Sweets and Cheap Eats

Two of the best cheap lunches around (for some values of "cheap" - if memory serves both can be had for under $10) are Funky Broome, Chinese restaurant at Broome and Mulberry, and NyoNya, Malaysian restaurant at Grande and Mulberry. If you are going below Houston. As for sweets, is there still a Ciao Bella gelateria? I could never fix on its precise location but it was about a block south of Houston, east of Broadway somewhere.

The bar at Mercer and Prince (Fanelli's?) used to sometimes sell good soup from a stand in front; I don't know if they still do. Their burger is also about the best in town, but I don't remember it being a particularly good deal.

Maybe the best falafel sandwich in the city, and quite cheap, is Damascus, on (IIRC) Ave. C and 10th St. But that location could be way off -- I have only ever stumbled upon that restaurant, never gone there intentionally.

Funky Broome closed, then reopened as Funky Thai, and I think has closed again. The Thai version was never as good as the Chinese version, which I really dug.

NyoNya is fantastic.

Ciao Bella is still on Mott just below Houston, but I think Il Laboratorio makes better stuff. The other day I had a black fig gelato to die for. Mmmm. Vacation calories.

Funky Broome closed

Say it ain't so!

My LES chow recommendations tend to be a few years out of date... Have to find out about Il Laboratorio.

One place I know is still open, and worth knowing about though I don't know if your tour goes this far downtown, is Nice Green Bo (renamed from New Green Bo but the same owner, same cook, same fantastic food) on Pell and Doyers. It's more of a "cheap dinner for large groups" place, don't know how that would fit on your tour. Chinatown Ice Cream across the street from there of course. Doyers St. in general is worth at least letting your charges know about as a locus for interesting stuff in Chinatown.

New Green Bo and Chinatown Ice Cream Factory are big family favorites with us. The Eight Jewel Noodle Soup at New Green Bo (it's not on the menu, and make sure you specify "noodle" or you'll get something different) is the highlight of my winter.

For this tour I aimed for places between Canal and Houston, east of Bowery (for the most part) where you can land a tasty treat or a small meal for under $5. The Chinatown stops tend to be on a different walking tour, though we did pass through an Egg Custard King on our way today.

This year I added a passing glance to Ferrara's. Reading up on cannoli I learned they originated as a fertility symbol during carnivale. Imagine that.

SugarSweetSunshine on Rivington has the best cupcakes in the LES - and the service is so much friendlier than that other cupcake shop in the Village that Sex & the City overexposed.