Help - My office moved to 35th and 8th!

[Bydand16]

Unfortunately my company recently moved from beautiful DUMBO Brooklyn to the soul crushing Penn Station area. Are thought on where I can get some decent lunch food??? Thanks!

[hudsonvalleyfoodblog]

My office is in the same area and I'm about as happy about it as you are. However there are a few decent places in addition to the ones mentions.

Salumeria Biellese (378 8th Ave) makes their own charcuterie and has really good sandwiches and some hot items.

Manganaro's Foods & Restaurant (488 9th Ave) - similar to the one listed above. Good sandwiches and Italian.

Soup Spot on 31st btwn 7th and 8th is also great. The line will go out the door on colder days.

[Striver]

OK - it's not exactly lunch (although I've been known to make a meal of it), but Garrett's cheese and caramel popcorn (34th between 7th & 8th) is truly exceptional - a great snack and/or something to bring for an office b'day, etc.

[rockstar14]

Yuck, I used to work there too, same problem with lunch spots. At 37th and 8th there is Chef Yu. It is a nice atmosphere for lunch, not expensive. I am not saying the food is great, but it's not bad at all. Only place I really found that is quick, nice and sit down- not real expensive around there.

[gac101]

OP, I'm at 33rd & 10th, how do you think I feel?

[Pan]

I may have missed one, but I didn't notice any mentions of Korean food in this thread. There are some Korean restaurants on 35th between 5th and 6th and even more on 32nd between 5th and Broadway. Some threads for you to look at:

"Recommendations Near 39th and 6th Ave"

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/660473

"Koreatown"

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/581445

"Good places for lunch - West 33rd St. and 10th Ave "

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/623719

[Bydand16]

Thanks so much!!!

[phoenikia]

Djerdan Burek: 221 W.38th between 7th and 8th Ave- love their spinach burek and the cheese burek.

Looking forward to my next visit to Manhattan to try some more items off their menu!

Edit: Just noticed another poster mentioned Djerdan- Djerdan is Bosnian, not Turkish ;-)

http://www.djerdan.com/index.htm

[windycity]

Thanks :)

[mahler5]

There's a place called Burgers & Cupcakes on 9th Av (35th/36th). It's owned by the same guy who has the cafe at Fairway. The burgers are very good, as are the fries. I love the yellow cupcake with chocolate icing but do not like any of the others.

He also has a decent pizza place next door.

[Miss Needle]

Have you tried the red velvet? It's awesome. I like it much more than Two Little Red Hens as it's moister and it's cream cheese frosting rather than just plain white sugar.

But I'll agree that other than the red velvet and yellow with chocolate ganache, the other cupcakes aren't that great. The icing is too sweet. But the yellow with chocolate and red velvet are great in my book.

[kelea]

I like the one which has chocolate ganache and peanut butter. it's crazy rich!

[LeahBaila]

I ALWAYS forget about this place! Their cupcakes are really good.

www.thelunchbelle.com

[Miss Needle]

Oh, I think I know which one you're talking about! I never had that one though I think it would taste good. The peanut butter they use is Skippy's (as I've seen them applying it) -- think it would probably go well with the chocolate ganache.

The ones I don't like are the ones with the white and pastel colored frostings. They're way too sweet. But I like the white frosting on the red velvet because they use cream cheese in it which helps to moderate the sweetness.

[KTinNYC]

I'm currently working in that neighborhood and the pickings are slim. One unexpected find is Fuji Bakery on 35th between 7th and 8th. The food from the steam table, which is not self serve thank goodness, is okay. You get rice and 2 "sides", various meats or vegetables for $4.75 or 3 for $5.25. But the best thing I've had was the roast pork noodle soup. The soup is very good, noodles have the right bite, the roast pork not as good as you get in Chinatown but still okay for $4.75. I've yet to try the bakery items yet but I look forward to it.

[kelea]

Oh Bistro on 34th between 8th and 9th (beside the theatre) is a good standard

[ShakeIt]

I don't know if there is one right by your office but I know there are a ton of them all over the city-MetroCafe...its just a quick take out place to grab a good sandwich or salad. I used to eat there every day when I worked in the city

Hope this helps :)

[sholli]

Mooncake (30th/8th) is a little bit of a walk, but yummy. Their pulled pork sandwich is huge and yummy, plus they have good healthier options.

[kelea]

OH DEFINITELY MOONCAKE!! i forgot about that place. it always creeps into my mind and nothing else can satisfy that craving.

I also tried Go Go Curry on 38th between 7th and 8th. that was prety good

[windycity]

I'll ditto Lazzara's (though the last time I ate there it wasn't as good as I remembered), Go Go Curry as a cheap and unhealthy option, and there used to be an amazing salad, sandwich, soup and noodles cooked to order place - Amici 36 - that place was a godsend. Plus they have lots of great snacks and treats.

I haven't been to Djerdan (turkish place right underneath Lazarra's) in a really long time, but it was decent, if slow food.

[allieb2031]

Mooncake is a must!
Pizzeria Suprema is SO good. The other place across the street (east side of 8th btw 30 and 31) is also good - less crispy crust - but the sauce at Suprema is to die for!
Lugo Caffe -- never been for lunch, but great for post work drinks.
Brown Cow further down 8th has great healthy options.
Ayza is a chocolate cafe and wine bar on 31st near 5th - yum!
Of course, there is Whole Foods on 24th and 7th for takeaway...

www.earthlyepicurean.blogspot.com

[kelea]

I had Suprema for lunch today! Thanks so much for the rec. it's definitely a great slice!

[keejam]

Manganaro's - one of my favorite places over that way! Old school italian. Groceries in the front, lunch counter in the back. Fantastic italian! Also check out this website: www.midtownlunch.com. It saved my life when I started working in the neighborhood.

[LeahBaila]

Make sure to bookmark www.seamlessweb.com on your computer, if you haven't done so already. Here are some recs that deliver to you:
Hill Country
Olympic Pita
Philly Slims
NY Pizza Suprema
Ravagh
Skylight Diner
Baja Fresh
Szechuan Gourmet
Lazzara's Pizza Cafe
Tulcingo del Valle

www.thelunchbelle.com

[mgoldey]

Nods to a few mentioned above:

NY Pizza Suprema (8th and 31st) is a cut above for NY pizza
Skylight Diner (34th and 9th) is also a cut above the usual diner far.
Szechuan Gourmet (39th bet. 5th & 6th) is excellent, though pricier than the usual lunch spot
Hill Country (26th bet.. 5th & 6th) is great, but a little far away and expensive for lunch
Uncle Nick's (29th & 8th) is also more of a real restaurant than a place for a workday lunch.

Others, not mentioned here on in kelea's thread but worth a try:
Home on 8th (8th between 29th & 30th) has decent Chinese food and lunch specials.
SooKram Thai (8th between 26th & 27th) is also good.

More iffy:

Osaka (8th @ 35th?) -- Japanese, gets mixed reviews, but probably good for a tray of take-out rolls
Noodles on 35th (35th St. just west of 8th) -- a cheap chinese take out kind of place, but good for cheap noodles and simple Chinese dishes.

There are also a pair of Thai places on 36th or 37th Streets, just east of 8th, that I've never tried, and a number of Latin places on the side streets as well. Those could be an adventure. Fortunately, there's this: http://midtownlunch.com/

[kelea]

Do you mean Azuka? There's a sushi place on 8th and 35th. If that's the place, it's really not memorable. But their lunch menus are decent.

[kelea]

Good luck...been here for half a year and i'm still struggling. Here's my thread for the nabe.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/617710