Midtown Lunch

Stuck in the no-mans-land between Port Authority and Penn Station and looking to break the chain of tuna cans and penicillin-infected bread as you trudge back into the office? Fret not, you have options today!

Sate your pizza crave on the cheap at would-be buck-slice champions 2 Bros. Their across-the-street dollar slice joint hidden in chicken shack NYC Fried Chicken is open, though, and if you want pizza, they’re really the better of the two.

Further west you can get a big-ass bowl of Japanese comfort food at Tabata Noodle Restaurant. Don’t miss the tan tan men – it’s a cure for what ails your woes and worth trekking up from the wilderness of the unexplored dark lands of below 30th. Catty corner to them, there’s darn good doner at Troy Turkish Grill and also at their cuisine companion/competition on 34th and 9th, Lezzette Mediterranean Cucina.

The dueling hole-in-the-wall Latin joints of Aries Cafe and El Sabroso are serving up cheap, giant platters of Dominican goodness, but El Sabroso does Peruvian food on Fridays, so they’re worth a shot if your wallet sits thin, your stomach sits unhappily, and the need for rice and beans grows high. If you’re with a friend and only have a couple bucks between you, a single dish from either place will make two meals.

Ramini Espresso Bar is serving up coffee and breakfast pastries, not to mention macarons to sweeten the deal. Somehow having secured gas from the 1974-scale lines out at the pumps, Mausam Curry & Bites is on 40th and 6th. Speaking of transit, if you’re one of the lucky few who got in via NJ Transit or LIRR to Penn Station, you can grab some noodle soup or steamed buns at Lunch Box Buffet to bring home to your friends and loved ones in the cold.

Check out our Twitter Tracker for the latest and greatest, but if there are any food trucks that want to help out, there’s countless people who could use a bite in downtown – and definitely throughout Union County, NJ, if I’m allowed a personal plea.

Many thanks to ML readers who have also reported the following are open:
Main Noodle House, 1011 6th Ave (Btw 36th and 37th)
Cer Te, 20 West 55th (Btw 5th and 6th)
Pizza by Cer Te, 132 East 56th (Btw Park and Lex)
Maoz, 558 7th Ave (corner of 7th and 40th)
Boi Noodles, 240 West 40th (Btw 7th and 8th)

Got any other tips? Note ’em here and share some love as you post from your nearest convenient post-Sandy charging station!