I’ll mention- the first few replies were non-answers, telling the OP to narrow the request.
I am absolutely a non-resident who is online, chirping about where to eat and where to stay, because I can’t travel.
I also will take some credit for getting this conversation started .
I suggested the food halls, and the concourse at Rockefeller, because the OP hopes to feed 3 for $50 at breakfast, and 3 for $100 at lunch, in midtown Manhattan.
I organized 5 days in Manhattan with 8 relatives, aged 20 to 75, including breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, so I have an idea, what it’s like from a tourist or visitor’s POV. I also was a resident a long time ago.
Would I choose to stay in the thick of Times Square? No.
Would I stay at the Algonquin on W 44th when I can get their 4 star room for $199 a night on a long weekend? Yes.
Would I stay on at a SpringHill Suites on W 38th, south of the Port Authority, to say “At least I’m not staying in the wasteland of W44th between 7th and 8th?” No.
Would I stay in Brooklyn or Queens to save a couple hundred bucks when everything I want to see is in Manhattan? Again, no.
Would I increase my hotel budget to $500/ night , to stay in a nicer neighbourhood, when I am trying to keep food costs down? Again, no.
I would recommend staying in the location where most sites are within a 30 minute walk or 20 minute taxi.
I have only stayed on the Upper West Side once, in 20+ trips to NYC. I found that particular hotel, a 3 star hotel with okay reviews, inconvenient. UWS is a nice place to live. As a tourist in NYC for 4 days, I would choose a hotel south of Central Park.
I’m glad locals like you are lucky to live in NYC, and have recent up-to-date information.
On the topic of Rockefeller Center, the place I’ve visited in the concourse is Blue Bottle for coffees, and it’s open.
I just re-read this thread (I clearly have way too much free time on my hands) and your first response to the OP’s request was pretty damn good. I post on the France board & hopefully have the same batting average.
As with most tourists, you have a very ambitious agenda planned. It’s a pretty good one at that. You clearly consulted a map & have a logical progression each day. But, my guess is that there will be revisions & you should prioritize each day’s listing and be ready, as you said, to not do it all. The variable is time. NYC can be very busy and lines might form in each of your destinations &/or you may linger. The morning of Day 2 stands out to me as one of those periods. If you’ve done all those things by the early afternoon, then you really haven’t “done” any of them. There’s no reason to take the time to go up in the Empire State Bldg only to take a quick look and scurry back down. And, even if you did, its still over an hour. I’m sure I’ve already (over)made my point.
August is still a ways away & there’s plenty of time for back & forth. Just remember that there’s no “best” that needs to be done & that you need to allow yourselves time to enjoy. I’ve been to Paris 6 or 7 times but only made it up the Eiffel Tower on my last trip.
By the way, if you do plan to venture into Brooklyn, walking the Brooklyn Bridge is great and I can give advice, etc on the Brooklyn side. Let me/us know. Happy planning.
I haven’t read the whole thread so apologies if this overlaps with what’s already mentioned.
Preliminary thoughts:
Breakfasts: Seek out a good bagel one day, an egg sandwich from a bodega or coffee cart another, and have a fancy brunch one day.
Other street / fast casual – get a halal cart chicken pita one day, a kati roll another (several locations).
9th ave with its Thai and other excellent options is not far from north midtown or midtown or times sq. Also very good options around there for Japanese (yakitori, ramen, izakaya, sushi), Ethiopian, Indian, and Chinese (soup dumplings/xlb).
Koreatown is right by the Empire State bldg on one side, little India is on the other.
Hudson yards has good food (Spanish Diner, or Milos if you want a splurge – though they have a bargain of a lunch prix fixe).
You should go to Chinatown from lower Manhattan, and/or after you walk over one of the bridges – it’s where you’ll end up if you start in Brooklyn (my preference).
Not about food, but the 9/11 museum is a lot… especially for your kids… the memorial itself is incredibly moving and emotional, so I’d suggest that and then move elsewhere (I took my nephews a bit younger a few years back, and just the memorial was a lot for them emotionally…)
Don’t forget to spend a few hours in central park (with snacks) - you could even get a row boat, which is a lovely way to spend an hour (or rent a toy boat - also fun). If you do this, head up the west side first and pick up breakfast or lunch at Zabar’s, Citarella, or Fairway and take it into the park with you. If you’re feeling spendy, get a table at the Boathouse – also a lovely way to spend an hour or two, without the exertion of rowing on a hot day.
An observation I have about the Halal Guys cart is how no one seems to go anymore. I go by 52nd and 6th regularly and there’s never a line anymore. I guess people have woken up to steamed chicken with watered down mayo now served in a single serve sealed package was never good eats. Once they opened a bricks and mortar store, the cart following has dropped. Cheap it used to be but not so much anymore. The close by birria and pastrami truck are much better IMO. Probably the best street cart in the area now is Steak Freak. Jam Rock Jerk should be coming back soon. That is a worthwhile street stop in midtown.
Phoenikia, apologies if my post came across harsh, but the food halls especially the one in Rock Center are not a place anyone should go looking for a good cheap meal these days. Blue Bottle is there but it is one of the most expensive coffee places around. A salad a Sweet Green is a $16 bowl of lettuce. Not surprising that they are owned by a PE fund. Instead get a lunch special at Wu Lang Yi on 48th.
If you are in midtown and want to get a cheap breakfast, go to where you see the office workers go. No name deli like Toasties on 49th where a family of 4 can easily get breakfast for under $50 or Margon on 46th. Margon is also good for a Cubano and a cup of coffee. Avoid a tourist centric place like Majestic or Junior’s if you want to save $.
Food halls are targeting a higher spending crowd. The $10-15 breakfast and $20-25 lunch per person is the norm. And it’s often difficult to find seating as most people are getting takeaway to go back to work and so they don’t provide much seating. I’ve found the food to be generally of the ok variety. Nothing to seek out. There’s supposed to be a Singapore hawker style food hall going into the ground level of the former Time Life building that I’m waiting to see when it opens. My suspicion right now is that it won’t even be as good as Duke’s which was in the same space on the 51st side. That place did gang buster business. It was a food hall before we called them such things.
$100 for lunch for 4 is easy to do. Plenty of options.
Please note that halal cart chicken does NOT meal Halal Guys cart (which is branded / franchised).
It means any of a number of “street meat” carts around the city with a guy focused on cooking (halal) chicken on a griddle, and a bunch of people standing around waiting for it to be served folded into a pita (or over rice, which is easier to eat if you’re going back to a desk at lunchtime).
Thanks for mentioning specific indie delis and restaurants that might work.
Yes, realize Blue Bottle is a rather expensive coffee.
Re: Junior’s
The takeout side has mini cheesecakes that are less than $5. I get a mini cheesecake or slice to go if I’m craving a quick bite/cheesecake before or after a Broadway show. I’ve never been to the side of Junior’s where there’s table service.
This is actually a serious question. I will start by saying I know very little about halal. Could say it’s really nothing. But are the halal carts in NYC operated by Muslims? The reason I ask is that there is one not too far from my building. At times when I have been going back and forth for some reason or other, I have seen the guy who runs the cart take a small rug out and do his prayers. So that cart is run by a Muslim. Just don’t know any of the rules about halal food so I’m curious. Anyone know?
I don’t usually get the chicken pita or chicken and rice from a halal cart but there is one I do go to from time to time. He charges $8 for chicken and rice and I give him a 10 and tell him to keep the change so he gives me an extra large portion the times I go.
funny, I too thought @Phoenikia response was excellent and decided to stay out of the fray. I did work at 37th and broadway for five years and, as you surmise, have too much time on my hands, so have decided to add some recommendations.
also, I noted the OP’s desire to visit dumbo, it seems to me we could easily put together a little food/walking tour which starts at montague, heads down to the promenade bagel in hand, winds through garden place, up atlantic for sahdis and the middle eastern bakery, a stop at sam’s and dessert at court st bakery…
As someone who closed out their career with five years at 38th and broadway, I concur with your characterization of the area. Still, for the OPs sake, here are some suggestions:
culture espresso, 72 W38th. - my favorite coffee shop in all of NYC, It can be tough to score a table but the coffee/espresso drinks are excellent and they arguably have the best chocolate cookies in nyc, especially when they are warm. Easy to pick up and walk to bryant park.
Joe’s pizza, 1435 broadway - We take all newcomers to NYC pizza to joe’s first. They are fanatical about creating consistent product across locations and while it might not be NYC’s best slice, it is IMO the canonical NYC slice. Order a bunch of different toppings and ask them to cut each slice in half. Counter service only.
Szechuan Alley - there are a number of excellent, well-priced szechuan restaurants a short walk from your hotel. Szechuan gourmet and lan sheng are old forum favorites but they’ve been joined by Zest, china river, the best, etc. But your family has to be comfortable with eating spicy food as the non-spicy food is nothing special.
bagels - best bagel and coffee, 22 w35th is a 10-15 min walk, one of the best shops in NYC, the line will move quickly, pick up bagels and cream cheese, eat in bryant park or hotel room.
ny pizza suprema, 413 8th Ave - ok, having had joe’s canonical slice, this is arguably the best slice in nyc. Someone tried every slice in NYC and chose this as his favorite, personally I think it might be the best upside down slice in nyc. probably 15 min walk from time square.
black iron burger, 245 w 38th - solid burger and fries, call for a reservation, not too expensive
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@BKeats, these are more for you than the OP in case you haven’t tried them:
go go curry - down and dirty katsu with curry sauce from large, global chain. I was there once every couple of months, not the nicest place but good on a cold, wintry day.
main noodle house - decent cantonese soups
tasty handpulled noodles - probably twice as expensive as the chinatown original but my one meal there was good
tabata - tiny ramen shop, good not great, but I was there at least once a month in the winter.
sacco pizza - worth the walk on a nice day, around 54th and ninth sits one of NYC’s best yet least known slice shops. Loved by NYC pizza aficionados.
dim sum - wondering if you have any intel on dim sum palace? generally positive online reviews (probably tourist-driven) and they have (had?) a half- price happy hour from 2-4 I think.
I was in the area recently, disappointed to see the terrible chinese restaurant on 38th near 8th closed. after they stopped serving their horrible lunch, they baked delicious, fresh buns everyday, the warm custard bun was just fabulous.
I don’t know how useful this will be as I am also a tourist (from California) who hasn’t been back to NYC for about 5 years - but on my last trip I looked for:
Pizza - had a really good slice from Joe’s on Carmine Street.
A good bagel and other Jewish American cuisine - had a great bagel with lox (and a nice piece of chocolate babka) from Russ and Daughters and a great pastrami sandwich from Katz’s down the street. Remember to tip your carver if you go.
Black & White cookie - I think I got the idea for this from Seinfeld. Forgot where I had one of these but it was good. Just a cake-y cookie with vanilla and chocolate frosting.
High End Sushi
Ramen - good bowls at Totto Ramen and Momofuku Noodle Bar (now closed)
Some chains/fast food that were kind of unique to NYC - Halal Guys cart in Midtown and Shake Shack, both of which would not be a priority for me now as they have both expanded so much that I can get them at home here.
Xi’an Famous Foods - really good liangpi and spicy lamb noodles.
A NY hot dog - had a couple of good hot dogs (and a tropical fruity drink) from Gray’s Papaya also mentioned upthread.
XLB from Joe’s Shanghai
Again I think a lot of these are very touristy places but I’m glad I tried them. Missed out on a red sauce Italian place, maybe next time.
I have had John’s of Bleecker, not related to John’s of Times Square, back around 2006. Another friend used to get John’s of Bleecker delivered. https://www.johnsofbleecker.com/
Thanks so much to everyone for your suggestions, really helpful.
I think to simplify things (in theory!) I will narrow options down to what I think will be the most memorable experiences food wise for the whole family, then see where they fit in, location wise, in terms of the areas we plan to visit.
What do I mean by ‘most memorable’? Probably not the sort of places I’d choose again if I went back a 2nd and 3rd time to be honest, which might sound counter-intuitive, but I can go to great French, Indian, Spanish, Thai, etc, restaurants back home.
What I think we should head for are the food experiences that I won’t get in the UK or Europe:-
(1) A classic diner type breakfast (I know there’s loads in every town in the States, but that sort of place doesn’t really exist in the UK. Unless we move our hotel, this would need to be in reasonable walking distance of Time Square (or our hotel, RowNYC).
(2) Italian/American/Pizza restaurant (there have been plenty of suggestions already there.
(3) Burger/Steaks (we have things like Shake Shack back home, not a chain please)
(4) The place you’d take any first time visitors for a meal (with kids, who’ll eat most things to be fair to them).
Hopefully that helps. I’m going to need to make a Google Map with all the suggestions
Hi @Phoenikia , Algonquin seem to quote a lot more than $199 a room on their website. I’m guessing deals are available in your experience? It certainly looks a more interesting place to stay that our current choice, thanks.
The Algonquin is an historic hotel which has been accorded landmark status. So, if you can get a deal that suits your pocketbook, you should definitely stay there. (It’s a bit away from Times Square, on 44th St., between 5th & 6th Aves.) However, if that can’t happen, do find time to go there to have a look at the famous Round Table and, perhaps, have a drink in the Blue Bar.
Hi @KimCardiffian , the $199 was a good deal, which happens mostly on holiday weekends when New Yorkers leave town and business traffic has slowed down due to the holiday. The prices go up and down for all the hotels depending on how busy the city is, and what events are taking place.
August is a somewhat less busy time so rates are better than they would be in early December when people come into the city to see the tree lit up at Rockefeller Center, go shopping, etc.
I didn’t mean to suggest you will necessarily find the Iroquois at $199/ night in August 2022. The Iroquois is a more expensive hotel than RowNYC, in general. When I have stayed at the Iroquois for $199, it has been the result of a special. The same room often goes for $450/night other weeks.
Many hotels chains have offers where one can have the 4th night at a reduced cost or sometimes free, or a discount across the reservation if you book 4 nights.
I often look at rates for a few hotels before committing to one. When I book, I book the most cancellable rate there is. Non-cancellable rates are often much cheaper because the hotels make money off people who have to cancel. I do book a CAA/ AAA auto club rate, which is often a little cheaper than the standard room rate. Seniors rates also are cheaper- I’m not eligible, but I book those for my elderly relatives.
For a hotel that is cheaper- but I will warn you the neighbourhood is more non-descript, the block where the hotel is located is boring, across from a police station, no restaurants on the block, the hotel itself has no charm, and is full of business travellers, I have stayed at this Courtyard Marriott Manhattan Chelsea hotel for around $240/night- which was cheap for a 3 star hotel, in Aug 2019.
The Fairfield Inn , SpringHill Suites and Residence Inns have less character than most hotels in NYC. They look like cookie cutter hotels everywhere they’re located. They do have suites that work well for families. Residence Inn includes a buffet breakfast which usually isn’t that great- but I’ve learned to hack the options, to make things palatable. There’s a kitchenette inside Residence Inn suites.
For a hotel with more character, in a less touristic neighbourhood, I have stayed at the Redbury, which has some rooms with 2 Queen beds.
Sometimes The Evelyn has good rates. My friend often stayed there when she was working nearby. I haven’t seen their rooms.
I haven’t stayed at any Affinia hotels. There are some located near Penn Station/Macy’s /ESB, and they often have reasonable rates, and they have suites. Maybe some other posters can mention hotels that have worked, unless HO wants us to keep this off the forum.
I sometimes post on the TripAdvisor forum once I’ve narrowed down some hotels at the star level, price level and in the neighborhoods I like, to get some insights from the local experts (nywhiz is one TripAdvisor poster who has provide me with a lot of feedback over the last 15 years) and other travellers. That has helped me find some nice hotels at a pretty good price for Manhattan.
My thoughts are: if you can afford it, stay at a hotel that is on the charming side for your first trip to NYC, unless hotels do nothing for you. It will be a lasting memory for you and your kids. I try to stay at charming or historic hotels when I can, unless I want to stretch my food and entertainment budget.
For a place I’m not likely to visit often, or for a first visit , I spend a little more so I get a place with a nice lobby, bright rooms, in a nice location I will remember.
When you do see a relatively cheap rate, there’s often a catch. Ongoing construction nearby, or the rooms face a brick walls, or the hotel is on an ugly block. There’s usually a reason one 3 or 4 star hotel is cheaper than other 3 or 4 star hotels.
Oyster.com is a site that posts pros and cons which can help determine why some hotels can charge more than others.
If HungryOnion doesn’t want hotel conversations here, I’m happy to discuss hotels I’ve liked or would recommend through a direct message.
