Midtown Lunch

First things first: Pakistan Tea House is up to a B rating from the Department of Health! The Pakistani standby on Church St. (at Reade) was saddled with the dreaded C the last time I ate there, not that I care about such things when there is a cheap, quality steam table lunch at hand.

I was here to try their three-item vegetarian combo, which we’ve somehow not reviewed on this site, instead focusing on the chicken dishes. They have several vegetarian items on offer every day and while none of them were labeled, I found that pointing and asking “What’s that?” worked just fine. I ended up with two hits and a miss using this system.

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Amazingly, there are still a couple of slice shops in the Financial District that have not been written up by this site. Lisa’s Pizza is one of those, partly because it’s on a really touristy stretch of Fulton St. (at Gold) and I had kind of dismissed it. After trying a couple of slices, I concluded that it’s not life-changing pizza, but good if you like a lot of dairy. Read more »

It’s a new year, it’s freezing outside and you may have made a resolution to eat healthier lunches. Taim has your back with its daily soup, which you can find at the shop in Nolita on Spring St. (at Mulberry). The truck sometimes offers soup as well, although they don’t park downtown a lot these days.

The good news is that this lunch is so much more than the usual cup of soup with a stale roll or piece of bread alongside.  Read more »

It’s soup weather and while there are several places to get your fix downtown, one of my favorites is at Alfanoose on Fulton St. (at Ryder’s Alley). Not only is their red lentil soup delicious, it’s also a steal and a complete meal if you pair it with one of their savory pies.

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When Saffron Thread Indian opened on Chambers St. (btw. Broadway & Church St.) they touted their kati-type rolls, and they were indeed delicious and filling. The thing most people order here is the $9 lunch combo, and as I discovered you get a boat load of flavorful food for the price.

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Finding Bluestone Lane Coffee‘s new location in the Financial District turned into an adventure involving a surly security guard and being on the wrong side of a wall. Thankfully it ended with me finding my new favorite light lunch option, for those days I can’t eat any more street meat.  Read more »

Sometimes a lunch that I warily buy takes a turn for the delicious. That was the case when I randomly stopped by Terri on Pearl St. (btw. Maiden Ln and Cedar) and happened to see they had a new sandwich on the menu. They now offer a vegan version of a BBQ pork sandwich ($8.05) and after a taste I was immediately reminded of an offering at a certain fast-food chain.  Read more »