"NOT THAT CHEAP ANYMORE" !!!
PORK DUMPLINGS
In CHINATOWN
Cheap Eats New York, 2025 Edition. Well Things Ain't What they used to Be ! I moved from Jersey to Manhattan in late 1982. I've been living downtown Manhattan for 42 years now, and let me tell you, "Things Have Changed," and Not for the better.
Back in 1983, I could get Roast Duck, or Roast Pork, Chicken or BBQ Pig over Rice for just $4.5o a plate. That price stayed the same for at least 15 years before going up to $6.50 a plate, where the price stayed for at least 20 years, before going up to about $8 where it is now.
Back in 1983 there were all kinds of Polish & Ukrainian Diners in the East Village of New York, where you could get a cheap Breakfast of Eggs and Potatoes with Keilbasi for just a few bucks. You could get a whole plate of Pirogies for just Six Dollars, and a nice Bowl of Borsch or Beef Barley Soup for just $4.50 a bowl. Things were cheap. Back then, I could get a super tasty Cuban Sandwich for just #4.50 as well, or a plate of Pernil with Rice & Beans for just $6.60, and a Burger at The Corner Bistro was $4.50 as well.
Most sandwiches were about $4 then. And a succulent PASTRAMI SANDWICH at the Second Avenue Deli was just $6. Pastrami and other Jewish Deli Sandwiches in 2025 are through the Roof EXPENSIVE. Most cost about $27, as is the case with Katz's Deli, but the people keep lining up. "Not Me" !!!
Five years ago, other than a Pastrami Sandwich, I would not pay more than $12.95 for a Sandwich anywhere. And it was very rare that I would pay that much. What would I, when 5 years ago, I could get a Cuban for just $6.50, half the price of a $12.95 sandwich.
When Dumpling Shops started emerging 20 years ago, I'd get 5 tasty Pork Dumplings for just $1 on Allen Street on The Lower East Side. Vanessa Dumplings started back then too, with 5 Dumplings for just one dollar, and a Tasty Beef Scallion Pancake for $1.50 ... Things were good. Things were Cheap. Not Now ! Now Cubano Sandwiches are up to $10 a Pop, 4 Dumplings for $2 as opposed to 5 for $1, while a bowl of Vietnamese PHO has gone from $8 to twice that price in the past couple of years. "Not" !!! I ate a bowl of PHO at Nan Thrang Restaurant on Baxter Street for just $4.50 a bowl for a number of years, before it went up to $6.50, then $8, but at $15.95 a bowl, I'm not going to get a bowl every Sunday like I did with my girlfriend Dante for years. I t was her favourite place, and we ate lunch there every Sunday. We'd split an order of Summer Rolls, and I'd get a bowl of Pho with Beef Brisket, and Eye Round with Rice Noodles, while Dante always got Shrimp with Special Sauce over Rice for just $6.50. After lunch at Nan Thrang, we'd go get a couple Cannoli at Bella Ferrara Pastry Shop on Mott Street. They were just $1.50 a piece. Now they'll cost $6.50 or more.
For years I ate in Chinatown at least two times a week. Usually getting Roast Duck over Rice. Just $4.50 (later $6). I ate 2 times a week or more, all through the 1980s and 90s. I could afford to. It was almost Cheaper than Eating at Home. Now ? Not ! As a result of the high prices, I still eat out, but a lot less now. Even though I make substantially more money, I can afford to eat out, but I'm not going to throw my money away. I'm not going to pay $15.95 or more for a bowl of Pho. Not when I paid only $4.50 to $6.50 for 30 years ! And now? I'm not going to eat Sandwiches that cost $22 or more. Maybe once in a while, but not often. What are you gonna do? I'd rather make food at home, and save my money. Not that I won't eat out. I'll just do it a lot less, and eat at home more. That's it.
Sandwiches ? Don't get me started ! These things have really gone through the roof. A travesty. As I stated. A few years ago $12.95 was the most that I would pay for a Sandwich, which I'd usually get for a lot less, not including Pastrami Sandwiches at a good Jewish Deli, which always cost more than other sandwiches. Now Sandwiches are an average of $20 or more, at most places in Manhattan, unless you're way up in Harlem. Yes, I'll go for a $20 sandwich every now and then, but at those prices, I'm going to eat them with a lot less frequency and opt to make a Sandwich at home. Far Cheaper !
Note : Excuse me. I stand corrected. There are still 2 Blarney Stones left in New York. There's one at 410 8th Avenue, and one down on Trinity Place, near Wall Street. I do doubt if they are anything like they once were, with the steam tables filled with Corn Beef, Pastrami, Brisket, and Roast Fresh Ham. Well I don't know for sure, but I'm sure the prices are a lot higher. I will investigate one of these days, and report back.
And speaking of Sandwiches ? Who remembers The Blarney Stone ? Or McAnn's, two little chain operations that were Irish Bars, that along with selling Whiskey & Beer, provided food for those who wanted it. And most people did, because the joints sold the most tasty Sandwiches, at very fair prices. They made classic Jewish Style Pastrami, Brisket and Corned Beef Sandwiches for just $4.50 back in the 80s and 1990s New York. People loved these places, and why not, with such great sandwiches, with friendly prices to boot. These places have all disappeared, and we who knew and frequented them, we now mourn them. "Everything is getting too Damn Expensive" !
For years I used to say, rents in Manhattan might be expensive, but if you knew where top go, you could Eat Cheap. Not anymore ! Not in 2025 !
Daniel
"ANTI CHEAP EATS" !!!
PASTRAMI SANDWICH
At KATZ'S DELI
$27 a POP !!!
BEAT The HIGH PRICE of EATING OUT
"EAT at HOME" !!!!
AMERICA'S FAVORITE EATS
And SECRET RECIPES
SAVE MONEY !!! EAT at HOME !!!
BURGERS TACOS BURRITOS
SOUPS - SANDWICHES & MORE !!!