I love a good deal as much as anyone else, but it’s been years since I’ve found any great pleasure surfing the dollar menu anywhere. That said, when I saw the sign for $1 burgers and dogs at Pop’s in last week’s Links, I knew I’d have to investigate. Lunchtime Monday afternoon, I went over to 7th Avenue to check it out.

The low budget food court that Pop’s sits in looks like it was transported from two levels downstairs in Penn Station. In the front of the shop you’ve got pizza that looks about as good as the S’barro’s a couple doors down and the (in)famous Gyro II, which also serves beer, buffalo wings and an odd mishmash of other items.

The big bargain at Pop’s is of course that hot dogs, burgers and fries, which all cost $1 each. If you’re willing to spend a couple cents more, you can get chili on the dogs and cheese and/or bacon on the burger.

The burgers and fries were already packaged up and waiting in the ‘pick up’ area when I got there. There’s no ‘made to order’ nonsense here.

Further back, the hot dogs sit on the griddle like at a papaya stand in various degrees of done-ness. The counter man minds them as he flips burger patties and passes them off to get topped and packed up.

I ordered a burger ($1), a bacon cheeseburger($1.75), a hot dog($1), and fries($1)… you know, to be thorough. I also got a Snapple, which, at $2.25 was the most expensive part of the meal.

For $1 it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that the burgers are small. The word slider has been tossed around by some, but that’s not quite right. Compared to the ultimate sliders, White Castle, the bread is too big and not nearly sodden enough in the burger grease to be considered a slider.

The meat inside, on the other hand, was probably about the right size for a slider and the little dollop of ketchup and slice of pickle aren’t quite enough to stop the whole thing from being a little dry.

The bacon cheeseburger was definitely an improvement on these counts. The toppings definitely added some moisture to everything and that single slice of bacon had enough smoke in it to up the game a little. The fries on the other hand were sad and dry and I made the mistake of not dousing them with ketchup when I was down at the counter. Not so great.

The hot dog was good though: a Sabrett’s, well done, with kraut and mustard and a bit of relish. I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way for it (after all, there are other $1 hot dogs floating around), but it’s the closest thing to a papaya stand near Penn Station these days, so that’s convenient.

Obviously there is nothing about Pop’s that is going to make you think “Now this is my new favorite place!” But is that really the point? If you are looking for something great, and only have a few dollar bills in your pocket, well, good luck to you!  If you’re outside Penn Station, and looking for something super cheap, you could do a lot worse than this.

Pop’s Dollar Food Shop, 427 7th Ave (btw. 33+34th)

Thanks to Lunch’er Evan for letting us know about this one… Bruce’s Burgers, the mediocre burger spot that shared space in 1 Penn Plaza with the Caribbean Kitchen, has closed.  It was recently replaced by Taste of India, which used to share space with a random deli on 33rd and 1 Penn that became a Lenny’s awhile back. Around Penn Station it’s pretty difficult to find good Indian food, let alone any Indian food so it’s good news that they’re back.  They have lunch specials around $7 or $8 depending on whether you get vegetarian or meat options. Any fans?  Let us know how it is in the comments…

El Camioncito, the truck that popped up on the radar this spring when it added tacos and later tamales to it’s otherwise typical food cart menu, has returned to Midtown South. After weeks of disappointing many a taco hunter, the truck is back at its just out of bounds location on 31st Street and 7th Avenue. I stopped by yesterday to take a look at what’s new.

The menu’s Latin section has continued to expand, adding a number of tasty-looking options. See what’s on it and one of the new snacks after the jump.

In addition to the tacos and tamales, El Camioncito now offers rice and beans with grilled steak or chicken, flautas and empanadas. Most interesting to me, if a little odd, were the salchipapas (french fries topped with sausage.) I don’t know if they top that with a mountain of cheese, but if they do I’ll be coming back for more of that as long as my heart will hold out.

So, yeah, there’s plenty I want to try out from the new menu, but I decided to start small and try an empanada. Interestingly, the small wedge of a pocket seemed to be made of potato, not dough. I might be totally wrong, but it seemed very much like a crispy fried knish, hollowed out and stuffed with diced shredded, stewed beef and potatoes in a curry-like spice sauce.

It’s not like any other empanada I’ve had before, but I definitely liked it.

I followed that with an overstuffed chorizo taco with everything on it, including the controversial thin guacamole sauce. I’m pretty pleased to have El Camioncito back in the neighborhood and look forward to exploring more of their new options.

El Camioncito, NE Corner of 31st Street and 7th Ave.

Once again, Lunch’er “nomnomnyc” comes through in the forums with intel on El Camioncito (on 31st and 7th Avenue), the Ecuadorian Truck that added tacos to its menu last month. They have now expanded the Mexican portion of the menu to include tamales filled with your choice of pork or chicken. His initial report isn’t stellar, noting that the pork is a bit dry, but it is a new addition. Given the limited Mexican options nearby, all we can do is hope that it improves over time.

Related:
El Camioncito Truck Slings Tacos in Midtown South

I love tacos. The more interesting the fillings the better, from tender lengua to crunchy oreja, I’ll eat it. Yet working near the Empire State Building, the options are pathetic. Short of Chipotle, we’ve got nothing. So, when I read nonnomnyc’s post in the forums last week about a new Taco Truck near Penn Station, I knew I’d be making the trip in short order. Yesterday, I stopped by El Comioncito’s to give it a try. The truck, run by Ecuadorans, offers all varieties of street meat, but that’s not what I was there for. The Mexican menu is small and you might miss it at first. There are only four types of tacos available, but I’ll take what I can get.

See the tacos after the jump.

I ordered three tacos, res (beef), carnitas and chorizo. I skipped the pollo, I think I’ve eaten enough chicken for a little while.

I was excited about the carnitas. Unlike the the braised pork at Chipotle, these are more traditional, roasted and then crisped on the griddle. I usually love carnitas, but not this time. It was pretty disappointing, dry and a little bland.

The others were much better. The beef had a nice char to it, without getting as dried out as the carnitas. The chorizo was the best by far, with a smoky, sweet flavor.

I got everything on them, which included onions, a saucy guacamole, and a mild, vinegary chile sauce.

The walk from Madison to 7th Avenue means that I can’t actually eat these tacos every day, but I may be there weekly now that the weather is improving. Next time, I’ll see how the chicken is and maybe give the carnitas another shot. I’ll definitely be having the chorizo every time.

El Camioncito Truck, 31st Street & 7th Ave.

Thanks to Luncher “nomnomnyc” for posting in the forums about this new taco truck that has shown up near Penn Station (on the corner of 31st and 7th Avenue.) It’s just out of ML bounds and the selection seems to be limited, but given how woefully under-served the area is for Tacos, I’m willing to go the extra block for some carnitas that don’t come from Chipotle.

More photos, the menu, and a brief report is after the jump.

I tried it [on Wednesday] and it was pretty decent. I ordered the carnitas and pollo tacos and they were both sell seasoned, juicy and tender. Each serving came with an avocado sauce, cilantro and onions. For only $2 a pop, it makes for a nice lunch.

Anybody else tried this truck yet? Early adopters let us know how it is in the comments.