Monthly Archives: December 2019

Chi Dumpling House 77 Chrystie Street New York, NY 10002 (Closed January 2023)

Chinese Restaurants for the budget minded, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Chinatown in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful reasonable restaurants in New York City. I highly recommend the Dumplings and soups here.

Dumplings II

*Bloggers Note: Chi Dumpling House closed at the end of January of 2023 and is being replaced by a new restaurant).

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Chi Dumpling House

77 Chrystie Street

New York, NY  10002

Telephone: (212) 219-8850

Open:https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4277315-Reviews-C_L_Dumpling_House-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905 Sunday-Saturday-10:00am-10:00pm

I have been to Chi Dumpling House (formerly the C & L Dumpling-sign still stands out front) several times for meals and have enjoyed the food at the restaurant.

It is truly ‘bare’ bones in its appearance. There are a few small tables in the restaurant but it is not most attractive place to eat at in Chinatown. It is a ‘workers’ type of restaurant where the employees from other restaurants come for a meal after work. The inside is more for take-out and the tables are for a quick meal. Many people taking the bus a few doors down from the restaurant came here the days  I visited for a quick snack or take out food for the ride.

What the restaurant lacks in appearance it makes up in food and in the prices…

View original post 640 more words

Lions & Tigers & Squares 268 West 23rd Street New York, NY 10011 (Closed June 2025)

Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, exploring Chelsea, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Chelsea Neighborhood in Manhattan, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Interesting Pizzerias in Manhattan, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Pizzeria's and Italian Restaurants for the budget-minded, Uncategorized, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful restaurants that are reasonable in New York City. Lions, Tigers & Squares closed in June 2025 and has since been replaced by another pizzeria.

Lions & Tigers & Squares Pizza

Square Detroit style pizza

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Lions & Tigers & Squares

268 West 23rd Street

New York, NY  10011

(917) 271-6772

http://www.lionsandtigersandsquares.com

Open: Sunday-Saturday-11:00am-4:00am

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d14124878-Reviews-Lions_Tigers_Squares_Detroit_Pizza-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

This new pizzeria opened in the heart of Chelsea in Manhattan that specializes in ‘Detroit style’ pizza, which is a type of Sicilian pizza that is baked in a deep dish with the cheese baked right into the sides of the pizza producing a caramelized edge to the pizza. Having gone to college at Michigan State University, I was introduced this this type of pizza at a restaurant named “Dooley’s” in the mid-Eighties. It’s nice to see it come to New York City.

Lion’s & Tiger’s (Named after two sports teams in Michigan) & Squares, a very clever ring in the fact that the pizza is cooked in a square pan in a pizza oven. These wonderful deep-dish pizzas are offered with a limited amount of toppings such as pepperoni, sausage…

View original post 559 more words

G’s Coffee Shop 634 West 207th Street New York, NY 10034

Bakeries for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Inwood in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Hot Dog, Hamburger & Fries for the budget minded., My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful reasonable restaurants in New York City.

 G’s Coffee Shop is a great little place for breakfast and lunch when you are touring the Dyckman Farmhouse and The Met Cloisters. The food is very reasonable and the service is very friendly.

The menu is very extensive and reasonable

The burgers here are amazing!

So are the breakfasts. This is the Sausage and Egg Breakfast Burrito

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

G’s Coffee Shop

634 West 207th Street

New York, NY  10034

(212) 942-0679

Free Delivery

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-9:00pm

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Breakfast—Brunch-Restaurant/Gs-Coffee-Shop-205601462950934/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d17445018-Reviews-G_s_Coffee_SHop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I came across G’s Coffee Shop (Steve & Gus Coffee Shop as the sign says) when I was taking a tour of the near by Cloisters Museum in Fort Tyron Park and then explored the park. After I finished at the museum and walking the park, I was starved and explored around the neighborhood to find a place to eat. Having walked the neighborhood for my blog, “MywalkinManhattan.com” a few years earlier, I had passed many restaurants on 207th Street that had opened and closed over the years and I came to G’s Coffee Shop which I had not noticed on my last few trips to the neighborhood.

Sitting down to eat at this small hole in the wall diner, I found that it was a…

View original post 311 more words

Dining on a Budget

Dining on a Shoestring in New York City and Beyond: Finding reasonable meals and snacks for around $20.00 and under

Bakeries for the budget minded, Candy and Ice Cream stores for the budget minded, Cheap Spanish Restaurant for Budget Minded, Chinese Restaurants for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String in New York State, Dining on a Shoe String in Philadelphia, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New Jersey, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Chinatown in Manhattan, Exploring Inwood in Manhattan, Exploring Little Italy/NoLiTa in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Gourmet restaurants for the budget minded, Hot Dog, Hamburger & Fries for the budget minded., Interesting Bakeries, Interesting Candy Shops, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Pizzeria's and Italian Restaurants for the budget-minded, Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring all the small individually owned restaurants on my blog, DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com. These reasonable places won’t ‘break the bank’ when visiting New York City.

Barcelona's IV

Barcelona’s in Garfield, NJ.

G' Coffee Shop

G’s Coffee Shop in Inwood, NY

Since the site has been created, the prices of food have gone ‘through the roof’ since COVID. So, I changed the price to $20.00. I have continued to look for quality restaurants and take out places that meet those standards. There are a lot of them out there.

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Hello everyone!

My name is Justin Watrel and I created ‘Dining on a Shoe String in New York City’ (DiningonShoeStringinNYC.wordpress.com) as an extension to the blogs: ‘MywalkinManhattan’ (MywalkinManhattan.com) along with ‘VisitingaMuseum’ (VisitingaMuseum.com) and “LittleShoponMainStreet” (“LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com), in search of a delicious meal for $10.00 and under. It is difficult in an area as expensive as Metropolitan New York but many restaurant owners are paving the way with small, innovative menus at a fair price.

Lung Moon Bakery II

Lung Moon Bakery in Chinatown, NY

I created this blog when I discovered all these wonderful small restaurants, bodegas and bakeries that were fantastic both in that the quality of their food and the prices that they cost. I also looked at atmosphere and cleanliness of the establishment. Most cost under $10.00 (USA) for their main food items and provide small places to sit down and eat.

With everyone on a budget, I thought this would cater nicely to…

View original post 174 more words

Burger One Coffee Shop 1150 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10075

Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring The Upper East Side of Manhattan, Hot Dog, Hamburger & Fries for the budget minded., My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful restaurants that are reasonable in New York City. The burgers and sandwiches here are great.

My favorite is the Cheeseburger Deluxe meal

The Cheeseburger Deluxe with Fries and a Mexican Coke

Yum!

The prices and the service can’t be beat in this small Upper East Side restaurant.

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Burger One Coffee Shop

1150 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY  10075

Phone: (212) 737-0095

Fax: (212) 737-3061

http://www.burger1nyc.com

Open: Monday-Friday-6:30am-8:00pm/Saturday-7:00am-6:00pm/Sunday-8:00am-6:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d550667-Reviews-Burger_One-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I had passed Burger One a few times when visiting the Upper East Side and this little ‘hole in the wall’ restaurant was very busy feeding the locals who came in for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their prices are amazing reasonable for all items (especially in a place like the Upper East Side) and they have a nice selection of items for all meals.

The first time I went to Burger One was the first day of walking the Avenues of the Upper East Side (See review on TripAdvisor). The place was humming along with people ordering their lunches and dinners and their delivery guy dashing in and out of the place.

I ordered a Cheeseburger Deluxe (which is a 8 ounce freshly scooped burger)…

View original post 492 more words

Corrado Bread & Pastry 960 Lexington Avenue @ 70th Street New York, NY 10021 (Closed June 2025)

Bakeries for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring The Upper East Side of Manhattan, Gourmet restaurants for the budget minded, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Interesting Bakeries, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful restaurants that are reasonable in New York City.

Corrado Bread & Pastry’s outdoor cafe.

The case line of sandwiches and pastries

The Chicken Salad on a Brioche bun

*Bloggers Note: Corrado’s Bakery closed in early June of this year and is now being replaced by another coffee shop. The Upper East Side loses another great little restaurant.

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Corrado Bread & Pastry

960 Lexington Avenue @70th Street

New York, NY 10021

Phone: (212) 774-1904

Fax: (212) 774-1905

http://www.corradocafeat70th.com

Hours: Monday-Friday-7:00am-8:00pm/Saturday-8:00am-7:00pm/Sunday-8:00am-6:00pm

*Prices are subject to change/Cakes of any size can be made to order, some items require 48 hours.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d1557807-Reviews-Corrado_Bread_and_Pastry-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I came across Corrado Bread & Pastry shop when I was walking around the Upper East Side for my blog, “MywalkinManhattan.com” and looked in the window to see a large display of pastries and sandwiches and decided I needed a dessert and walked in. What a delicious variety of foods so beautifully displayed and so colorfully placed like jewels in a case. The best part is that everything I tried was delicious and their prices are very fair for the neighborhood.

This indoor/outdoor cafe is a block from the main campus of Hunter College and caters to everyone from the college students up for coffee and pastries between classes…

View original post 622 more words

Shanghai Chinese Restaurant 1388 2nd Street New York, NY 10021

Chinese Restaurants for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor in Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful restaurants that are reasonable in New York City.

The Shanghai Chinese Cuisine at 1388 Second Avenue

The Orange Chicken here is amazing.

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Shanghai Chinese Restaurant
1388 2nd Street
New York, NY 10021
Telephone:(212) 288-8066/639-9418

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d3579862-Reviews-Shanghai_Chinese_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

While I was walking for my project, ‘MywalkinManhattan.com”, I came across the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant at 1388 2nd Avenue. It is a non-descriptive restaurant that sits behind some fencing on the road (they are fixing this part of 2nd Avenue) and when you walk in, there is a counter and three small tables to sit and enjoy your lunch. The place is no different from the dozens of other Chinese take out places all over the City. In fact, I almost bypassed it for another restaurant but it always seemed so busy with the hospital around the corner. So I decided to try it (See reviews on TripAdvisor).

The food and service are both wonderful. I could not believe the portion sizes as well. They were huge! I could not believe how large the lunch specials are…

View original post 547 more words

New Dynasty Inc.

New Dynasty Inc. 393 8th Avenue New York, NY 10001

Chinese Restaurants for the budget minded, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring the Upper West Side of Manhattan, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful places that are reasonable in New York City.

New Dynasty Chinese Restaurant II

The menu from the restaurant

Sweet & Sour Shrimp

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

New Dynasty Inc.

393 8th Avenue

New York, NY  10001

(212) 594-9734/(212) 594-0548

Open: Monday-Friday 10:30am-11:30pm/Saturday & Sunday 11:00am-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d15061363-Reviews-New_Dynasty-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

This surprisingly good Chinese take out hole in the wall restaurant on 8th Avenue has some of the best Chinese food in Midtown Manhattan. In what still advertises video tapes, New Dynasty Inc. is a real find for customers who want a reasonable lunch or dinner that is large in portions and low in prices. Their lunch specials run between $6.60 to $7.20 for a combination platter that could easily feed two people.

The restaurant is bare bones in décor with only the illuminated signs for decoration. What is lacks in atmosphere it makes up in the quality of the food and the friendliness of the service. The family that runs the place have always been very welcoming to me on my few trips here and…

View original post 526 more words

The Grilled Chicken House

Grilled Chicken House 270 West 36th Street New York, NY 10018 (Closed January 2023)

Cheap Spanish Restaurant for Budget Minded, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Midtown Manhattan, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Garment District, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Walking in the Garment District, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful restaurants that are reasonable in New York City.

Grilled Chicken House

The Grilled Chicken House closed in January 2023

Grilled Chicken House II

This Garment District fixture will be missed.

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Grilled Chicken House

270 West 36th Street

New York, NY  10018

(212) 695-3493

Open: Monday-Friday-8:30am-6:00pm/Saturday-10:00am-3:30pm/Sunday-Closed

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d3601233-Reviews-Grilled_Chicken_House-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Grilled Chicken House (or Chicken House in some reviews) is a tiny hole in the wall sandwich and fried chicken restaurant in the heart of the Garment District. The menu is has many more food items on it but fried chicken reigns supreme here. It is freshly cooked and placed in the window as the customers walk in.

It does have a diverse menu of fried chicken, grilled chicken, fried crab sticks, fried shrimp all served either with rice, french fries or/and rice and beans. The restaurant even has a selection of Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches to cater to the growing population of Vietnamese  garment workers in the area.

I tried the Fried Shrimp with rice ($6.00) with a Coke ($1.00) the first time I ate there and it was delicious. The shrimp…

View original post 338 more words

Non Solo Piada 302 West 37th Street New York, NY 10018 (Closed January 2025)

Bakeries for the budget minded, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring the Garment District, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Pizzeria's and Italian Restaurants for the budget-minded, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful restaurants that are reasonable in New York City.

Non Solo Piada II

The street food here is excellent!

Don’t miss this little gem in the Garment District

jwatrel's avatarDining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Non Solo Piada

302 West 37th Street

New York, NY  10018

Telephone: (212) 216-0616

Fax: (212) 216-0686

http://www.nonsolopiadnyc.com

Monday-Friday: 7:00am-8:00pm

Saturday-Sunday: 8:00am-4:00pm

Delivery Available

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d11916965-Reviews-Non_Solo_Piada-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I came across this little gem of a restaurant one afternoon when I was walking in the Garment District and it is one of my new favorite places to go for a snack when working in the area (See reviews on TripAdvisor).

Non Solo Piada makes traditional Italian Street foods and breakfast inspired by street food you might find in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The best part of the menu here is there are all sorts of wonderful and creative items on the menu that will run $10.00 and less.

The items on the menu are split into four catagories: Piadine (sandwiches), Cassoni (stuffed sandwiches) and Piadizze (Pizzas) plus desserts and beverages. A Piadine is a warm folded over sandwich where you can see…

View original post 596 more words