Real Cheap Eats NYC
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Currently viewing the tag: "Fall Edition 2011"
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Mexican Coke can be elusive, but Indian Coke? Get a real sugar bite way in the back of the Apna Bazar. The soda’s black color shines through the bottle, without even a sliver of Coca-Cola red. For a Coke collector or a soft drink enthusiast, this is a nice pick-up.
Apna Bazar on Jeffrey Tastes
72-20 37th Ave. at 73rd St. (Map)
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
(718) 565-5960
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- $1.25
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Flushing is dotted with tiny Chinese bakeries, and Apollo Bakery is one of the smallest; yet, its square-shaped pork floss bun is one of the biggest. A cross between bread and pastry, the top of the bun is flaky and layered, while the bottom is dense and chewy. Inside, Taiwanese dried pork shavings puff up the bread like a decorative couch pillow.
Apollo Bakery on Food Mayhem
135-36 39th Ave. at Main St. (Map)
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 961-0596
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- $3.00
- (Photo by Tom Sullivan)
Deep fried balls contain so much mystery. Luckily, the risotto balls served at Arancini Brothers reveal rich, cheesy secrets. The classic ragu arancino is the standout, filled with a pork ragu dotted with green peas. Though the balls could be hotter (you can always ask for them to be fried a bit longer), these flavors still sing beneath their crisp exterior and the not-too-tender risotto. Vegetarian arancini are also on the menu.
Arancini Bros. on Law & Food
940 Flushing Ave. at Evergreen Ave. (Map)
Brooklyn NY 11206
(718) 418-6347
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- $4.00
A perfectly crisp baguette, chewy roast pork, fresh cold cuts and pickled veggies. These are a few of the components that make a great banh mi, and Ba Xuyen’s #1 has them all and more. It’s a bit out of the way for most, but the fresh ingredients and oddly addictive “secret sauce” make for a delicious Vietnamese sandwich that is definitely worth the schlep.
Ba Xuyen
4222 8th Ave. at 43rd St. (Map)
Brooklyn, NY 11232
(718) 633-6601
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- $7.00
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Falafel is everywhere in New York City, but falafel that stands out is a rare treat. Ba’al Café & Falafel opened in Soho in 2011 without a media blitz, but news has spread about its cheap and well-crafted food. The word of mouth was right: This falafel is fresh and light, while the pita is fluffy. Throw in some of their lemony hummus, and you might find yourself thinking about this falafel for days.
Ba’al Cafe & Falafel on Midtown Lunch
71 Sullivan St. at Spring St. (Map)
New York, NY 10012
(646) 368-9957
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- $5.95
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Brooklyn’s newest Malaysian restaurant has a soup that is off the charts. Banana Leaf’s asam laksa starts with an intense combination of sour and spicy flavors within a base of lemongrass broth. There are two types of noodles in the dish: smaller, almost glassy noodles, and round, thicker, homemade noodles. Add fish flakes, onions, pineapples and more, and you are in for a supreme treat.
Banana Leaf on Eating the World in NYC
5216 Eighth Ave. at 53rd St. (Map)
Brooklyn, NY 11220
(718) 851-3818
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- $3.50
Less than a year after shuttering their second restaurant, Eddie Huang and co. have moved out of the Lower East Side entirely, building a bigger Baohaus on the edge of the East Village. They’ve also cut prices throughout the menu, making Baohaus’ gourmet gua bao a more affordable treat. Huang’s “Haus Bao,” endowing Creekstone beef cheek with the flavors of a classic Taiwanese street snack, is especially tasty. Slow-cooked in soy sauce, rice wine, moutai (sorghum liquor) and ginger, then folded into a fluffy steamed bun and topped with pickled greens, crushed peanuts and rock sugar, it’s one street food that can go upscale without beefin’.
Baohaus
238 E. 14th St. at First Ave. (Map)
New York, NY 10003
(646) 669-8889
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- $6.00
When people say “bacon makes everything taste better,” they’re pretty much right. At the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, you can have soft serve ice cream with sea salt and dulce de leche dipped in chocolate, but what you should really try is the Choinkwich, an ice cream sandwich made with chocolate cookies from the Treats Truck, chocolate soft serve ice cream and a layer of Bacon Marmalade. It’s chocolatey, bacony, smokey, salty, sweet and most definitely delicious.
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop on Eat to Blog
125 E. 7th St. at Ave. A (Map)
New York, NY 10009
(212) 533-9333
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- $6.00
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During lunch hours Biryani Cart always has a line, but it moves quickly as the cooks quickly fill kati rolls. The flaky and ultra buttery wrap used in this roll is somewhat like a scallion pancake without the scallions. Fillings include chicken, lamb or vegetarian with different sauces, but communication is rocky, so what you get may be a surprise. As long as you can take some spice, it’s all good.
Biryani Cart on Food Mayhem
W. 46th St. at Sixth Ave. (Map)
New York, NY 10036
(917)628-3269
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- $3.75
“Everything is homemade,” proclaims this new Sicilian spot, nestled in a thicket of Middle Eastern restaurants along Atlantic Avenue. Those looking for southern Italian specialties would do well to make this an essential stop. Everything on display behind the long counter looks fabulous—from the piles of pastries to the pastas—but go for the “Siciliana,” a particularly enticing fried calzone filled with anchovies, olives, green onions and mozzarella. Its piquant bite will leave you craving Catania’s enticing desserts.
Cafe Catania
193 Atlantic Ave. at Court St. (Map)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 522-2880
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- $8.00
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Located in the back of a bodega on a grungy strip of Myrtle Avenue, this tiny restaurant serves up authentic Mexican food. The eponymous cemita is a beast of a sandwich, stuffed to the gills with perfectly spicy chorizo, ham, tender pork, quesillo and a single egg. What stands out the most, though, is the papalo, a Bolivian herb that tastes like a much more bitter cousin of cilantro. Chinantla piles it on, while most other taquerias do the opposite.
Chinantla
657 Myrtle Ave. at Skillman St. (Map)
Brooklyn, NY 11205
(718) 222-1719
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A $1 Peking duck sandwich at Corner 28′s streetside window is one of the cheapest and tastiest things to eat in downtown Flushing. The steamed bun is a taste of heaven, cradling a bit of duck blanketed by hoisin and topped with green onion. And it won’t spoil your appetite for any of the neighborhood’s other delicacies.
Corner 28 on World’s Fare
40-28 Main St. at 40th St. (Map)
Flushing, NY 11355
(718) 886-6628
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- $4.95
This Indian hole in the wall on the edge of Chinatown has a lot of cheap eats competition from Asian eateries nearby, but it’s worth a diversion. The namesake chicken kebabs are juicy and flavorful on their own, but they’re best when wrapped in made-to-order naan, creating a kind of Indian burrito.
Curry & Tandoor Corner on Midtown Lunch
369 Broome St. at Mott St. (Map)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 334-9144
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- $6.95
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To make its Cookies and Cream Sundae, Dessert Club Chikalicious cuts up three of its cookies—The Situation (chocolate chips, corn chips, peanut butter chips, marshmallow and pretzel), Situation Dark (chocolate cookie with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee popcorn and pretzel) and Chocolate Chip—then mixes the crisp chunks with super creamy vanilla bean soft serve. Each dessert is great on its own, but together they form the best combination of cookies and ice cream you may ever eat. Just make sure to share with one or two people; the portion is huge.
Dessert Club Chikalicious on The Girl Who Ate Everything
203 E. 10th St. at Second Ave. (Map)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 475-0929
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- $3.00
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El Atoradero is a tiny Pueblan grocery that seems to be expanding its territory—if not in size, than at least in the hearts of the local Mexican and Central American community. Unfortunately, its kitchen is only open on the weekends, starting in the morning and continuing through an early lunch. Walk in on a Saturday and you’ll be rewarded with the scent of a deep cauldron of carnitas simmering before you. Picaditas are similar to sopes, and I figure the difference is really just in size, but here the fresh corn tortilla is elongated and even larger than usual. El Atoradero’s salsas are excellent, but the tomatillo truly shines for freshness and variety. They make only a small amount of picaditas daily, so ask for a taste, and marvel at their complexity.
Weekends Only
El Atoradero on Eating the World in NYC
800 E. 149th St. at Tinton Ave. (Map)
Bronx, NY 10455
(718) 292-7949
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- $9.00
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- (Photo by James Boo)
The marinara pizza at the newly opened Forcella doesn’t hide behind the cover of cheese or the forgiving flavors of Italian cured meats. It’s a three-component dish: a tremendously zesty, herbal tomato sauce amped up with garlic and spices atop a perfectly pliant, charred crust with a stray leaf of basil. Behind this blistery crust is the culmination of years of experience by pizzaiolo Giulio Adriani, top notch ingredients and a very hot Acunto oven. No matter how homely this pie may appear, such simple pleasures are not without their rewards.
Forcella
485 Lorimer St. at Grand St. (Map)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 388-8820
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- $8.99
Take one part water, two parts ox bones, three parts time, a dash of devotion and you’ll get a bowl of seolleongtang (bone soup), such as the version found at Gahwa, in Flushing. The dish is served with a bowl of salt and fresh scallions, for the diner to augment the soup to their taste. On the surface, its simplicity is deceptive, but fish around in the long-simmering milky bone broth, and you’ll encounter slabs of beef, light wheat noodles and tender white rice. Such simplicity elevates the clean flavors of the dish and reveals the patience and skill of the cook.
Gahwa
2932 Union St. at 29th Rd. (Map)
Flushing NY 11354
(718) 886-3223
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Walk past the trays of Italian butter cookies dipped in chocolate and bright sprinkles, past the Linzer tarts and the oozing cannolis. It’s the Mexican baked goods that set Golden Pastry Shop apart. The pan de muertos—buttery, mildly sweet Mexican pastries, typically served on Mexico’s “Day of the Dead” holiday—are available year-round here. Light, fluffy and dusted with sugar, they are the perfect breakfast indulgence. There’s no seating inside this tiny Tompkinsville bakery, so plan to hover as you eat, or grab a pastry and a cup of coffee to go.
Golden Pastry Shop on City Spoonful
1 Corson Ave. at Victory Blvd. (Map)
Staten Island, NY 10301
(718)-727-9393
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- $8.99
As if a kosher schnitzel purveyor in the corner of an unassuming Staten Island strip mall isn’t cross-cultural enough, Holy Schnitzel’s “Franky” sandwich makes the most of this mash-up. A chicken cutlet coated with Italian-seasoned breading and crushed garlic is stuffed into a baguette and topped with optional lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and your choice of sauce. Why settle for garlic mayo or mustard—two valid choices—when you can have hummus or schug, a chunky Yemeni chile relish that’s popular in Israel?
Holy Schnitzel
438 Nome Ave. at Steinway Ave. (Map)
Staten Island, NY 10314
(718) 761-4659
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- $3.50
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Bing bika ambon at Java Village, an Indonesian spot in Elmhurst, Queens, is as fun to say as it is to eat. Resembling a corn muffin in size and color, it has a spongy texture and pronounced, yeasty flavor, enriched by plenty of coconut milk. They come three to an order, a perfect serving size if you’ve put too much of this shop’s blazingly hot sambal on your noodles.
Java Village on World’s Fare
86-10 Justice Ave. at 52nd Ave. (Map)
Elmhurst, NY 11373
(718) 205-2166
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- $8.00
Burnt Ends get most of the acclaim at John Brown Smokehouse, but the Pork Spare Ribs deserve a pedestal of their own. Made using a dry rub, these ribs are not messy or reliant on sauce; the flavor and smoky aroma stand on their own bones.
John Brown Smokehouse on FoodMayhem
25-08 37th Ave. at 25th St. (Map)
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 361-0085
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Many New Yorkers associate lamb and pita with pale and impaled bricks of street meat, rendered irresistible typically by way of inebriation. Those who have yet to experience a spit racked with the genuine article would do well to try the lamb shawarma at Kuti’s, where layers upon layers of fatty lamb meat roast in their own juices as they await the next order. Rolling lamb, stewed peas, green beans, tomato and onion into a lavash-style flatbread, then grilled to a chewy crunch on a panini press, this wrap is a sobering shot of flavor for those used to noshing on street meat under the influence.
Kuti’s Place on The Eaten Path
355 W. 116th St. at Manhattan Ave. (Map)
New York NY 10026
(212) 222-1127
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- $2.00
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This festive Puerto Rican snack truck’s eponymous lechón (here, heavily salted and roasted pork belly and rib meat) is one of New York’s best. Just below the rack of pork, though, is a tray of alcapurria, a fritter typically made from mashed yuca and filled with spiced meat. If you get the chance to step into the truck, try La Piraña’s banana alcapuria. The edges are deep fried to a crisp brown, the mashed banana is mildly sweet, and the ground beef inside is well spiced.
Weekends Only
Lechonera La Piraña Truck
E. 152nd St. at Wales (Map)
Bronx, NY 10455
(347) 609-9714
- QNS
- $5.00
In the back of Tibetan Mobile, a trinket shop in Jackson Heights, you’ll find Lhasa Fast Food. Try the thukpa. Always made fresh, when ordered in multiples, it can overload the woman running the shop. The noodles are obviously pre-packaged, but the pile of greens and crumbled beef on top of this bone-broth soup make it nearly impossible to find something to complain about.
Lhasa Fast Food on Jeffrey Tastes
(Tibetan Mobile)
37-50 74th St. at Broadway/Roosevelt Ave. (Map)
Jackon Heights, NY 11372
(718) 205-2339
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- $5.00
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Nevermind the pizza; it’s the focaccia that make this Astoria neighborhood joint special. Half a dozen varieties of focaccia are available on any given day. The richer (fresh mozzarella and tomato; spinach and ricotta) and fancier (eggplant, tomato and broccoli; pineapple and ham) toppings are hard to resist, but Lorusso’s traditional focaccia, topped only with slices of tomato, sea salt and olive oil, is the best of the lot. If you’re lucky enough to get yours fresh from the oven, you’ll find that the bread—soft, but crispy at the edges, and distinctly flavorful—is the real pleasure here.
Lorusso Pizza Foccacia
18-01 26th Rd. at 18th St. (Map)
Queens, NY 11102
(718) 777-3628
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- $1.25
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Mama’s Empanadas has taken a classic childhood comfort food and given it a Latin twist. At first glance it looks like any other empanada—crescent shaped with a bubbly golden brown crust. Bite into it and find an unexpected filling: macaroni and cheese. Elbow pasta is mixed with a cheesy sauce that, depending on who you are, will channel either your inner child or inner stoner. But do be careful on that first bite, as the filling is quite hot.
Mama’s Empanadas
4218 Greenpoint Ave. at 43rd St. (Map)
Queens, NY 11377
(718) 729-1303
8505 Northern Blvd. at 85th St. (Map)
Queens, NY 11370
(718) 505-9937
9120 59th Ave. at Queens Blvd. (Map)
Elmhurst, NY 11372
(718) 429-2502
- QNS
- $1.00
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- (Photo by Robyn Lee)
Wandering down Roosevelt Avenue on a late night food crawl led by Jeff Orlick, we stumbled upon a row of three tamale vendors directly beneath the 103rd Street stop on the 7 train. Fireworks exploded on the first bite. The lard-laced masa in these tamales retains a light, fluffy texture (and every so often yields a bite of pure pork fat). The best of the fillings is the pork verde, with a slow-building heat that lingers on the tongue.
Available 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Maria’s Tamales on Law & Food
Roosevelt Ave. at 103rd St. (Map)
Flushing, NY 11368
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- $2.50
Mark serves a perfect rendition of a classic slider. A proprietary beef blend is chopped right on the premises. The patties are pressed into a cast iron griddle with onions, flipped, and topped with cheese, which is then left to steam underneath the bun until gooey and soft. The result is the perfect hamburger experience in a bite-sized package.
Mark on A Hamburger Today
33 St. Mark’s Pl. at 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 677-3132
- MAN
- $8.00
Mooncake Foods doesn’t serve authentic Asian food, nor does it try. Instead, this Asian riff on a diner focuses on serving filling, fresh and affordable food in all three of its Manhattan locations. And they do sandwiches very well. Take, for example, the grilled porkchop sandwich: tender, thin slices of pork, brushed with a bit of sweet hoisin and quickly grilled, paired with a mango chutney and irresistibly crunchy, fresh bread. Add a drizzle of spicy chili oil and munch on the complimentary side salad with carrot ginger dressing, and you’ve got a very tasty and filling meal for well under $10.
Mooncake Foods on Midtown Lunch
359 W. 54th St. at Ninth Ave. (Map)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 262-9888
28 Watts St. at Thompson St. (Map)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 219-8888
263 W. 30th St. at 8th Ave. (Map)
New York, NY 10001
(212) 268-2888
- BK
- $6.50
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Nectar, a juice bar, also serves a great avocado and sweet potato sandwich. The combination of avocado, mashed sweet potato, sprouts, onion, jack cheese and slices of multigrain bread is enough to make any meat lover crave a vegetarian meal.
Nectar on Eat to Blog
198 Court St. at Congress St. (Map)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 855-6166
- MAN
- $10.00
The sauce arachide is similar to other West African mafes (meats in peanut sauce), but New Ivoire’s has a more subtle approach, allowing other flavors to surface and creating a splendid soup for its beef. Served with a heaping plate of rice, the dish is definitely more than necessary for lunch.
New Ivoire Restaurant on Eating the World in NYC
76 E. 119th St. at Park Ave. (Map)
New York, NY 10035
(212) 410-5982
- BK
- $9.50
The creamy red pepper sauce that tops this lightly cooked fish combines with the other tastes on the plate very nicely. Nordic Delicacies’ homemade mashed potatoes are a good touch for all of its meals. It is unclear, after spending time in here, whether you are in Brooklyn or in a gift shop in the Oslo airport.
Nordic Delicacies on Eating the World in NYC
6909 Third Ave. at Ovington Ave. (Map)
Brooklyn, NY 11209
(718) 748-1874
- MAN
- $9.00
- (Photo by Veronica Chan)
Parm’s house roasted turkey is proof that this humble sandwich needn’t be dry or flavorless. Instead, thick cut slabs of turkey breast are blessedly juicy and flavorful from a long marinade in garlic, honey and other herbs and spices. Topped with a tangle of shredded lettuce, spiked with a spicy tomato-and-pepper dressing and sandwiched into a soft roll, this punched-up turkey sandwich is a game changer.
Parm
248 Mulberry St. at Prince St. (Map)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 993-7189
- BK
- $7.00
The word torta means many things. In Mexico it’s a sandwich, and a good torta is the stuff of dreams. Puebla Mini Market in Sunset Park makes a torta with layers and layers of pork, avocado, jalapenos and oaxacan cheese. The bread is slightly toasted and has a nice outside crunchy texture. It gets a little messy toward the end, but with food this good, it doesn’t really matter.
Puebla Mini Mart on Eat to Blog
3908 5th Ave. at 39th St. (Map)
Brooklyn, NY 11232
(718) 435-3326
- MAN
- $7 (lunch), $9 (dinner)
When it comes to Thai, diners on Ninth Avenue are faced with a lot of choices. Pure Thai Cookhouse (formerly Pure Thai Shophouse), however, may be the only place worth visiting. Try the assertively flavored pork broth in a bowl of Sukhothai pork noodle soup. Sweet slices of roasted pork are nestled amongst crunchy long beans and crumbles of ground pork, and as if it couldn’t get any better (or porkier), the dish is lavishly topped with crisp pork cracklings. Despite the dizzying amount of flavors and texture, the dish is remarkably clean on the palate. It’s a nearly flawless noodle soup.
Pure Thai Cookhouse on Midtown Lunch
766 9th Ave. at 52nd St. (Map)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 581-0999
- BK
- $3.00-$5.00
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- STREET
Cupcakes were never the plan at Robicelli’s, a mom-and-pop good eats shop that closed its doors to South Brooklyn in 2009. Two years later, Matt and Allison Robicelli have earned a reputation for perseverance, becoming city-wide cupcake distributors with retail shops at DeKalb Market and Madison Square Park. Their reputation is earned: Robicelli’s cupcakes—with over 100 flavor combinations in rotation to date—are always well executed, never too sweet, and topped with a silky French buttercream that puts the world of overkill cupcake frosting to shame.
Robicelli’s at DeKalb Market
138 Willoughby St. at Flatbush Ave. (Map)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(Full list of locations)
- CLOSED
Anda Paraantha, an egg omelet rolled inside dense, griddled flat bread, is a favorite breakfast food throughout North India and parts of neighboring Pakistan. You won’t find it on the menu at this pan-South Asian eatery in Astoria, but ask for it in Hindi (“Aap anda paraantha banaa saktay heh?”) and you shall receive. Sabri Nihari’s foot-long version combines a flaky homemade paraantha with a nicely browned omelet, easily enough carbs and protein to keep you going all day long. Our suggestion: Ask for plenty of green chilies (haari mirch) and cilantro (dhania) in your omelet.
Sabri Nihari & Grill
28-02 21st St. at 28th Ave. (Map)
Queens, NY 11102
(718) 777-2274
- MAN
- $2.50
- VEG
It’s important to remember that the New York slice is an edible institution all its own, capable of being as artisanal as the newest Napoli-style pizzeria. Sal and Carmine’s plain slice is a testament to this sentiment. Its workman’s crust is chewy, slightly charred, slightly salty and dusted with the same flour that, without fail, rubs off your two dollars in change. The light sauce is at one with olive oil, producing a slightly tangy flavor that blends seamlessly with a generous layer of whole fat mozzarella. The resulting slice rings of a rich, salty, oily flavor that is the stuff of local legends.
Sal and Carmine on The Eaten Path
2671 Broadway at W. 102nd St. (Map)
New York, NY 10025
(212) 663-7651
- QNS
- $9.00
At Salt and Fat the name gives away the mission, and the pig logo brings it home. The cooks here know how to set and meet expectations, but you can only guess about a dish called “Crack & Cheese.” The crisp fried gnocchi that arrive are melty on the inside, tossed in an oozy white béchamel and generously topped with bacon. It’s as addictive as its name implies.
Salt and Fat on Food Mayhem
41-16 Queens Blvd. at 42nd St. (Map)
Queens, NY 11104
11104 (718) 433-3702
- MAN
- $3.00
- VEG
While they offer the giant, Bavarian-style pretzels we’re used to seeing, Sigmund Pretzelshop also makes sweet and savory mini pretzels. Warm, airy and tasty, these mini pretzels make the perfect afternoon snack. Try the garlic parsley, paired with a honey mustard dip.
Sigmund Pretzelshop on Eat to Blog
29 Ave. B at E. 3rd St. (Map)
New York, NY 10009
(646) 410-0333
The name of this outfit is Sliced Noodle, but the guo tie, or potstickers, here are outstanding. The Henanese folks who run this stall cook their potstickers in a radial pattern resembling an asterisk—spokes on a wheel of deliciousness, if you will. Each is filled with an incredibly tasty mixture of loosely ground pork and chives. They’re juicy as all get-out, and the thin, crisp sheet of dough between each dumpling makes for fun eating.
Sliced Noodle on World’s Fare
New World Mall
40-21 Main St. at 40th Rd. (Map)
Flushing, NY 11354
- MAN
- $2.50
At Sun Light Bakery in Manhattan Chinatown, you can get baked goods and your regular ham-and-egg sandwiches, but what you really want is the cheung fun (rice roll). A popular dim sum dish, cheung fun is a thin piece of rice noodle that has been steamed, rolled up and then usually stuffed with beef or shrimp. Sunkist Bakery’s are smooth, silky and made to order. Be sure to add a squirt of soy and hot sauce.
Sun Light Bakery on Eat to Blog
160 E. Broadway at Rutgers St. (Map)
New York, NY 10002
(212) 608-8899
- QNS
- $2.50
- SPICY
- STREET
Our go-to taco at this Sunnyside, Queens, truck is the carne asada. It combines tiny bits of tender beef with raw onions and cilantro, garlicky housemade salsa verde and guacamole, pickled jalapeño peppers and fresh-squeezed lime. Tacos El Vagabundo’s fixin’s are exceptionally fresh and zesty, but the spicy, marinated carne asada has more than enough flavor to stand on its own. Even the grocery store-issue tortillas are exceptional—each pair is rubbed in the meat juices on the grill before being loaded up and shipped out.
Tacos El Vagabundo Truck
Queens Blvd. at 41st St. (Map)
Sunnyside, NY 11104
- MAN
- $10.00
- VEG
- STREET
Almost nothing is lost in the transition from Taim’s West Village brick-and-mortar store to Taim’s street truck. The housemade hummus is still lavishly rich with tahini and a drizzle of olive oil, lusciously smooth and utterly satisfying. Drag a bit of their pillowly, za’atar-glazed pita through the dreamy hummus and you get a bite of food that’s so good you’ll swoon. The star of the show is Taim’s falafel, which sports a reliably crunchy exterior and fluffy interior. Served with a myriad of salads and sauces, it may be the best meal from a street truck—vegetarian or otherwise.
Taim Mobile Falafel and Smoothie Truck
Schedule available at taimmobile.com and twitter.com/taimmobile
- $8.00
- SPICY
Taqueria Puebla’s cow’s-eye, tongue and head-meat tacos might be a draw for offal appreciators, but if you find yourself nearby on a weekend, the pancita (served only Saturday and Sunday) demands a stop. The steaming bowl of spicy orange broth is filled with large chunks of honeycomb tripe that’s tender enough to cut with a spoon. Add a squirt of lime and a handful of chopped onion and cilantro for contrast. Whatever you do, don’t neglect the tortillas—these thick corn-based rounds are handmade and arrive at the table hot off the griddle.
Weekends Only
Taqueria Puebla
1285 Castleton Ave. at Clove Rd. (Map)
Staten Island, NY 10310
(718) 720-1447
- $5.00
- SPICY
- STREET
Everything coming out of this two-in-one-shop (one selling dosas and kati rolls, the other selling Nepali snacks and dishes) is charming, but the momos (Nepalese dumplings) are fantastic. Their chicken curry filling is juicy and herby, and their crescent-form wrappers are nearly translucent, but the biggest tease is their scent. Price? 8 for five dollars.
Tawa’s Nepali Hut on Jeffrey Tastes
37-38 72nd St. at 35th Ave. (Map)
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
(718) 457-7766
- SI
- $5.25
- VEG
- STREET
Tucked into the back of a prim, well-stocked Polish grocery in Tompkinsville is a nondescript takeout window serving traditional Polish dishes. Everything on the menu—from the pierogi to the cucumber soup—is pretty delicious, but the made-from-scratch potato pancakes are particularly satisfying. Spiked with onion and garlic, these golden, freshly pan-fried cakes are crisp outside and moist and soft inside. Skip the sour cream—these potato pancakes already have all the flavor (and calories) you need.
The Polish Place on City Spoonful
19 Corson Ave. at Victory Blvd. (Map)
Staten Island, NY
(718) 442-8909
- MAN
- $5.50
The “This Way” sandwich served at this East Village hole in the wall is an obvious homage to the roast beef sandwich sold at the Sheepshead Bay institution Brennan and Carr. Slowly roasted beef round is sliced paper thin and served on a sesame studded roll, a hearty au jus is ladled on, and lashings of cheese whiz are then applied. The resulting sandwich is as delicious as it is messy.
This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef on Beef Aficionado
149 First Ave. at E. 9th St. (Map)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-1500
- BNX
- $3.50
- VEG
- (Photo by James Boo)
People flock to Tony & Tina’s not only for the pizza, but also for a great burek. This Albanian spot covers the usual meat and spinach varieties of this flaky pastry, but have you had a sweet burek before? Tony & Tina’s pumpkin burek has an unusual, spiraled shape and does not need the customary yogurt on the side for dipping. Most everyone else in the place is using it, though, so you might as well.
Tony & Tina’s on Eating the World in NYC
2483 Arthur Ave. at E. 189th St. (Map)
Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 733-8094
- QNS
- $7.50
The front of Tulcingo looks like a Mexican grocery. The middle section looks like a Mexican bakery. Head all the way to the back for a full restaurant menu and order the cemita, a fresh, sesame bun slathered with a smoky chipotle sauce, bound with lightly melted white cheese and layered with your choice of 14 meats. Go for pierna (pork leg), chorizo (sausage) and lengua (tongue).
Tulcingo on Food Mayhem
40-11 82nd St. at Roosevelt Ave. (Map)
Elmhurst, NY 11373
(718) 205-3134
- QNS
- $4.95
Just under $5 buys a pair of “braised pork belly crushed peanut in steamed bun,” better known as gua bao, or as a “Taiwanese burger” in some circles. Each bao is freighted with chunks of slow-cooked pork belly, wobbly with luscious fat and topped with crunchy, sweet peanuts and pickled greens that cut through the richness quite nicely. They’re two to an order, but don’t bother sharing—you’ll want both for yourself. At this price, your friends can afford to spring for their own.
Xiao Yuan Hyuang on World’s Fare
New World Mall
40-21 Main St. at 40th Rd. (Map)
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 321-2828
