Hey all,, Like I was talking about in the NYC thread, i think it is time we have a NYC casual dining dedicated thread , like LV has , God knows, there are enough restaurants around here .

i eat out , a good 800+ times a year , and a good 90% of them i would consider on the casual , so here are the loose guidelines i think we should follow on our opinion on them..

1. you favorite dish there
2. best times to go/specials etc..
3. if you can get an entree and a drink for under 20 with tip , we can consider it casual..
4. no fast food joints, as there is a good thread for that already.


Since there are so many places to eat , I usually only know a plate or two from each restaurant ,, eg.. If i want to eat malaysian chicken curry , i go to one spot, if i want the pork chops, i go to another..

I will list them as i go to them and remember what i like/dislike about each..
looking forward to your contributions,, we can all start with out "go to " places.

If you want to add closest subway stop, go ahead,, if you want to add something that is available during RW or through some other promotion,, feel free.

First spot.. since I was just talking about this..



New Malaysia ,,
Its in the arcade (hallway) in between bowery and elizabeth (chinatown) , just downtown of Canal..

My favorite spot for chicken curry , good malaysian curry , i dont like the beef as much, but you can order the combination chicken/beef curry .. 7.0-7.5

the curry beef brisket noodle is also good, so is the hainanese chicken, but i mostly stick with the chicken curry.

their drinks are ok, if i dont drink water, im drinking the pjan colada or the red bean ice slushy..


I realize i can add , by what subway stops its canal street nrq,jz or 6, or grand street B,D

rossy's Bakery..

on third street , in between ave B and C , across from bracetti .alphabet city

On tuesdays, they have oxtail... so greasy, but so good.. One of the best seven dollar plates,, comes with rice, beans, plantains, and salad..

The other plates are solid as well .

pro time to go is in between 1130 -3 , they close early.. their homemade lemonade is really good.. their bakery items are really good.. would rec the guava cake, or a coquito (coconut ball)

oxtail and a lemonade for 9 bucks,, cant beat that.. the m9 bus or the 2nd ave stop on the F are the closest in terms of pt.

I should have a ton to provide. Here are two, only one of which is super obvious.

Crif Dogs

St. Marks & 1st. Close to 1st Avenue L stop.

Obviously popular and touristy, but also very good IMO, and probably the late night spot I eat most at in East Village (ever since This Little Piggy died, RIP).

Pro tip: it's way better to customize your dog rather than ordering one of their preset options. My personal favorite is Taylor ham-wrapped with cheddar and jalapenos.

Five Tacos

Also St. Marks and 1st

Chipotle-style Mexican casual restaurant. The biggest advantage is that they have a wide variety of salsas & sauces you can pour on your burrito/tacos/bowl. Everything from coconut masala to habanero jerk. My favorite is the chipotle mayo but all are worth a try.

I should have a ton to provide. Here are two, only one of which is super obvious.

Crif Dogs

St. Marks & 1st. Close to 1st Avenue L stop.

Obviously popular and touristy, but also very good IMO, and probably the late night spot I eat most at in East Village (ever since This Little Piggy died, RIP).

Pro tip: it's way better to customize your dog rather than ordering one of their preset options. My personal favorite is Taylor ham-wrapped with cheddar and jalapenos.

Five Tacos

Also St. Marks and 1st

Chipotle-style Mexican casual restaurant. The biggest advantage is that they have a wide variety of salsas & sauces you can pour on your burrito/tacos/bowl. Everything from coconut masala to habanero jerk. My favorite is the chipotle mayo but all are worth a try.

usually when i am on the corner for Mulberry and Spring.. I go to

pomodoros... one of my top five pie places (dont get just one slice), when the Vodka pie is made to order, its amazing... like i have had people i have taken there from out of state swear it was the best pie they had, one girl had me send her the sauce to CA , so yeah, its super super good. a large pie will run you 17-18 dollars and feed 3-4 people..


but since Im trying to eat better and stay away from food ,, my friend convinced me to go to

Taim ..

Its an Israelite hummus/falafel spot.. Looked really new (they took over a spot that used to sell jeans) and had a line out the door, my friend told me their original spot is on the west side, but it was my first time there.. Had the Eggplant hummus platter and a batch of their fries (which i was told is what they are known for ) .. While i first feel hesitant about paying 12 bucks for a platter i can get for 7-8 at other places.. i went for it, fries cost 4..

Really effing good,, good eggplant,, good hummus ,, nice pickling on the carrot, sauces were good, and the fries reminded me of a poor man's pommes frites (the one on st marks and 2nd) with its honey mustard mayo sauce, but it was above avg.. would def go again and try another of their plates.

6 train to spring or N,R to Prince


by the way, they are filming the godfather 4 ,, i hope they dont screw that up.

Joe C,,

yep, liked Crif,s would always get a dog when i would get out of that secret bar they had in there..

I'm a big fan of the Mermaid Oyster Bar on MacDougal, just below Bleecker. Their entrees are above $20, but it's all about their 7 day-a-week happy hour:

- $1 East Coast Oysters
- $3 Fish Tacos
- $5 Beers
- Random great stuff appearing on different days like $6 Lobster Sliders

It's a pretty small place and usually requires a reservation for happy hour, but it's totally worth it.

Mermaid Oyster Bar

The spicy cumin lamb noodles at Xi'an famous foods are ridiculous are cost 6 bucks or something.

Essex Taqueria in LES is one of my new favorite spots for tacos. Menu is very standard for a taco shop but the quality of meat is a cut above IMO. The carne asada taco is probably my favorite there.

Aaismyfriend. I always thought it was kinda a chain as I see them all around (like hong Kong station ) , I'll give that dish a try


Joec.. That place is very new right ? I think I did a double take as I saw two taco places in that same section. I'll give it a try as well.
My review of today.

Punjab deli

You order by number here , the one and two have always been my go to order. Which is the chickpeas and the spinach , I get it with yogurt on the side. The small is 3.50 which is two sides and fills me up , comes with white rice. I always get the mango mazza , one of my favorite drinks and not available in many places. A def go to.

Just west off the corner of avenue A/Essex and Houston/first. On first/Houston uptown side . Just look for all the cabs.
2nd avenue stop.

I believe there are 3 in manhattan and one in flushing. The one in chinatown is cool because you watch them make the noodles which is interesting but its basically takeout only as there is standing room for maybe 3 people to eat in there. I usually go to the one on st marks.

Correct, if I'm not mistaken it opened in the spring.

cool thread, subbed, will contribute in the futuro

I'm a fan of Tres Carnes. I've only been to their Flatiron location (by Trader Joe's, something like 23rd and 6th) but there's a couple other locations in the city.

It's basically a much better Chipotle mixed with BBQ - the meats are brisket, chicken, and pork shoulder, and rotating specials every week. I mix it up a lot when I go there but I'd say my favorite regular meat is the brisket. They have awesome toppings like chipotle squash and their guac is good. It is a little on the expensive side (you will pay about $11 for a burrito bowl with all the toppings) but that's pretty much the same as Chipotle anyway - and you get an enormous amount of food. I wouldn't eat the whole thing for lunch unless you're planning on taking a nap after.

They have beers, micheladas, etc as well.

had it,, liked it .. had the brisketbowl,, tasty , friend said it was like chiplote(he had the beef burrito) , price was ok, but i refuse to pay 4 something for the mexican corn when i can get for a buck fifty . As it stands , it was good, especially for being in the flatiron , and not too pricey..


today's addition

M Star ,, Division street, close to bowery (3rd ave) ..

if you see cartoon drawings of yao ming, jackie chan and some other actors from hk/china, you are in the right place.. they have breakfast specials before 11am

i usually come here for breakfast , I always get the D, which is satay beef in like instant noodle , it sounds simple, but its actually quite tasty ,,
the rice noodle rolls with sauce (it has peanut in it) is quite tasty as well, they have a variety of cold and hot drinks that you wont find in many places.. the cold hk tea , the cold citron drink , and the iced coffee/tea mix are my favorites .. I rarely eat here after 9am, but when i do, you have to go with the baked chicken with portuguese sauce.. a whole meal should be no more than 10 bucks with tip..

What about Union Sq. and that area? Besides Whole Foods, Chipotle etc. Something less famous/commercial but delicious?

Sorry. Just saw this. Was talking/thinking about food all day so thought of this thread. Will add one I just ate at.

Bo ky on Bayard between mulberry and Mott 6-j-mz-nqr canal st stop

Their beef tendon soup is very very good , what is the star in this dish is the broth , its thick with just the right spices. A must order if you are here. 6-7 bucks

Also , the duck gets honorable mention.

I live in the east village and work in flatiron. Not really that many great cheap eat options in US. Mesa grill was decent when it was around. Everything really good has been priced out.

I highly recommend punjabi deli. My favorite Indian spot in the city.

There is a Mexican to go spot on 29th between 6th Ave and Broadway that serves my favorite Mexican food in the city. Kind of hard to find, but it's called "new York bakery". Run by a Korean couple.

If you're in the east village on the weekend you need to try "streecha Ukrainian kitchen" http://m.yelp.com/biz/streecha-ukrai...tchen-new-york. It's in the basement of a church and is only open on Friday sat and Sunday in the afternoon. This is my favorite place to eat in the city. Real cheap and cultured.

Suprised no one has mentioned prosperity dumplings. Best dumplings by far in the city and its only like 1.50 for 6 of them. It's somewhere close to China Town. Pretty easy to find on Google.

Feel free to ask any questions in this thread for me. I've tried almost all of the places mentioned already. Good choices so far.

One of the most unusual places in NYC is La Caridad on Broadway at 78th St.

This is a Chinese Cuban place. Not some new fancy fusion type place, but an actual Cuban places run by Chinese who left Cuba in the 1960's. The menu is half Chinese half Cuban.

The Black Beans & Yellow Rice is my favorite dish. For carnivores, check out Ropa Vieja.

Dude. I love places like that. I'll def try it out. There is a Chinese/Peruvian place in downtown Paterson Nj , which has amazing fusion food like that. I was telling the owner once that if he opened up somewhere in the city. He would have lines out the door. Old guy was set in his way. They are Peruvians of Chinese descent.

http://m.yelp.com/biz/jade-garden-paterson

Hey Myrna, I'll be hitting up Jade Garden for sure! Thank you for the recommendation. I'm out in Passaic County a few times a year visiting family in the area.

First job out of school was in Guayaquil, Ecuador and used to eat at chifa's all the time. Great deals and damn tasty noodles, I'm pretty sure that was due to all the MSG. :-)

For "high end" (read expensive eating on Upper West Side I like Boulud Sud Broadway and 64th St. It is a Mediterranean place. Best dish I've had there is Octopus a La Plancha, basically grilled octopus.