Best cheap eats in Long Island City, Queens

Studio Square

Photograph: Lizz Kuehl

Blend
Order the mofongo con sofrito ($5) with added beef ($7). This take on a Puerto Rican favorite—green plantains mashed with fried beef, cilantro, onion and tomato guiso—exceeds expectations. 47-04 Vernon Blvd between 47th Ave and 47th Rd (718-729-2800, blendlic.com

Bricktown Bagel and Café
This spacious spot (with big comfy couches) is the home of an outrageously delicious French toast bagel, baked on premises and slathered with cinnamon, brown sugar and powdered sugar ($1.50). If savory is your suit, go for the freshly made smoky whitefish salad on an everything bagel ($6.25). 51-06 Vernon Blvd between Borden and 51st Aves (718-361-2428)

Copacabana
Bring your appetite and a doggie bag to this casual Brazilian buffet, where $4.99 gets you a pound of food ($5.99/lb for BBQ), like pork chops that fall right off the bone and sweet fried plantains. 31-13 36th Ave between 30th and 31st Sts (718-545-3685)

Lounge 47
For the ideal companion to an afternoon ale, try the (for once not-too-greasy) grilled cheese ($8), offered weekdays from noon to 4pm. It’serfectly toasted wheat bread with melted sharp cheddar and a fresh, hot tomato slice in between, and nothing more. 47-10 Vernon Blvd between 47th Ave and 47th Rd (718-937-2044)

LIC Bar
Options may be limited on the two-item menu, but this neighborhood bar has really nailed the grill-pressed sandwich. Don’t miss the garlic ham with Gruyère between thin sourdough bread ($7), cooked to a hot, thin, crackling finish, complete with tiny bits of flavorful grill char. 45-58 Vernon Blvd between 45th Rd and 46th Ave (718-786-5400, longislandcitybar.com)

Manducatis
An old school, family-owned Italian joint, Manducatis has been a neighborhood staple for more than 30 years, and with clientele like Tony Bennett, don’t expect to find too many cheap eats here. The old country-style baked clams (six fresh ones heaped with bread crumbs, herbs and spices; $9.50) are a fresh, hot comfort-food pleasure, a spot-on classic. 13-27 Jackson Ave at 47th Ave (718-729-4602, manducatis.com)

Masso
This Southern Italian eatery boasts a tough-to-beat $6.95 half-panini and salad or soup lunch special, available every day from 11am to 4pm. Try the smoked salmon with cucumber, avocado and lemon olive oil on a fresh, crisp baguette, served with a spare salad of shredded greens and balsamic vinaigrette. 47-25 Vernon Blvd at 47th Rd (718-482-8151, lucaloungenyc.com/masso)

Studio Square
Pair a cold draft with bratwurst (served with a fat slice of white bread and sauerkraut, $8), or go for something less conventional, like sushi (the BBQ eel avocado roll is $6), at this expansive modern beer garden. 35-33 36th St between 35th and 36th Aves (718-383-1001, studiosquarenyc.com)

Sweetleaf
It doesn’t cost much for a quick snack and a pick-me-up at this corner coffee shop, where skilled baristas pull near-perfect Americanos with full-bodied and slightly bitter Stumptown Hair Bender blend ($2.50), and ham-and-cheese croissants are only $3.75. 10-93 Jackson Ave between 11th St and 49th Ave (917-832-6726, sweetleaflic.com)

Tournesol
The star of this homey French bistro’s lunch menu is surely the classic frisée aux lardons ($8.50), a salad with homemade croutons, cubes of bacon fat and cherry tomatoes, topped with a poached egg and a dressing of maple syrup, walnut oil and vinegar. 50-12 Vernon Blvd between 50th and 51st Aves (718-472-4355, tournesolnyc.com)

Astoria, Queens

Park Slope/Prospect Heights

Penn Station area

East Village

Long Island City, Queens

Murray Hill

Chinatown

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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