Cheap Food in NYC

During these difficult times, it can be hard to justify spending more money on a plate of food than you spend on your monthly subway fare, but often, high-price dining is just yet another costly byproduct of living in New York City.

So what can you do?

Stop throwing away your money! Instead, use it to buy some food that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg and still taste good! Here are a few options to consider next time you find yourself wanting something good to eat without the usual New York City surcharge.

Blue 9

Home of the Blue 9 burger, this burger joint keeps the food fresh and the prices down. Blue 9 hails from Indiana, but with this being their only location, they have adopted a Greenwich Village flair that is second-to-none. Offering fresh smoothies and some of the best fries on Earth, Blue 9 finishes you off with the Blue 9 burger, a double-patty, double cheese, fresh ground beef piece of heaven. It's greasy. It's juicy. It's tender. And you can experience the Blue 9 burger for less than $5. That's hard to beat considering just how popular of a place this is. Located only steps from numerous NYU dorms, Blue 9 hasn't jacked its prices up to take advantage of its superb location-not yet anyway. So enjoy it while it last!

Koronet's

Well, I picked a spot near NYU, now I'm bringing you up by Columbia University. Koronet's is a staple of the CU community. Freshmen unofficially have to be broken into the student body with a giant slice of Koronet's pizza. The slices are so big and so enormous, that even some of the hungriest of eaters often share their slice with a friend or two. And when I say big, I don't mean Pizza Hut or Papa John's XL pizza slice big. I'm talking about slices so big, that most Columbia students don't have dorm rooms that measure up. You can get them with toppings, but most people just opt for the plain cheese slice, which is promptly transferred from platter to plate in 10 seconds, always piping hot, and always with the option of adding your favorite spices and cheeses to your slice before you walk away. As for the price, no need to pull out your credit card. In fact, you can be a student for the night and pay in nickels and dimes. It won't take you long to count your pennies, because a slice of Koronet's pizza will only run you $2.75. If I had a calculation of the price per square inch of Koronet's pizza, rest assure, it would be the best deal in town.

Tortilleria Nixtamal

Okay, so there aren't a lot of you who will find yourself wondering about Queens at 3am in the morning, but maybe you should be. Tortilleria Nixtamal (TN) is definitely worth the subway fare and your time. Honestly, unless you are Mexican or have been to Mexico personally, you have never had a tortilla this good. Their tortillas are made fresh from dried corn (nixtamal) and are ground into mesa (corn dough). So what do they put on their cooked-to-order, steamy, corn-flavorful tortillas? Well you have a range of options, including fish, which is a favorite of regulars at TN. But you also can choose from beef, steak and pork. TN also serves up some mean tamales, which come filled with chicken, rajas or pork. And don't forget about your more creative tortilla-filling options, such as peppers, Italian sausage and mozzarella. I mean seriously, what's better than Mexican and Italian food all wrapped up in one tasty tortilla? That's right! Nothing!