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Cheap Eats

Food Tidbits || 5 Food Groups || Top Picks || Greenmarkets || Other Sources

Food Tidbits

$ Hungry? Hit a street fair for lunch for cheap food and drinks. They're all over this neighborhood! You should also check out the daily schedule of NYU events as they usually offer free food and great networking.
$ Buy two liter bottles of soda instead of the small ones. The 2-liter ones are about $1.69, and the 20-ounce bottles are $1.50 – a rip-off in comparison.
$ Don't go to the supermarket hungry. Make a list before you head out and buy only what is on your list.
$ Get fruits and vegetables at Greenmarkets (like the one at Union Square on Wednesdays and Saturdays) - usually the food is both cheaper and fresher. You can visit the NYC Greenmarket website at http://www.cenyc.org/site/.
$ Don't buy your lunch every day. Use your meal plan or bring a bagged lunch. You'll save roughly $40 a week. Same with breakfast- eat it at home or catch the dining hall breakfast. Much cheaper.
$ Don't use a grocery cart when you go food shopping. You're going to have to carry home all that you buy anyway, and you'll be less likely to buy extraneous items when you don't have space for it in the small basket.
$ Repeat after me: Mmmmm Pasta...Ahhhh... Dirt cheap and filling.
$ Birthday? Supermarket cakes are bigger and less expensive than bakeries.
$ Buy big, economy-sized bags of snacks (or use declining dollars) and ration them out yourself. It is a lot cheaper over the long run than buying a candy bar every few days.
$ Cut costs on take-out orders and use extra declining dollars to buy beverages.
$ Refill your water bottles instead of buying new ones. New York City tap water is some of the best water in the country.
$ Drink tap water at restaurants. Not only is it good for you, but it'll allow you to savor the flavor of the meal you purchased.
$EAT BREAKFAST!!!! Grab something quick before heading to class. It's healthier than not eating anything until lunch and you'll be less likely to overeat (and overspend) later in the day.

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The 5 Food Groups of a Broke Student (sort of)

$ Pizza
Every college student eats loads of pizza, which makes NYC the best place to be a student. Great pizza is a way of life here.
Our favorite: The Pizzeria (111 MacDougal Street, between W. 3rd St. and Bleeker): $3.99 Special has 2 slices of cheese pizza and a small drink with free refills. And it’s good.
$ Deli Foods
Deli Food, such as bagel sandwiches and knishes (fried dough stuffed with potato…mmmm) is always an option when you’ve had pizza for the last six meals in a row.
Our favorite: DeLion (729 Broadway): A way of life for Tisch students, and practically everyone else. Ask for the 10% student discount.
$ Street Vendors
Street Vendors are a viable source of nourishment. You can make your own decision about details like cleanliness of the stand and friendliness of the vendor. Most vendors serve everything from hot dogs to pretzels, knishes, gyros…but no pizza.
Our favorite: Halal Stand (Near the corner of Broadway and West 4th St.): We recommed the $4 large platter of Chicken over Rice with white sauce. It's the sauce that completes the meal, and adds a bit of spice. For those who are daring, you can try the hot sauce at your own discretion...
$ Hot Dogs
Hot dogs, which are somehow repulsive in almost every other place in this country, are a perfectly acceptable meal in New York. Try going to a ballgame and not eating one!? The cheapest dogs can be found in the carts of street vendors, or at our favorite hot dog dive:
Our favorite: Gray’s Papaya 6th Ave. & 8th St.): Try a hot dog and you’ll discover why this place is famous for cheap eats. They also offer two hotdogs with a choice of juice drink (try the papaya or pina colada) for $3.50.
$ International Fare
International fare is a major strength of NYC cuisine. There’s not a type of food that can’t be found here, so indulge. Try everything – it’s usually good. If you don’t know, don’t be afraid to ask your server for recommendations, or take along a food-savvy friend.

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Top Picks

$ Arte Pasta (81 Greenwich Ave.): Great Italian! Prix fixe lunch ($6.95)/ dinner ($14.95)/ brunch for $9.95. Great for dates!
$ Au Bon Pain (corner of W. 4th St. & Broadway): Slices prices by 50% of pastries and baked goods each day from 4 – 6 pm!
$ Bagel Bob’s (51 University Pl.): Monday 4 – 6 pm everything is 1/2 price.
$ Baluchi’s Indian (6th Ave. & Waverly Pl. or W. 3rd St. behind the Kimmel Center): Half price lunches, great Indian food.
$ BB Sandwich Bar (120 W. 3rd St.): The sole menu item is Philly-style cheese steak ($2.75 with NYU ID), served on a Kaiser roll with caramelized onions and a red-pepper relish.
$ Cosmic Cantina (105 3rd Ave, between 12th St. & 13th St.): Large Mexican food servings, good music, student discounts, and open until 5 a.m. every day of the week.
$ Dojo (corner of W. 4th St. & Mercer St.): Always cheap. Service is slow at times, but it’s ALWAYS cheap.
$ Grey Dog’s Café (33 Carmine St.): Sandwiches to DIE for. Stay basic if you’re paying with pennies.
$ Jamaican Flavors (240 Sullivan St.): Simple Caribbean food, very inexpensive.
$ Little Bombay (area east of 3rd Avenue, on the south side of E. 6th Street): Lots of great, inexpensive Indian food.
$ Magnolia Bakery (410 Bleecker St.): A Greenwich Village must. Try the cupcakes!
$ Mamoun’s Falafel (119 MacDougal St. between Bleecker St. & W. 3rd St.): A popular well-known spot where you can eat healthy for under $3.
$ McDonalds/Wendy’s (both on Broadway between W. 4th and Waverly): Buy the dollar value items, and feed yourself for $3.25.
$ Oyama (188 1st Ave. between 11th St. & 12th St.): High quality sushi at 1/2 price.
$ Peanut Butter & Co. (240 Sullivan St. between W. 3rd St. & Bleecker St.): Feel like a kid again and try the exotic twist on the classic stand-by.
$ Spice (60 University Pl. between 10th St. & 11th St.): Great Thai food in a retro surrounding. Lunch specials include appetizer and entrée for under $8.
$ Veniero’s (342 E. 11th St. at 1st Ave.): Great for dates, cheap coffee and cheap, delicious desserts.

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Greenmarkets

Greenmarkets are NYC’s farmer’s markets – a healthy and cheap way to buy food. Since 1976, Greenmarket has organized and managed open-air farmers markets in New York City. By providing an opportunity for growers to sell over 600 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and farm products directly to New Yorkers, Greenmarket supports farmers and preserves farmland for the future. Greenmarket believes that the open marketplace provides the most beneficial means of exchange between farmers and city residents. Check out these Greenmarkets that we found at www.cenyc.org. Open 8am - 6pm unless otherwise specified.

  ¢ Bowling Green (Broadway & Battery Pl.):
   Year Round, Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8am–5pm
¢ Tribeca (Greenwich St. between Chambers St. & Duane St.):
   Year Round, Saturdays 8am–3pm and Wednesdays 8am-3pm from April-December
¢ Tompkins Square (E. 7th St. & Avenue A):
   Year Round, Sundays, 8am-6pm
¢ Saint Mark's Church (E. 10th St. & 2nd Ave.):
   Year Round, Tuesdays, 8am–7pm
¢ Abingdon Square (W. 12th St. & Hudson St.):
   Year Round, Saturdays, 8am–2pm
¢ Union Square (E. 17th St. & Broadway):
   Year Round, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 8am-6pm
¢ Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (E. 47th St. & 2nd Ave.):
   Year Round, Wednesdays, 8am-6pm
¢ Williamsburg (Havemeyer & Broadway):
   Thursdays, July-November, 8am-4pm
¢ 77th St.– I.S. 44 (W. 77th St. & Columbus Ave):
   Year Round, Sundays, 10am–5pm
¢ Bronx Borough Hall (Grand Concourse bet. 156 & 158 street):
   Tuesdays, July-November, 8am-6pm
¢ 97th Street (W. 97th St. & Columbus Ave.):
   Year Round, Fridays, 8am–2pm
¢ Columbia University (Broadway between 114th and 115th St.):
   Year Round, Thursdays and Sundays, 8am-6pm
¢ Astoria (31st Ave. between 12th and 14th St.):
   Wednesdays, July-November, 8am-5pm
¢ 175th Street (W. 175th St. & Broadway):
   Thursdays, Mid-June- November, 8am-6pm

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Other Sources of Nourishment

$ Restaurant Week, www.restaurantweek.com: Top-notch restaurants all over the city offer three course meals for a fixed price ($24.07 for lunch and $35 dinner). Not only is this a great deal, but it will also get you into places that normally don’t have any reservations available.

$ GoMobo, www.GoMobo.com: Through GoMobo you can order your food for pick-up or delivery, either online or via text message to restaurants like Subway, All About Food and Famous Famiglia. All payment is handled through your account which enables you to go straight to the restaurant's GoMobo express window and skip the line when you pick up your food. There are no membership or joining fees too!

$ Campus Clipper: Pick up this coupon booklet around campus - a valuable sampling of area student discounts.

$ Office of Student Activities club events are great, free (or very cheap) forms of entertainment. Aside from often having free food, these programs are informative and fun.

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