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The Best of New York · Eat · Cheap eats

The best cheap eats in Midtown

Updated September 2026. 5 places.

Every place here is worth your time. How I decide.

Antonina PattizWriter and photographer · how I decide

Best cheap eats in Midtown, 2026

  1. 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.
  2. Joe's PizzaRestaurant · Times SquareJoe's Pizza at 1435 Broadway, right in the Times Square crush, is the platonic New York plain slice.
  3. 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.
  4. Mysttik MasaalaRestaurant · MidtownFor something warm and filling that reliably lands under fifteen, Mysttik Masaala is my go-to.
  5. 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.

Best cheap eats in Midtown, 2026

The seal

If you're on this list, this is yours.

It's on this list because my guide says 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.

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Best cheap eats in Midtown, New York Dearest, 2026

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Best cheap eats in Midtown, New York Dearest, 2026

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The files

SVG, lightSVG, darkPNG, lightPNG, dark

SVG for the web, the 1200 px PNG for print and social. Both carry the year.