Save Money on Dining Out in New York City

Meals can be a big part of any travel budget, and food in New York City can be particularly expensive. There are, however, plenty of inexpensive options available.

Fortunately, New Yorkers love to talk and write about food. There are LOTS of places online that provide information and advice about the city’s many restaurants.  The links listed below will help you find good food that won’t bust your budget.

You’ll want to enjoy everything the city has to offer during your stay, so a good plan is to eat inexpensively as often as you can and then splurge on a few special meals. Use the resources listed below to plan ahead; it’s good to have an idea of where you want to eat before you hit the streets, otherwise you might end up paying a lot of money for not very good food.

Dining Deals at NYC Cheap Travel – Dining deals are regularly featured here at this site.  These can be great money-savers, but be sure to check the expiration date, reservation requirements, etc, to make sure they’re a good fit for you.

Serious Eats – A popular New York City food blog that covers just about everything.  Be sure to check out their “Best of NY” section.  You’ll find “best of” lists for many low-cost but very New York dining options, such as pizza, sandwiches, Wonton soup in Chinatown, etc.

TimeOut’s Guide to Cheap Eats – A collection of articles about eating inexpensively. Organized by neighborhood and by type of food.

NYC skyline at night. Text reads Good Rates on 10 Good Hotels.Real Cheap Eats NYC – A compilation of entries from NYC food blogs that feature dishes costing $10 or less.

Yelp Deals – You’ve probably heard of Yelp.  It’s a great community-driven review site that’s a valuable resource for restaurant reviews, mainly written by locals.  A lesser known component of the site are the Yelp deals.  Restaurants provide offers (many of them 50% off) that can be purchased online through Yelp.  Check out the list of restaurants that have current deals, look for ones with good reviews and that are located in the neighborhood you’re in, and you’re all set with recommended dining at a discount price.  Yelp also has a mobile app that will help you find the best places near where you are.

Chinatown – Manhattan’s Chinatown can be a great place to find affordable food. But the options can be overwhelming and confusing. Study up a little before you go on the best places to eat cheap.

OpenTable – Load up the OpenTable app on your phone and you’ll be able to find out what restaurants are nearby, look at menus, and even make reservations.

Printed Restaurant Guides – Sometimes it’s good to go old-school and purchase a printed restaurant guide. The Zagat and Michelin guides are revised every year and feature the best restaurants in all categories and price ranges.

 

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