive between 11:30 and noon and never have a problem getting seated. 

Porchetta - 110 East 7th Street (between 1st Ave and Ave. A)

Website: http://www.porchettanyc.com/

A small storefront in the East Village with a few stools inside and a couple of benches outside. They make a killer sandwich with delicious roasted pork (porchetta) on a crunchy ciabatta roll that is, for me at least, the best in New York. Get an order of the potatoes with burnt ends to split.

Shake Shack - Columbus Ave and 77th Street

Website: http://shakeshack.com/

Excellent burgers and Chicago-style hotdogs. The original Shake Shack is in Madison Square Park (23rd St & Madison Ave.) and they opened this one a couple of years ago. Can get very busy and there is limited seating. There are often long lines at the one in Madison Square Park.