Tag Archives: cheap dining

Taco Bandito 325 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10001 (Closed December 2022)

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

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

Taco Bandito II

The food here is very good.

Taco Bandito III

Taco Bandito closed at almost 23 years in the same location due to the building being replaced. All the businesses in the complex including the McDonalds that I used to go to when I attended FIT in the 1990’s all closed and will be replaced.

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

Taco Bandito

325 Eight Avenue (between 26th and 27th Streets in Chelsea)

New York, NY  10001

(212) 989-5518/5571

Fax: (212) 989-5537

http://www.tacobandito.com

http://www.tacobanditochelsea.com

Open: Seven Days a Week

Monday-Saturday: 11:00am-11:00pm

Sunday: 12:00pm-10:00pm

Fast Free Delivery (minimum $8.00, minimum credit card charge $8.00)

*Their flour tortillas are made fresh throughout the day.

*Their food is prepared from scratch daily at this restaurant.

*All our food is prepared with natural ingredients only.

*We do not use artificial spices, MSG, lard or preservatives.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4966729-Reviews-Taco_Bandito-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Taco Bandito is right around the corner from the Soup Kitchen where I work and around the corner from the Fashion Institute of Technology campus where I went to school. The prices here are perfect for the normal college student as there is nothing on the menu over $10.00.

The menu is more of a Tex-Mexican food selection with many popular items. The menu contains…

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Lung Moon Bakery 83 Mulberry Street New York, NY 10013 (Closed May 2020)

Bakeries for the budget minded, 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. Don’t miss the egg custards and rainbow cakes at this Chinatown bakery.

 

Lung Moon Bakery II

The selection of baked goods at Lung Moon Bakery.

Lung Moon Bakery IV

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

Lung Moon Bakery

83 Mulberry Street

New York, NY  10013

(212) 349-4645

Open: 7:30am-8:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4829502-Reviews-Lung_Moon_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

When visiting Chinatown in New York City there are many places to get a reasonable snack. This traditional bakery has been around since the 1970’s and before and has been serving Chinese-American sweets to customers for years.

The family that owns the bakery I have found to be very friendly and engaging with their customers as I am sure that they are used to tourists coming in and out of the store. The bakery has seen a lot of competition over the years with a mass opening of Hong Kong style bakeries and bubble tea shops that litter the entire neighborhood with more opening every day selling pretty much the same food items.

What separates Lung Moon Bakery from the other bakeries is their quality and their prices. I have been…

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5 Star Estrella Bakery Corporation 3861 Broadway New York, NY 10032

Bakeries for the budget minded, Cheap Spanish Restaurant for 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 Island of Manhattan, Exploring Washington Heights in Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Walking around Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful reasonable restaurants in New York City. Don’t miss the delicious baked goods and empanadas at this bakery! It’s worth the trip uptown.

5 star estrella bakery

The selection of baked goods at 5 Star Estrella Bakery is extensive.

The renovated front of the bakery.

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

5 Star Estrella Bakery Corporation

3861 Broadway

New York, NY  10032

(212) 795-5000

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4416394-Reviews-5_Estrella_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I have been to 5 Star Estrella Bakery Corporation about ten times since my project, “MywalkinManhattan” has taken me to this part of the city. Washington Heights has all sorts of bodega’s and deli’s on every corner of the neighborhood but this one stands out. Everything here is very reasonable and delicious (See my reviews on TripAdvisor).

I have to admit that the baked goods can be a little hard later in the afternoon but the taste is still wonderful. I have had their vanilla and chocolate doughnuts and they are big, puffy rings with a thick layer of icing ($1.25). In the early morning, they have a soft pillowy consistency and in the afternoon, they can be a little harder but still good.

They have wonderful Pastellitos (similar to empanadas) filled…

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109th Street Pizza (Formerly East Harlem Pizza and Make & Bake Pizza) 1976 Third Avenue New York, NY 10029

Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring East Harlem in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring SoHA (South of Harlem), Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring The Upper East Side 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 reasonable restaurants in New York City.

Now the pizzeria is known as 109th Street Pizzeria

The pizza here is delicious.

*Since the pandemic, Make & Bake Pizza has changed names and owners and is now known as 109th Street Pizzeria. The restaurant has also been renovated since my last review.

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

Make & Bake Pizza

1976 3rd Avenue

New York, NY  10029

(646) 490-8355

Hours:

Monday-Sunday: 11:00am-12:00am

Cash Only

Delivery in the area

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d12437257-Reviews-Make_Bake_Pizza-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I came across Make & Bake Pizzeria when I was visiting East Harlem for my walking project, “MywalkinManhattan” and I needed a snack. I had already visited Moe’s Grocery a few doors down for a ‘Chopped Cheese’ and I needed a slice of pizza.

I followed the school kids from the two schools across the street into the pizzeria and they really seemed to like the pizza here. Because the kids are from the housing projects that surround the school and this part of Second and Third Avenues, the prices at the restaurants in the area are very reasonable. Here the prices are more than reasonable, they are cheap.

A slice of cheese pizza here is $1.00, a soda and water are $1.00…

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Zabar’s Cafe (Inside the Zabar Building) 2245 Broadway New York, NY 10023

Bakeries 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), 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.

Zabar's Cafe III

Zabar’s Cafe is great for locals.

Zabar's Cafe

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

Zabar’s Cafe (Inside the Zabar Building)

2245 Broadway

New York, NY  10023

(212) 787-2000

http://www.Zabars.com

Open: Sunday-9:00am-6:00pm/Monday-Friday-8:00am-7:30pm/Saturday-8:00am=8:00pm

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d948624-Reviews-Zabar_Deli_Gourmet_Foods-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Zabar’s is one of the most interesting grocery stores in New York City. Back in the late 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s, it was the only place to go for certain gourmet items, baked goods and a variety of vegetables. Their cheeses were some of the best in the city and when you needed fresh pasta, it was here or Manganario’s which went out of business about five years ago.

While other stores have gotten fancier or more expensive in their wares and grocery items, Zabar’s stays tried and true to its roots and is still a place for the average person to come and do their grocery shopping while buying high quality at a fair price. New York City has never been cheap.

I had been to the store many times…

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West Side Cafe 218 West 72nd Street (Between Broadway & West End Avenue) New York, NY 10023 (Closed August 2019)

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), Pizzeria's and Italian Restaurants for the budget-minded, 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. The Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich on an Everything Bagel is just excellent!

Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich

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

West Side Cafe

218 West 72nd Street (Between Broadway & West End Avenue)

New York, NY  10023

Phone: (212) 769-9939

Phone: (212) 769-8815

Fax: (212) 769-9938

Open: Monday-Friday-6:30am-9:30pm/Saturday and Sunday-7:30am-8:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4959470-Reviews-West_Side_Cafe-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Sometimes you are looking for the perfect little ‘hole in the wall’ restaurant and it just jumps out at you. This is how I found out about West Side Cafe & Pizza. I was looking for a snack and came a across a restaurant that offered well-priced pizza slices. It also offers a whole lot more.

I went into West Side Cafe & Pizza for a slice of pizza. The place around the corner from it had the slices at $3.25 for a slice of cheese and when I walked in here, the slice was $2.50, more on the level of a regular slice.

Even though the slice was warmed over, the sauce was flavorful…

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Malachy’s Donegal Inn 103 West 72nd Street New York, NY 10023

Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper West Side 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.

Malachy’s at 103 West 72nd Street is a nice place for a drink and for a meal.

The burgers here are great!

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

Malachy’s Donegal Inn

103 West 72nd Street

New York, NY   10023

(212) 874-4268

Open: Sunday-Saturday=12:00pm-4:00am

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d527768-Reviews-Malachy_s_Donegal_Inn-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I have been to Malachy’s (See reviews on TripAdvisor) several times when visiting the Upper West Side and just happen to come across it one night when walking down West 72nd Street, a shopping and restaurant row for this section of the West Side. The bar has been around forever and run by the same family.

It really is the “Cheers” of the Upper West Side. Everyone here seems to know one another and as I have sat at the bar, I can see that I was getting ‘sized up’ by some of the regulars, who the bartender really well. I must have made the cut because everyone has been really nice to me every time I have gone there for lunch or dinner. Admittingly, I am not really a drinker so the only…

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Tao Hong Bakery 81 Chrystie Street New York, NY 10002

Bakeries for the budget minded, 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.

Tao Hung Bakery II

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

Tao Hong Bakery

81 Chrystie Street

New York, NY  10002

(212) 219-0987

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

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d15083570-Reviews-Tao_Hung_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Tao Hong Bakery is a tiny hole in the wall bakery across the street from Sara Delano Roosevelt Park and next to both Chi Dumpling House (79 Chrystie Street) and Wah Fung Number One Fast Food Restaurant (81 Chrystie Street), which makes a nice place for a progressive restaurant experience. You can go to the first two for your appetizer and main dish and then enter Tao Hong Bakery for your dessert. The best part of the experience is that all the desserts are fresh and I watch them bring them out a little at a time (See reviews on TripAdvisor).

The cases are stocked with all sorts of sweet and savory baked items including Hot Dog Buns ($1.00), Pineapple Buns ($1.00) and Raisin Buns ($1.00). All have a distinct sweetness…

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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…

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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…

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