The Best Affordable Restaurants in New York

Absolute Bagels is a popular bagel shop known for its delicious bagels that are worth the wait in line. According to extensive research by many visitors, it's a must-try spot for bagel lovers. Many customers have expressed their satisfaction with the taste and quality, making sure to revisit on their subsequent trips.

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David P. Leja

@thegastrojourney – Palma, Spain

It feels like you are obligated to have at least one bagel when you visit New York. We did an extensive research until deciding this was going to be the place to try a bagel in NYC. We can't tell if it's the best in the city, but one thing is sure, that bagel was super good and we will have it again on our next visit!

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"Wu's Wonton King" is a Cantonese cuisine restaurant known for its lively ambiance and the liberty of bringing your own bottle. The menu offers an array of dishes, from dumplings and noodles to BBQ meats and live seafood, making it a preferred spot for both large groups and solo diners. Not only does it cater to meat lovers with options like roast duck and whole suckling pig, but it also serves a variety of vegetable and tofu dishes, ensuring there's something for everyone.

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Colin Wood

Chef – Sydney, Australia

Down in the LES, a great spot for a larger table, sharing crab, dumplings, whole suckling pig and roast duck. BYO too.Popular and very reliable spot, especially with the hospitality industry for any group or smaller occasion and level of hunger. The go-to for orphans Christmas, and lots of messy fun. Whole roast duck buns, live seafood tanks with crabs and other delights, dumplings, noodles and BBQ meats or order ahead for whole roast suckling pig to share with your BYO wine and table.A great spot for a quick solo lunch or sprawling dinner with friends. Use your napkin.

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Fini Pizza is a down-to-earth slice shop located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, known for its delicious New York style pizzas. The restaurant, owned by Sean Feeney, prides itself on classic, yet distinctive pizzas, with the tomato pie being a crowd favorite. With a simple and welcoming atmosphere, Fini Pizza is a must-visit for anyone seeking an authentic New York pizza experience.

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Will Guidara

Restaurateur – New York City, USA

My favorite tomato pie in the city. A NYC slice joint with a twist.Fini Pizza in Williamsburg is owned by Sean Feeney and is just awesome in many ways. It’s your NYC slice joint, but with a twist. They’re not trying to be fancy or innovative, just delicious and New York proud. Their tomato pie is the best in the city.

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Scarr's Pizza, managed by Scarr Pimentel, is known for its quality pizza slices. They have recently expanded their menu at a new location, situated just across the street from the original slice shop. They also offer catering services and make their pizza with 100% all-natural, stone milled flour.

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Wylie Dufresne

Chef – New York City, USA

Scarr's, by Scarr Pimentel, serves some great pizza slices and their brand new location across the street from his original slice shop, has an expanded menu.

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Birria-Landia NYC is a renowned food truck run by two brothers, known for serving spicy, juicy birria tacos that are sure to turn your day around. For less than $10, you can enjoy a few tacos and a cup of consome, a popular choice among patrons. Their birria tacos have been recognized for changing the taco landscape, as per the New York Times, and they also offer other options like mulita, tostada, and consommé.

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Daniel Modlin

Food & Wine Editor – Austin, TX

Thank god for birria.NYC has tacos! Birria landia is a great spot for a bite in new york. A few tacos and a cup of consome can turn any day around for less than $10

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Punjabi Deli is a well-known spot in the East Village, appreciated for its quick, affordable, and tasty Indian food. It's a favored haunt for cabbies and locals alike, serving dishes like chana masala over a bed of rice. Despite being located across the street from Katz's, this unassuming hole-in-the-wall holds its own with its delightful offerings.

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Daniel Modlin

Food & Wine Editor – Austin, TX

An East Village institution! Indian food for $5 in a hole in the wall.Often overlooked for Katz's right across the street, Punjabi Deli is an East Village institution in its own right. Its frequented for cabbies for good reason: its quick, inexpensive, and delicious. Get the chana masala and anything that looks good. Served over a bed of rice in a styrofoam plate, some things should never ever change.

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Dog Day Afternoon is a go-to spot for authentic Chicago style hot dogs, putting a serious spin on street food. They serve classic hot dogs with the perfect snap, accompanied by pickles, celery salt, yellow mustard, raw onions, and bright green relish on a poppy seed bun. The restaurant also offers a notable Chicago style beef sandwich, ensuring a satisfying meal for every customer.

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Joshua David Stein

Writer – Brooklyn, United States

My neighborhood hot dog shop, also one of the city's bestPut a hot dog anywhere near me and I'll try it. Despite living equidistant between Dog Day Afternoon and the stalwart Nathan's in Coney Island, I return again and again to DDA. The hot dogs are classic, with the perfect snap and served Chicago style (pickles, celery salt, yellow mustard, raw onions, bright green relish) on a poppy seed bun. They also make a tremendous Chicago style beef sandwich.

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Joe's Steam Rice Roll is a bustling location known for its Cantonese steamed rice noodle dishes, freshly prepared upon order. The restaurant serves silky, extremely thin layers of rice pancakes, filled with a variety of ingredients like dried shrimps, shallots, and egg, all cooked to perfection in a special steamer. Visit Joe's Steam Rice Roll for a genuine taste of Cantonese-style steamed rice rolls.

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Maria Nilsson

Foodie, Stockholm – Stockholm, Sweden

Silky, extremely thin layers of rice pancakes filled with for example dried shrimps, shallots and egg. The pancakes are cooked in a special steamer.

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Ba Xuyên is a straightforward Brooklyn storefront specializing in Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. The restaurant is particularly known for its Bánh Mì Thịt Nguội, which features pork meat cooked in four different ways, accompanied by pickled carrot, cucumber, daikon, coriander, and jalapeño in a perfectly carved rice flour baguette. In addition to their savory sandwiches, Ba Xuyên offers a refreshing milk tea to complement your meal.

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Maria Nilsson

Foodie, Stockholm – Stockholm, Sweden

Bánh Mì in Sunset Park with pork meat cooked in four different ways.Bánh Mì Thịt Nguội at Ba Xuyen in Sunset Park. Pork meat cooked in four different ways, pickled carrot, cucumber and daikon, coriander and jalapeño in a perfectly carved rice flour baguette. And milk tea.

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Tian Fu Cuisine is a go-to spot for cold Sichuan noodles. The noodles are generously garnished with chili oil, black vinegar, garlic, and a rich amount of Sichuan pepper. Nestled in a cozy basement beneath a grocery store, this restaurant offers a warm and inviting atmosphere.

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Maria Nilsson

Foodie, Stockholm – Stockholm, Sweden

Additive cold Sichuan noodlesAdditive cold Sichuan noodles with chili oil, black vinegar, garlic and a lot of Sichuan pepper of course. In a small Basement under a grocery on Flushing Main Street.

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Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao is a popular destination for Northern Chinese cuisine, particularly known for its dumplings. This Flushing-based restaurant has been recognized by Michelin for its Shanghainese food for nine consecutive years, making it a must-visit for food enthusiasts. Whether you're a local Chinese immigrant seeking a taste of home or a Western diner eager to try recommended dishes, Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao offers an authentic culinary experience.

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Pauliina Siniauer

Journalist – Helsinki, Finland

The largest Chinatown of New York City is in Flushing, Queens. Totally worth of the culinary trip. Be sure to visit New World Mall’s food court. For the dumplings, head to the Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao. Anthony Bourdain was here too, that explains the lines.

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Great NY Noodletown is a popular Chinese restaurant that serves authentic Cantonese cuisine. The menu offers a variety of classic dishes such as shrimp wonton soup, roast meats over rice, and chow fun noodles. They also offer seasonal specials including their well-known soft-shelled crabs and roasted suckling pigs.

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Daniel Modlin

Food & Wine Editor – Austin, TX

Chinatown at its finest. No frills, classic chinatown spot. Cram yourself into this joint and slug down a beer before gorging on classics. My advice:Get the shrimp wonton soup regardless of how hot it is outside. And the beef noodles. And the duck over rice.

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Louie's is an old-school pizzeria in Queens, renowned for its "grandma" slice or pie. The restaurant is known to serve an array of dishes, with the ribeye steak being a popular choice among non-pizza options. Despite its location in an area famous for Thai food, Louie's pizzeria stands out for its unique square pizza, which is a favorite among locals and visitors alike.

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Adam Kuban

Pizza Aficionado – Queens, United States

This might be my favorite square in Queens. My favorite pizza here is the “grandma” slice or pie.If Louie’s were in Manhattan, it would have press out the wazoo and lines down the block, but it’s in a part of Queens better known for amazing Thai food, so it flies somewhat under the radar. My favorite pizza here is the “grandma” slice or pie. Get a pie, so you have some to take home with you (it freezes well and reheats even better). This might be my favorite square in Queens. Louie also serves an array of non-pizza dishes, which admittedly I haven’t explored that much, but I’ve heard the ribeye steak is a sleeper hit here.

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Bellucci Pizza offers a world-class slice pizza, a perfect blend of New York–style and 'New York–Neapolitan'. Known for its thin, crisp, and flavorful slices, the pizza is crafted by Andrew Bellucci, a pizza maker with a history of creating iconic pizzas. The restaurant is family-owned and takes pride in using fresh, high-quality ingredients, with a special focus on achieving crust excellence.

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Adam Kuban

Pizza Aficionado – Queens, United States

Bellucci is making consistently excellent thin, crisp, and flavorful slices in this tiny shop.World-class slice pizza somewhere between New York–style and “New York–Neapolitan” (aka coal-oven pizza) made by pizza obsessive Andrew Bellucci, the pizza maker who helped resurrect NYC icon Lombardi’s in the 1990s. Bellucci is making consistently excellent thin, crisp, and flavorful slices in this tiny shop off the beaten path in Queens.

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