HOME > Chowhound > Outer Boroughs >


Visiting from Chicago, looking for cheap eats in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan.

  • 6

I'm going to be traveling to NY next week and am looking for some delicious, budget-friendly food (preferably $10/person & under). I'll be staying with a friend in Queens but will also spend a significant amount of time in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Will obviously be looking for some great pizza, bagels, and anything else NY is known for! Big fan of Chinese, Thai, & Mexican food. Burger joints, 24-hour diners for post-bars, breakfast/brunch spots also welcome, haha.

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. For Manhattan, you need to post on the Manhattan board.

    Does that $10pp include tax and tip?

    If not, check out:

    Both sites focus on eats under $10 (before tax and tip).

    1 Reply
    1. re: kathryn

      Thanks, those sites look very helpful!

    2. 2 places to recommend in Rego Park (Queens), both very near the 63rd Drive subway station:
      1) Hot Bagels on 63rd Drive. Closest I've found to a REAL old-fashioned, New York water bagel. Keep it simple---plain bagel with a simple cream cheese spread.
      2) Ben's Best on Queens Blvd. Get the pastrami sandwich. Say yes when he asks if you want mustard on that. Do NOT order it lean. A bit over your $10 wish, but the sandwich easily feeds 2 people. BTW, this is one of the last KOSHER delis left in NYC.
      One other tip: I'd skip the Mexican food while you're in NY. I think you'll find better Mexican food back home in Chicago. You'll have much better luck with the Asian cuisines in NYC.

      Ben's Best Kosher Deli
      96-40 Queens Blvd, Queens, NY 11374

      Hot Bagels
      95-08 63rd Dr, Queens, NY 11374

      3 Replies
      1. re: Anne

        Agreed on the mexican not being your best bet, given youre coming from chicago.

        You'll probably have more success if you tell us which part of queens you'll be in as the specific type of cheap eats will vary pretty greatly by 'hood. A general geographic observation - some of the cheap ethnic eats i love are in further flung enclaves which could make transit between them kind of a chore - for example getting to sunset park from astoria, or flushing from williamsburg isnt impossible but will take up a good chunk of your day.

        Do a search of this board for Sripraphai, which has really good (but somewhat controversial - it has a few detractors) thai food in elmhurst queens. there are a couple of other places nearby that some like more or equally well, Sri can get very busy at prime times, but ive not had problems with consistency and it has some awesome dishes (not everything we've ever ordered every time has been perfect, but its really great).

        64-13 39th Ave, Queens, NY 11377

        1. re: tex.s.toast

          I'm going to be staying in Woodside. I'll have a car, too, but I'm not sure how easy it is to find parking in different areas so I'm sure I'll also end up using public transit a lot.. I know that I am definitely not going to attempt to drive anywhere in Manhattan, but how is parking in Queens and Brooklyn?

          1. re: annie86x

            I live in Jackson Heights (near Woodside) and I'm not able to walk as much as I used to. I take the car to places in the outer boros all the time and rarely have much trouble finding parking. Occasionally it's a challenge in parts of Astoria, Brighton Beach, or downtown Flushing. Actually, I wouldn't take a car to downtown Brooklyn, the 74th Street Indo-Pak Bangla area of Jackson Heights, or central Flushing, near the 7 train, but I always manage to find parking not far away wherever I go. Since I often end up transporting dining companions from different boros, I occasionally even take the car to Harlem or the Lower East Side (generally only evenings or weekends). Midtown and the Village are general hell for parkers though.