Budget friendly places to eat in near Times Square

StitchBuddy

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Going to NYC in a couple of weeks. Can anyone recommend good places to eat that won't break the bank??
 
Trattoria tre colori- think its on 47th between 7th and 8th ave. it's a hidden gem Italian. Nice ambiance, good food and decent prices. When I go to the theatre with my mom we eat here. Cara Mia is a tiny hidden gem too. The ambiance isn't as nice but the food is excellent. Think it's on 9th ave between 44 the and 45th street. The 5 napkin burger is close by there too. Carmine's is family style old school Italian but tourist(y). Have a great time!!!!
 
Trattoria tre colori- think its on 47th between 7th and 8th ave. it's a hidden gem Italian. Nice ambiance, good food and decent prices. When I go to the theatre with my mom we eat here. Cara Mia is a tiny hidden gem too. The ambiance isn't as nice but the food is excellent. Think it's on 9th ave between 44 the and 45th street. The 5 napkin burger is close by there too. Carmine's is family style old school Italian but tourist(y). Have a great time!!!!

Thanks!! I will give them a try!
 

Definitely, check out that area "Restaurant Row" 46 street between 8th and 10th Avenue. You may want to eat a late lunch instead of dinner to cut costs.
There are numerous Pizza and Gyro places around as well! Google Restaurant row!
 
There are ramen places all over that are inexpensive and good. We went to Carmine's and loved it. A bit more expensive but portions and huge and you can share. It was our first trip staying near Times Square and it was fabulous. Planning to go back again next year!
 
Steer clear of the chains (Bubba Gump, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc.) You'll find higher prices than you're used to elsewhere, but at lower quality.

Becco on 46th St. is great - owned by Lydia Bastianich. They've got an awesome prix fixe "all you can eat" pasta menu for like $22, and a great selection of "cheap" wines. This is my "go-to" pre-theater place.

Cafe Un Deux Trois on 44th St. is good solid French bistro food, and also has a good prix fixe menu. It's around the corner from HBO main offices... I went there for lunch the other day and sat right next to Chris Rock. :)

Junior's Cheesecake on 45th - can be a little pricey and a LOT touristy, but it's good, traditional NY diner food (and awesome cheesecake, of course!)
 
I've eaten at Becco twice and Junior's twice - great meals both times. One of our favs, though, for a quick and inexpensive meal is Café Europa. It's a chain on Manhattan. My favorite is the fresh tossed salad. You pick your container of greens and hand it to the guy behind the counter. He dumps them into a large stainless steel bowl. Then you can add whatever meats, cheese, veggies, dressing, etc... that you want. It's all tossed together and put back in the greens container. Yummy! They also have a Cuban presada (sp?) sandwich that my husband loves. Not my favorite for bakery goods, though. There are far too many great bakeries around to settle for sub-par baked goods.
 
John's pizzeria. They serve very good Italian food and we love their pizza. It's not expensive. It's at 260 W 44th street and is located in an old church with a really cool mural. There are a ton of restaurants and we avoid national chains when we travel. There's too many outstanding restaurants. You can google restaurants Times Square and get lots of hits. Most have their menus with prices listed and you can read reviews on them too. As a pp mentioned, Juniors is good and we like having breakfast there. We stay at the Marriott Marquis so it's right across the street and many restaurants are within a few blocks.

We've eaten at Bar American (pricey but good), Guy's American kitchen (right after it opened and we enjoyed it), Arno's (Italian in the Garment District, but an easy walk),several delis and diner types, (some overpriced), Ellen's Stardust Diner (breakfast for us, but they serve all meals and you get free entertainment all day), Havana Central (cuban) and too many others to remember. These aren't really cheap, but other than Bar American, they're not that pricey.
 
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John's pizzeria. They serve very good Italian food and we love their pizza. It's not expensive. It's at 260 W 44th street and is located in an old church with a really cool mural. There are a ton of restaurants and we avoid national chains when we travel. There's too many outstanding restaurants. You can google restaurants Times Square and get lots of hits. Most have their menus with prices listed and you can read reviews on them too. As a pp mentioned, Juniors is good and we like having breakfast there. We stay at the Marriott Marquis so it's right across the street and many restaurants are within a few blocks.

We've eaten at Bar American (pricey but good), Guy's American kitchen (right after it opened and we enjoyed it), Arno's (Italian in the Garment District, but an easy walk),several delis and diner types, (some overpriced), Ellen's Stardust Diner (breakfast for us, but they serve all meals and you get free entertainment all day), Havana Central (cuban) and too many others to remember. These aren't really cheap, but other than Bar American, they're not that pricey.
Johns is amazing !!! Brick oven pizza, you can watch them make them! We got two pizzas plus wine and it was $70 with tip, and the restaurant is beautiful!
 
I agree with John's. We've eaten there our last couple of trips. They have good pizza, it's affordable and I love the ambiance.
 
Do you have an American Express? I didn't read the details because I won't be there anytime soon, but just got an email that NYC restaurant week is coming up and if you register your card you get a statement credit at certain restaurants. May be worth it to check out.
 
I liked Carve Cafe for pizza. It's a few blocks off Times Square, great for a quick meal before theatre. They also have a chicken counter and sandwiches. Always have to make sure to go there because I really love it and it is cheap.

It's not a fancy restaurant though- there is just a small seating area. Fast food.
The cupcakes look better than they taste but I didn't try other desserts.
 
"Trattoria tre colori- think its on 47th between 7th and 8th ave."


Too funny that when I saw this post I was scrambling to remember the name of this place. My husband and I enjoyed our meal here. Everyone was friendly and the cost for a sit down dinner didn't break the bank.
 
Restaurant week is Feb16-March6, its a 3 course meal for $25 at lunch and $38 for dinner. Not all restaurants participate and I suggest checking the restaurant week menu before you go. However great deals and really nice places are available and I highly recommend it.

In addition I like serifina as well as many of he places mentioned.
 
Becco!
We aren't fans of Carmine's. Everything is served family style, so portions are huge (meant to serve 2-4 or more) and expensive. Depending on your party size, everyone has to choose one or two entrees as you are sharing. We also found the red sauce to be pretty generic. The food was fine, but not an experience we will repeat.
 












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