Eating in New York is a wondrous thing. Food is fairly inexpensive and uniformly good. There are also a lot of ethnic restaurants, resulting in a diversity of foods not seen very often in the US. Make sure to get away from tourist areas like Little Italy and Times Square in order to find the best and cheapest food. Some hip areas to find great food are Chinatown, the East Village, and the Lower East Side.

Indian Cuisine
Italian Cuisine
French Cuisine
American Cuisine

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Indian Cuisine

Bombay Palace
They do set menus and also a set buffet. This is an upmarket emporium as you might guess from the location - prices reflect this fact. For a meal that you would pay $30 elsewhere, you pay $45+.
That said, the food is consistent and I have revisited many times. The Bhel Puri as a starter is stunning (a vegetarian dish consisting of rice and spice!)

Address: 30 W 52nd St (between 5th and 6th)

Bukhara Grill
Bukhara Grill is offering New York a new dining experience...flavors of the long-forgotten Northwest frontiers of India. The restaurant offers a very spacious, rustic, yet highly sophisticated interior with an old-fashioned stonewall finish. Hand-woven Persian carpets are elegantly draped from the ceilings, and the atmosphere as a whole does indeed satisfy the yearnings of a mind bent toward whimsical creativity.

Address: 217 E. 49th St

Vatan’s
Interesting venue that's worth a visit. Ask the waiter to make recommendations and they do just that. Very reasonably priced - be sure to book in advance. The decor alone is worth the effort of visiting.

Address: 409 3rd Avenue@ 41st

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Italian Cuisine

San Pietro
Upmarket Italian that's ideal for two, three or four people. Quite a small dining area but the cosiness is appealling. Ideal for that 'special' treat.

Address: 18 E 54th Street

Patsy Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
Truly great brick-oven pizza with thin crust and fresh ingredients. You get fresh meats and veggies and slices of real mozzarella, not the processed, shredded stuff. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (or take the A or C to High Street) and fill yourself up. Only whole pies (no slices) and cash only.

Address: 19 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Pisticci
A small, basement Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side in the Columbia University neighborhood. Cheap eats and an operatic waitstaff who attend school at the Manhattan School of Music down the street during the day make for an enjoyable evening meal for locals.

Address: 125 La Salle St. (between 122nd and 123rd streets)

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French Cuisine

Le Marais
Yummm... I'm getting hungry already. Steak, steak, steak, and fries. Just order a steak (they're all good) and savor it's juicy tenderness - and the fries cannot be beat. After lunching at Le Marais I was terminally unable to return to plebian fast food french fries, wet fries, or spicy fries. I'm hungry again.

Address: 46th between 6th and 7th Avenues

Le Bernardin
You may not find a better seafood restaurant in New York, or maybe even the world. Food doesn't get better than the seared rare yellowtail, steamed bok choy, in a marinated citrus and shallot vinaigrette. Chef Eric Ripert's tuna tartare always exhilarates, its Asian seasoning a welcome exotic touch. Among main courses that shine are the steamed striped bass with roasted foie gras; pan-roasted codfish, sweet-roasted garlic, and chorizo essence; and crusted cod, served on a bed of haricots verts with potatoes and diced tomatoes.

Address: 155 West 51st Street

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American Cuisine

Trailer Park Lounge
We found this great place after seeing it on the Food Network. When you walk in it looks like you are going back in time to an old trailer park. Lots of Elvis stuff and even a trailer. Good food that was served up fast with sweet potato fries. Typical American foods like burgers, hot-dogs, grilled cheese. Inexpensive fun place to eat. You'll probably want to bring your camera.

Address: 271 W 23rd St. (between 7th & 8th Avenue)

44 restaurant
Anchoring the long lobby at its farthest end – and removed somewhat from its bustling activity – '44' is a chicly understated enclave with spacious curved velvet banquettes, providing the perfect setting – morning, noon and night – to enjoy outstanding cuisine. The critically acclaimed '44' restaurant serves innovative American cuisine.

Address: 44 West 44th Street

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