Cheap Eats timeline

1995
TONY’s first Cheap Eats cover story comes out (in our eighth issue ever), and an annual tradition is born.

1996
Wraps take the city by storm! Ah, the ’90s.

1997
El Maguey y La Tuna: Still good! Still pretty cheap! But new address: 321 E Houston St between Ridge and Attorney Sts (212-473-3744)

Taquitos al guacamole
Then: $3.95
Now: $7.95

1998
Did we mention it’s the ’90s? Smoothies get a full page of coverage (tested for taste and satisfaction). These days at Urban Roots (51 Ave A between 3rd and 4th Sts, 212-780-0288) a 16-ounce fruit-and-spirulina potion will set you back $6.50 instead of $4.50.

1999
Donovan’s: Still good! Still pretty cheap!

Cheeseburger
Then: $4.95
Now: $8.25

Monday Night Football special
Then: half price burgers, 10 cent wings
Now: half price burgers, 25 cent wings

2000
We locate 20 sandwiches for $2 or less each. One of the better finds: white bean salad on pita at Bereket (187 E Houston St at Orchard St, 212-475-7700), then $2, now $3.

2001
TONY reveals the best bakeries for Chinese buns—none cost more than 80¢. Still a top pick: the pork buns at Dragon Land (125 Walker St between Baxter and Canal Sts, 212-219-2012), which now go for $1 (baked) to $1.25 (steamed) each.

2002
The recent wave of fancified burgers—Minetta Tavern’s Black Label burger, for one—gained significant momentum with the introduction of Le Parker Meridien’s Burger Joint (119 W 56th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves, 212-245-5000), a faux dive with $4.50 burgers. Price today: $7.

2003
The Atkins diet gets Cheap Eats play. One recommendation we can still get behind: Crif Dogs (113 St. Marks Pl between First Ave and Ave A, 212-614-2728), though we find that the snappy wieners ($2.98) are definitely better in the bun.

The offal trend also gets our skinflint coverage with a $5 beef brain sandwich from Karam (8519 Fourth Ave between 85th and 86th Sts, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn; 718-745-5227). Today it costs $6.50—and it will still make you smarter.

2004
Shake Shack (shakeshack.com) debuts in Madison Square Park, featuring $3.95 burgers (now $4.75) and a following so significant that management introduced the Shack Cam two years later to track the endless lines. The people spoke again, and Shake Shack’s UWS and Citi Field locales followed in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

2006
Bite: Still good! Still cheap!

Nutella-and-banana cibatta panino
Then: $3
Now: $4

2007
We recommend the sundry Pan-Latin snacks at the Red Hook ball fields just before city health officials threaten to shut down the underdog operation unless the vendors introduce refrigeration, running water and other so-called sanitary measures. They comply, and our taco cravings remain satiated.

Treats Truck (treatstruck.com) makes its first appearance in the Cheap Eats issue, ushering in the era of high-concept mobile foods.

2008
To stay relevant during the recession, upscale restaurants introduce downscale counterparts and comparatively cheap prix-fixe menus. Tom Colicchio’s pricey Craftsteak restaurant launches Halfsteak in the lounge area, where no menu item exceeds $15.

Gray’s Papaya raises the price of its Recession Special (two dogs, one drink) from $3.50 to $4.45, bringing owner Nicholas Gray nearly to tears. The previous hike was from $2.75 to $3.50 in 2006.

2008–2009
An explosion of Vietnamese banh mi (see Baoguette) and other Asian-sandwich joints changes the face of cheap sammies in NYC. Coming in 2010: the McBanhwich?

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Best cheap eats in New York City
Everything under $10!