For locals and out-of-towners alike, Chinatown boasts some of the most affordable (and delicious) food in the city – “cash only” of course. Dozens of bakeries sell an array of 90 cent pastries, and the produce from street vendors produce is the freshest – far cheaper than anything found at Fairway or Trader Joes.
Check out my list of the Top 4 Cheap Eats of Chinatown:
1. Dragon Land Bakery (Baxter St. and Walker St.)
This place never disappoints and the options here are limitless. Â Dragon Land Bakery serves everything from curry buns to french toast to red bean cakes. Â Be sure to be quick though; the bakery is so busy that table time is capped at 30 minutes.
2. Xian Famous Foods (Bayard St. between Mott St. and Elizabeth St.)
This gem offers a variety of authentic chinese dishes for under six dollars. Both the liang Pi Cold-Skin Noodles and the Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger are worth every penny.
*Other great finds include Banh Mi Saigon for Vietnamese sandwiches and Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles which was featured the Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”
3. Tasty Dumpling on Mulberry (Mulberry St. and Worth St.)
If six bucks breaks the bank, head over to Tasty Dumpling on Mulberry. Â The restaurant’s special, 5 dumplings for $1.25 is dynamite, and take a snapchat while you’re at it.
4. Shanghai Cafe (Mott St. between Canal St. and Hester St.)
If you’re new to pork soup dumplings, look no further. Â Shanghai Cafe steams dozens by the minute and offers numerous an assortment of unqiue Chinese dishes with a twist such as the tangerine chicken with charred sweet orange peels and the Shanghai noodles (dense buckwheat noodles).
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Formerly a Googler, Jeffrey spent the past year in California overseeing the Development and Operations of the Google+ Community Partnerships CRM. Â Jeff has both an MBA and a degree in Industrial Design from Virginia Tech with several years of startup experience in Interface Design and Business Development. Â He most recently was part of Big Fuel Communications, serving as a Social Media Analyst for companies such as T-Mobile, Aflac, and Sally Hansen. Â Jeff has been an NYC resident for 8 months and currently resides in Chinatown. Â You can reach him at jeff@suitey.com