The New York cheap eats pyramid

Click on the pyramid below or the links underneath to delve into the city's best dining bargains. In the left column of each story will be links to relevant restaurant reviews, with Google maps and other helpful information. You will also find polls where you can vote on your favorite nosh in each category.

• Cheap Eats introduction: Learn about our methods and criteria for unearthing great affordable dishes.
• The basics: Pizza, burgers, dogs, soups, salads and sandwiches—we pick the best of the old standbys (with street eats, too).
• International: Finding foreign food in New York isn’t hard. Finding the authentic meal is—or was, until now.
• Gourmet: The very word doesn’t fit in a Cheap Eats issue. That’s why it’s here—and near the top of the pyramid.
• Dessert: Go beyond Tasti D, into this rarefied world of tasty treats.
• Free eats: The rarest of all. Welcome to the top of the pyramid. Enjoy the view (and the tapas and panini).
• The TONY coffee cart guy: He keeps our staff well supplied in caffeine and fattening pastries. Hear his story.

Search our site!

We want you to know that on our new search is far more flexible and effective than before. Below, we've used the search to filter out all of our cheap eats listings in a few popular neighborhoods. We also invite you to play around for yourself. Click the tab marked "Restaurants & Bars" and—in the large search box—enter a keyword (e.g. "cheap eats) or choose a neighborhood from the location tab (or both).

• Chelsea
• Upper East Side
• Park Slope