The Best of New York · Eat · Cheap eats
The best cheap eats in Midtown.
Every one from my own visits, updated September 2026. 5 places.
Every place here is one I went to, and every one is worth your time. How I decide.
Best cheap eats in Midtown, 2026
- Chong Qing Xiao MianRestaurant · Hell's KitchenThis one is my quiet favorite, the spot I send people to when they think Midtown has nothing real to offer.
- Joe's PizzaRestaurant · Times SquareJoe's Pizza at 1435 Broadway, right in the Times Square crush, is the platonic New York plain slice.
- Los Tacos No. 1Restaurant · Times SquareLos Tacos No. 1 has a Times Square counter at 229 West 43rd Street, open until midnight most nights, and the tacos here are the real thing.
- Mysttik MasaalaRestaurant · MidtownFor something warm and filling that reliably lands under fifteen, Mysttik Masaala is my go-to.
- Xi'an Famous FoodsRestaurant · MidtownIf there is a better fifteen-dollar lunch in Midtown, I have yet to find it.
On the map
Where they are.
3 neighborhoods, Times Square and Midtown most of all.
Times Square
Hell's Kitchen
Chong Qing Xiao Mian
Restaurant · Hell's Kitchen · 776 Ninth Avenue
This one is my quiet favorite, the spot I send people to when they think Midtown has nothing real to offer.
Joe's Pizza
Restaurant · Times Square · 1435 Broadway
Joe's Pizza at 1435 Broadway, right in the Times Square crush, is the platonic New York plain slice.
Los Tacos No. 1
Restaurant · Times Square · 229 West 43rd Street
Los Tacos No. 1 has a Times Square counter at 229 West 43rd Street, open until midnight most nights, and the tacos here are the real thing.
Mysttik Masaala
Restaurant · Midtown · 152 West 52nd Street
For something warm and filling that reliably lands under fifteen, Mysttik Masaala is my go-to.
Xi'an Famous Foods
Restaurant · Midtown · 24 West 45th Street and 885 Eighth Avenue
If there is a better fifteen-dollar lunch in Midtown, I have yet to find it.
Best cheap eats in Midtown, 2026
The seal
If you're on this list, this is yours.
I went, and I said in my own words that it's worth your time. Nobody paid for that and nobody can. The seal says so, and it links back here, so anyone who sees it reads the whole list and how I decide.
Put it on your site, in the window, on the menu. Keep it linked when it's on the web and keep the words on it. That's the whole ask.
The files
SVG, lightSVG, darkPNG, lightPNG, dark
SVG for the web, the 1200 px PNG for print and social. Both carry the year.
Is one of these yours? and I confirm it's you and send the files.
