Guides / Cheap eats
GuideCheap eats in NYC
The best food in New York that costs under about $15 a person. Carts, counters, noodle shops and slices, ranked, with nobody paying to be here.
The list
Best firstBest first. Most of these are cash-friendly and fast.
9.9Pommes FritesFresh Belgian frites, a wall of sauces, and the most generous beer pour in New York.9.9Spicy VillageBig tray chicken on Forsyth Street — spicy, numbing, and built for a table, though we know someone who finishes one alone.9.8Joe's PizzaThe benchmark. If you only eat one New York slice, this is the one every other slice gets measured against.9.5Grand Street Skewer CartCharcoal, a hand fan and a stack of skewers on Grand Street — the cheapest great thing you will eat in Chinatown.9.1Magdy'sA humble Park Avenue cart run by a family who genuinely cook — and portions that outrun the price.9.1Surreal CreameryLoud, photogenic sundaes — but the plain soft serve underneath is the actual reason to come.8.9HaandiPakistani cooking on Lexington made with real care, in a room that has no interest in impressing you.8.5Taiwan Pork Chop HouseA steam-table counter on Doyers, the crooked block below Canal — cheap, fast, and better than it needs to be.Questions
What is the best cheap food in NYC?
Pommes Frites in Greenwich Village, which we score 9.9/10. Fresh Belgian frites, a wall of sauces, and the most generous beer pour in New York.
What counts as cheap?
Everything here is our $ price band: most people spend under about $15 a head.
Did anyone pay to be on this list?
No. Nobody pays to be included, to rank higher or to be left off. Every place here is one we visited and would send a friend to.