Times Square

Margon Restaurant

1 Margon Restaurant For a mere $3, you can score a morning feast of two eggs, delicious paprika-dusted home fries and decent coffee at this Cuban hangout. Try it the Cubano way: Dip the gratis Italian bread in the coffee. Add 75 cents if you want bacon, ham or sausage. 136 W 46th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves (212-354-5013)

2 Pret a Manger Yes, it’s a chain, but the food’s fresh and scrumptious: $3.50 gets you a massive just-baked croissant—not Fauchon’s, but pretty close—and a sweet and refreshing organic iced mango green tea. Get a chocolate or almond croissant for just a quarter more. 530 Seventh Ave between 38th and 39th Sts (646-728-0750)

Lunch

3 Kashmir The all-you-can-eat lunch buffet ($7.99) at this Indian spot features 16 items, including appetizers such as crisp samosas and pakoras, four delicious veggie entrée options, four curries, a few salads, unusually squishy homemade nan—plus desserts. Like it more spicy? Just ask. The goodies come with just a hint of heat. 601 Eighth Ave between 39th and 40th Sts (212-594-3777)

4 Café Edison The decor is wildly rococo, the food authentic Jewish deli and the prices old-world. The $3.25 matzo-ball soup, a meal unto itself, pairs two of the huge, fluffy orbs with spiral noodles and delicate pieces of chicken. 228 W 47th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves (212-596-6800)

5 Carmine's This Theater District staple, which opened in 1992, specializes in Southern Italian cuisine. While the prices are often high, we found a great $8 lunch: The ten-inch cheesy meatball hero, actually an American invention, comes with tangy homemade tomato sauce and a side of green salad (or Caesar)—all superfresh. 200 W 44th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves (212-221-3800)

6 Green Symphony Cheap and healthy don’t always go hand in hand, but the $3.95 Avocado Delight makes it happen. It’s basically pita bread filled to capacity with ripe Hass avocado, hummus, tomato, mesclun and sprouts. Still hungry? Spring for the homemade crunchy-chewy energy bar ($1.75), or a silky soy-milk mocha ($2.75). 255 W 43rd St between Seventh and Eighth Aves (212-391-4747)

7 'wichcraft Grab a bite at Tom Colicchio’s upscale sandwich shop, sit in Bryant Park and watch everyone else pay too much for lunch. Adventurous types order the delicious frisée salad with vinegary marinated white anchovies, roasted onions, croutons and a soft-boiled egg ($8). Pour on the parsley-caper vinaigrette and you’re set. Bryant Park, Sixth Ave at 42nd St (212-780-0577)

Dinner

8 Sahara Grill This Turkish restaurant offers only takeout, so order dishes that travel well. Try the chicken doner kebab platter—moist meat right off the vertical spit, along with nutty rice, plenty of salad and a pita, for $7.95. Beware: The accompanying sauce is Sahara hot. 558 Seventh Ave at 40th St (212-391-6555)

9 Spankey's BBQ BBQ With a name this lame, the burgers had better be good. Indeed, $9.50 at this bar-brasserie gets you a half-pound beauty, perfectly cooked, nicely charred, and served with pickles the size of large sausages and enough crisp fries to cover the huge plate. So filling, there’s no need for dessert. 127 W 43rd St between Sixth Ave and Broadway (212-302-9507)
—Sylvie Bigar

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