Cheap Eats: The Best Food in Chinatown, New York City for Under $10
Chinatown is still the go to spot for lunch or dinner that won’t break the bank. Here are our cheap eats picks for the best food in Chinatown, New York City for under $10. You can get delicious dumplings, bahn mi sandwiches, roast pork buns and more! Also check out our cheap eat blog post on the best noodles in Chinatown.
Tasty Dumpling – 42 Mulberry St
Tasty Dumpling is our pick for the best fried dumplings in Chinatown. Their dumplings are always super juicy and have a nice chewy skin. Their beef pancake sandwich is also another yummy option. Lunch here is easily under $5.
Mei Li Wah – 64 Bayard St
P.C.: yelp, Mike C.
Mei Li Wah is famous for their amazing roast pork buns and trust us, they are super addictive! Mei Li Wah also has a “big” bun which has a little bit of everything (like chicken, pork and a salted egg). It is huge and it is perfect for a lunch on the go. Lunch here is also easily under $5.
Deluxe Food Market – 79 Elizabeth St
If you like to keep your options open, Deluxe Food Market is always crowded but they have some great deals on rice dishes, noodles, sandwiches, sushi and a whole lot more. Our go to here is their char siu over rice and it will only set you back about $5.
242 Cafe Bakery – 242 Canal St
242 Cafe Bakery also has a wide range of yummy cheap eats. Their have a wide selection of buns and you can get rice with stewed chicken, broccoli, tofu, string beans and more. We also love their eggs soaked in tea. Like so much in Chinatown, everything here is less than $5.
Matsunichi – 14-18 Elizabeth St #32-33
Matsunichi has onigiri (Japanese rice balls) for $3.50 and you can get it with everything from fried chicken to shrimp tempura. They also have great sushi specials for $6- $8 that has an appetizer, salad and a sushi roll. Our favorite lunch special has salmon sushi, a nara roll (fried shrimp roll) and an avocado salad. It is delicious!
XO Kitchen – 148 Hester St
XO Kitchen has been a neighborhood favorite for decades and it is a Chinese restaurant with a huge menu! You can get rice dishes with all sorts of curries, stir fried noodles, congee and dim sum so there is something for everyone! We especially love their chicken cutlets on a sizzling platter with mushroom sauce. But everything here is delicious and lunch or dinner is easily less than $10.
Bánh Mì Saigon – 198 Grand St
P.C.: yelp, Diana S.
Finally we love Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and one of favorite places for them is Bánh Mì Saigon. The combination of a fresh baguette, cucumbers, herbs, pickled veggies and a marinated meat like chicken just makes a great, hearty lunch. No sandwich here costs more than $7.