14 showing · 197 on the list
Great N.Y. Noodletown
Cantonese barbecue institution since 1981 — ducks in the window, shared tables, zero decor budget. Where chefs eat after their own kitchens close.
Order: Roast duck on wonton noodle soup; in season (spring-fall), the salt-baked soft shell crabs are the move.
Verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp updated Aug 2026); cash only, no reservations, open till 10-11pm
28 Bowery (at Bayard St), Chinatown · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Katz's Delicatessen
Since 1888 and still hand-carving pastrami to order — the ticket system, the counter guys, the whole machine works. A ~$28 sandwich that genuinely feeds two.
Order: Pastrami on rye, mustard only, with a full sour pickle plate; tip the cutter a couple bucks and you'll get a taste while you wait. Don't lose your ticket.
Verified open Aug 2026 (katzsdelicatessen.com + Yelp updated Aug 2026); open to 11pm+, 24h into the weekend
205 E Houston St (at Ludlow St), Lower East Side · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Kiki's
No-sign Greek taverna under the Manhattan Bridge that Dimes Square grew up around — huge portions, honest prices, always packed. Michelin Bib Gourmand and still $25 a head.
Order: Grilled octopus, mizithra-topped Greek salad, and the lemony roasted potatoes; go early or expect a wait, no reservations.
Verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp updated Aug 2026 + kikisnyc.com); daily from noon, till midnight Tue-Sat
130 Division St (at Orchard St), Lower East Side · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Nom Wah Tea Parlor
Oldest continuously running restaurant in Chinatown (1920), on the crooked-elbow block of Doyers Street. Dim sum off a menu, not carts — quality is more consistent for it.
Order: The original 'OG' egg roll and shrimp-and-snow-pea-leaf dumplings; get scallion pancake with egg if it's brunch hour.
Verified open Aug 2026 (nomwah.com + Yelp updated Jul 2026); daily 11am-9pm, weekend waits are real
13 Doyers St (off Pell St), Chinatown · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Scarr's Pizza
Scarr Pimentel mills his own flour in the basement and it shows in the crust — the rare hyped slice shop that outperforms the line. Retro 70s pizzeria room on the LES.
Order: A plain slice plus a Sicilian square; the vegan slice is the sleeper if you're skeptical of vegan cheese.
Verified open Aug 2026 (official site scarrspizza.com + Yelp updated Aug 2026); open late, till 2am Fri-Sat
35 Orchard St (at Hester St), Lower East Side · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou
Fuzhou-style boiled pork-and-chive dumplings at prices that feel like a clerical error — a full meal for under $10. Moved to bigger digs on Grand but nothing else changed.
Order: Ten boiled dumplings plus peanut butter noodles — the combo is the whole point. Add fish balls if hungry.
Verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp updated Jul 2026; relocated from Eldridge to 295 Grand St in 2021); daily 8:30am-8pm, largely cash
295 Grand St (at Eldridge St), Chinatown/LES · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Wah Fung No. 1 Fast Food
The best cheap lunch in Manhattan: char siu chopped to order over rice and cabbage for well under $10. The line moves fast; the pork does not last past mid-afternoon.
Order: Roast pork over rice with extra sauce; go before 1pm or the burnt ends are gone.
Verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp updated Aug 2026, hours updated Jul 2026); cash only, closed Mondays, 9am-7pm
79 Chrystie St (btwn Hester & Grand St), Chinatown · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Xi'an Famous Foods
Hand-ripped biang biang noodles and cumin lamb from a Flushing-basement success story. The Bayard Street shop keeps the original counter-service intensity.
Order: Spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles; ask for it 'normal spicy' unless you mean it.
Verified open Aug 2026 (xianfoods.com locations page + Yelp updated Jul 2026); daily 11am-9pm
45 Bayard St (btwn Bowery & Elizabeth St), Chinatown · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Astor Wines & Spirits
The city's serious-but-democratic wine shop since 1946, housed in the landmark De Vinne Press Building. Deep sake and low-intervention sections, and staff who ask what you're eating, not what you'll spend.
Order: Tell a floor clerk your dinner and a $20 cap — they will beat whatever you would have picked; check the always-on sale wall first.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp Aug 2026) — Sun hours short: 12-6pm
399 Lafayette St (at E 4th St), NoHo · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Faicco's Italian Specialties
Pork store on Bleecker since 1900 — house sopressata hanging over the counter, rice balls in the case, and one of the best Italian heroes in Manhattan.
Order: The Italian Special hero with fresh mozzarella, plus a stick of house-made dry sopressata for the road.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp July 2026) — closed Mondays; Sun open only 9am-2pm
260 Bleecker St (btwn Morton & Leroy), Greenwich Village · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Murray's Cheese
New York's flagship cheese shop since 1940, with its own aging caves under Bleecker Street. The mongers will let you taste through the counter before you commit.
Order: Cave-aged Annelies or Greensward, plus a hunk of their fresh mozzarella; ask the monger to build you a $25 picnic board.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp official page Aug 2026) — open daily 9am-8pm
254 Bleecker St (at Leroy St), Greenwich Village · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Russ & Daughters
The appetizing store — smoked fish, herring, and caviar sold from the same Houston Street counter since 1914, fourth generation of the same family. The by-the-pound fish is expensive and worth every cent.
Order: A quarter pound of Gaspe Nova sliced paper-thin, plus scallion cream cheese and a bagel to build at home; take a paper ticket and wait your turn.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site, shop.russanddaughters.com/locations) — open daily 8am-4pm
179 E Houston St (btwn Allen & Orchard), Lower East Side · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Union Square Greenmarket
The mothership of NYC greenmarkets since 1976 — up to 140 regional farms, and the market half the city's chefs shop at. Go early on Saturday and watch the restaurant carts roll through.
Order: Whatever is peaking — August means Jersey tomatoes and stone fruit; hit Hawthorne Valley for bread and Martin's for pretzels.
verified operating 2026 (GrowNYC) — Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat only, 8am-6pm, year-round
E 17th St & Broadway (North Plaza, Union Square Park) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
NY Dosas
Thiru Kumar — the Dosa Man — has run this vegan Sri Lankan dosa cart at Washington Square since 2001 and won a Vendy for it. NYU kids, chess hustlers, and chefs all queue together.
Order: Pondicherry masala dosa with the samosa add-on; take the free soup shot he hands you.
verified open 2026 (Yelp updated Aug 2026, review May 2026); Mon-Sat ~11am-3pm, sells out — go before 1pm
50 Washington Square South at Sullivan St (SW corner of the park) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07