Best Dining in Manhattan for Under $20

You are winding down a tour of the MOMA or a carriage ride in Central Park when you hear that familiar growling sound. After conferring with your fellow tourists and your AAA Dining Guide, you set out into the streets of Manhattan in search of a meal, expecting to pay top dollar because this is your vacation after all and eating well is not optional. Wait. Rewind. You can dine well in Manhattan on the cheap if you know where to go. Read on hungry traveler.

The Phoenix Garden, serving upscale Chinese cuisine not your typical take out or buffet food, is located at 242 E 40th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. This is a fun family run restaurant specializing in shrimp, duck, beef and chicken Cantonese dishes with the usual rice or noodle accompaniment. Yes. You can get an egg roll. The décor is casual and your dress should be also if you want to fit in. However, this is sit down dining, not take out. They do not serve alcohol, but you can BYOB. Unfortunately, they only accept cash or check. Business hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 10pm and Saturday through Sunday from noon to 10pm. They do accept reservations and large groups. Expect to spend around $15 per person.

The Azuri Café, a small restaurant located at 465 W 51st. Street, has a plain, casual atmosphere, but you will feel welcome. Serving kosher Israeli food, it is a favorite among local people, who typically order falafel, hummus or salads. The menu includes gourmet sandwiches, Middle Eastern style and yummy kebabs that will please you at $10 to $13 per person. End your meal with baklava and take some with you for later, you will want to. Again, this restaurant only accepts cash, no plastic or checks. Their hours of operation are daily from 10am to 9pm.

The Afghan Kebab House, located at 1345 2nd. Avenue between 70th and 71st Streets specializes in savory charcoal broiling. They are open for dinner only from 1pm to 10:30pm Monday through Saturday and from 1pm until 10pm on Sundays. Fragrant with earthy spices is the best way to describe the menu. Dishes include; tandoori chicken, chicken korma and shrimp, lamb, cod, and beef kebabs. They do cater to vegetarians with zesty dishes of eggplant, okra, spinach, and zucchini. The prices are below average, which you will certainly like at around $11 per person. Afghan Kebab accepts all standard forms of payment as well as reservations and take out orders.

The Buona Notte Ristorante at 120 Mulberry Street serves authentic Italian for under $20 per person. Once inside, you will think you actually made a trip to Italy and not Manhattan. The menu includes some steak dishes, but you will want to stick with pasta to stay under $20. Don't worry. You will not be missing out. Some menu highlights are Ravioli di Ricotta al Pomodoro. This is Ricotta cheese ravioli sautéed with wonderful savory fresh tomatoes and basil. Capellini con Coda d'Argosta is angel hair pasta with chopped Brazilian 6oz. Lobster tail covered in fresh tomato sauce. If that is not good enough, you can try the Ravioli di Aragosta alla Vodka, which is Lobster filled ravioli in a pink vodka sauce. For those with a taste for the traditional, they have Gnocchi with fresh Mozzarella, chopped tomatoes and basil sprigs. They are open daily and late night serving lunch and dinner. This is an upscale, no smoking establishment. They do serve alcohol.

For a little Cuban flavor try Havana Alma de Cuba at 94 Christopher Street.
You will like the food and the bill at $15 to $20 per person for lunch and dinner, including Filet Mignon for under $20. You can't go to Cuba, but you can get a taste of it with dishes like Filete de Pardo en Camisa de Platano. It is a red snapper filet smothered in a crunchy green plantain crust and served with Cuban "sofrito" sauce, Afro-Cuban plantain mash, and plantain chips. Try Lechon Asado al Estilo de "La Floridita", a
suckling pig marinated and roasted on a plantain leaf with cassava in garlic sauce. This restaurant has a casual, no smoking atmosphere with sit down dining. They are open daily and accept cash, check and credit.�

Argentine Pavilion located at 32 W. 46th Street serves Argentinean food and as one would expect it defiantly has an Italian slant, but is very different from Buona Notte Ristorante. Patrons can eat well at this sit down dining restaurant for under $20. The menu is very meat oriented with dishes like breaded steak Neapolitan with pasta and breaded steak with fried eggs and French fries. Vegetarians should stay away as even the Spanish omelet comes with sausage. Once again, you can get filet mignon for under $20. It is served as John Peter's special, filet mignon with fettuccini Alfredo and as Filet Mignon Marsala with Pasta.

For those desiring traditional American cuisine there is the Manhattan Bistro at 129 Spring Street. Patrons can eat for $10 to $15 per person during lunch and dinner. Enjoy a Maryland crab cake on a bed of mesclun greens with pineapple salsa and passion fruit remoulade or a Salmon Caesar Salad with garlic herbed croutons and Parmigiano Cheese. Plainer tastes are suited with turkey wraps and Bistro Burgers. This is a casual family restaurant with no smoking. They accept cash, checks and credit.