373792 Thu Feb 22 09:16:29 -0800 2007 26 18 Manhattan 0 2317970 Is it possible to find something tasty, healthy yet inexpensive in this area that doesn't come from a deli table? Please advise. Thu Feb 22 09:16:29 -0800 2007 18198 Uptownflavor 1 2317999 Plenty in the area. City Bakery, Taralluci e Vino, and the Whole Foods cafe, just to name a few. Thu Feb 22 09:20:43 -0800 2007 2317970 10216 Lucia 1 2318053 Mesa Grill on 15th and 5th has an excellent lunch. BLT Fish Shack on 17th (near 6th Ave) is casual and yummy. Rosa Mexicano on 18th (near Broadway) is pretty solid too. Thu Feb 22 09:31:53 -0800 2007 2317970 69776 nyccookie 1 2318334 Keep in the mind they key element is inexpensive :-) Thu Feb 22 10:27:41 -0800 2007 2317970 18198 Uptownflavor 2 2319489 The Coffee Shop is right on Union Square. Lots of models work there so good people watching. Delicious reasonable food (more of a breakfast/brunch/lunch place), sometimes music on weekends. It gets really crowded so if you don't like to wait in line, it might not work. If it is nice weather you can sit outside. Union Square Cafe, Olives in the W Hotel - but that's NOT inexpensive. Thu Feb 22 14:06:12 -0800 2007 2318334 73159 financialdistrictresident 1 2318909 for take out 5th Ave Epicure for soup Rainbow Falafel on 17th btw 5th and Broadway there's a Dean and Deluca on University, with an area to sit and eat, but that might be edging towards City Bakery in price Thu Feb 22 12:08:19 -0800 2007 2317970 20568 nixienox 1 2319427 VILLAGE YOGURT on 6th and 15th is your best healthy bargain. great veg lunch chow, make sure to get the dumplings with whatever you order. i like the special shake too. btw you can sit down in there to eat. Thu Feb 22 13:54:49 -0800 2007 2317970 11372 mrnyc 1 2321665 Republic is a good place for lunch - asian noodles mostly. Meals are around $10 and their delivery awesome - super efficient. The chicken skewer app and the veggie dumplings are delicious. Ennu - 17th b/w 5th & Bwy is good too. Japanese. City Bakery is good too - but can get pricey. Fri Feb 23 07:29:03 -0800 2007 2317970 77092 FIFO22 2 2321688 I was just about to recommend Republic as well. It's right on the west side of Union Square at the north end of the square. Also Tisserie has some great sandwiches and pizzas...and pastries. That's half a block up from Republic. Fri Feb 23 07:34:17 -0800 2007 2321665 56793 ballulah 1 2321685 Chopt on 17th St.(bet 5th and Broadway) http://www.choptsalad.com/ Fri Feb 23 07:34:02 -0800 2007 2317970 11993 CornflakeGirl 1 2321711 I'm echoing Republic. Very tasty food; somewhat chaotic during lunch, but by no means unbearable. Consistently good. Fri Feb 23 07:39:00 -0800 2007 2317970 45288 brooklyncook 1 2322840 chef & co as a good (inexpensive) sushi bar and some other great selections. it's on 18th btwn 5/6 (across from city bakery) Fri Feb 23 12:08:59 -0800 2007 2317970 66590 swfood 1 2341131 Thanks guys. This actually came in handy today when I was looking for places to order a working lunch. Thu Mar 01 08:27:05 -0800 2007 2317970 18198 Uptownflavor 2 2341206 Also, for really inexpensive with big portions, there is a decent small (non chain) Mexican place called Big Enchilada on 12th or 13th btw University and 5th. And I second Republic - good noodle soups. Thu Mar 01 08:44:01 -0800 2007 2341131 67854 nyclibkat 3 2342112 I've been tempted to go into Big Enchilada. I'll have to give them a shot next time I am down on 12th Street. Thu Mar 01 11:54:55 -0800 2007 2341206 18198 Uptownflavor 1 2341447 for sandwiches and excellent homemade soups, try medina on east 17th street. also on that block is ennju, for quick japanese. their sushi sucks, but they have a great fresh salad bar and the cooked-to-order entrees (teriyaki, katsu, curries etc) are tasty, affordable, and ENORMOUS. Thu Mar 01 09:34:13 -0800 2007 2317970 11199 wleatherette 2 2341661 How is the sushi there? I popped in one day thinking I'd have sushi for lunch, and walked out. Maybe I was being persnickety, but the sushi didn't look well made. Thu Mar 01 10:20:22 -0800 2007 2341447 56793 ballulah 3 2341749 like i said, the sushi sucks. i would totally avoid it. however, the salad bar and kitchen entrees are great. Thu Mar 01 10:40:55 -0800 2007 2341661 11199 wleatherette 4 2341834 Didn't see the part where you said it sucks. Read too fast. Haha. Thu Mar 01 10:56:53 -0800 2007 2341749 56793 ballulah 1 2341501 Barocco on Union Sq. East at 16th. has delicious sandwiches, salads and coffee. It was recommended in Time Out's latest cheap eats. Very fresh and inexpensive. http://www.timeout.com/newyork/Details.do?page=1&xyurl=xyl://TONYWebArticles1/568/features/union_square.xml Thu Mar 01 09:45:32 -0800 2007 2317970 43254 lchang 2 2342121 Great! Thanks for that link! Thu Mar 01 11:56:13 -0800 2007 2341501 18198 Uptownflavor 1 2341809 OH! Even though you asked for no deli, I am a recent convert to the non-descript deli on 5th Ave and 19th Street. Everyone in my office was raving about their udon counter in the back, but when I ventured in to try the udon I was lured over to the Mongolian BBQ counter. They have such a vast array of fresh veggies (leeks, onions, scallions, baby bok choy, zucchini and yellow squash, 3 kinds of fresh mushrooms, 3 kinds of fresh peppers, julienned carrots), that I grabbed a metal bowl and assembled a huge portion of mostly veggies and gave it to the guys to cook. It's sort of like Lunch Theater. I'm a little wary of raw sliced meats and sea food from a salad bar, but I added some turkey slices (they had chicken, beef, scallops, shrimp, scallops...and tofu) and noodles. Be careful of the lure of the chili garlic sauce, I keep adding too much to my BBQ and ending up with insanely spicy food. But I've really enjoyed what I've had there, it seems relatively healthy (you add as much or as little oil as you want, you also control the saltiness), there's no denying it's fresh, and it's quite cheap. Thu Mar 01 10:52:20 -0800 2007 2317970 56793 ballulah 2 2341952 good call. i forgot about that. i try to stay away from it, though, because i'm greedy and can't control myself and end up with like 3lbs of food and a huge bill! another atypical deli option is pilly's, on the corner of 13th and 5th. if you go upstairs, you can get a tasty korean meal prepared by very nice korean mom-type lady. they've got all the standards - kalbi tang, sulleontang, chigaes, bi bim bap, jap chae, soon dobu, rice cakes, etc etc. it's cheaper than manna, which i like but find too much of a mob scene. Thu Mar 01 11:23:36 -0800 2007 2341809 11199 wleatherette 3 2342136 I haven't had lunch yet, I may have to take a walk! I'm a sucker for bi bim bap, and 32nd St is just a little too far. My first Mongolian BBQ foray I was very restrained, and my bill was less than $7...last week. Yesterday it was $14. At least a ladle full of chili garlic sauce on $14 of veggies goes further than the same amount on $7. Haha. I'll have to strike a balance, me thinks. Ha. Thu Mar 01 11:59:13 -0800 2007 2341952 56793 ballulah 3 2342142 Okay I think that is place I got the sour pudding. I didn't know they prepared food upstairs. Thu Mar 01 12:00:11 -0800 2007 2341952 18198 Uptownflavor 4 2342177 yeah, they have a small kitchen for korean food and a kind of sad-looking sushi area. Thu Mar 01 12:08:25 -0800 2007 2342142 11199 wleatherette 2 2342126 Deli is fine. I think I may have wandered in there. On your recommendation I'll try them out. Thanks. Thu Mar 01 11:57:26 -0800 2007 2341809 18198 Uptownflavor