Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
14 W. 4th St., btw. Broadway and Mercer St.
212/505-8934.
Mon-Thurs and Sun 11am-midnight; Fri-Sat 11am-1am. Subway: B/D/F/M to
Broadway/Lafayette St.; 6 to Bleecker St.
Joe's
PIZZA
In the art of laying out consistently fresh slices, Joe's has it down (as it has since 1975). Village tour-
ists, locals, and drunkards alike are drawn to the $2.75 beauties here, turned out piping hot from the gas-fired
oven. Tangy sauce and thick cheese complement the character in the crust.
7 Carmine St., btw. Sixth Ave. and Bleecker St.
212/366-1182.
www.joespizzanyc.com
.
Daily 9am-5am. Subway: A/B/C/D/E/F/M to W. 4th St./
Washington Sq.
Mamoun's
MIDDLEEASTERN/FALAFEL
This NYU favorite opened in 1971 and they've been so busy serving
up Middle Eastern delicacies that they haven't had the chance to revise their prices much. At $2.50, the falafel
sandwich is one of the city's best buys. The balls are small, dense, and packed with nutty flavor. Other veggie
pitas, like the baba ghanouj, are also $2.50. The chicken kabob, a mix of savory, seared meat and lightly sweet
tahini, is a highlight of the $5.50 meat sandwiches. Several competitors have hung their shingles on the block, but
Mamoun's is still the best. Seating is limited; in nice weather Washington Square Park serves as Mamoun's back
garden.
119 MacDougal St., btw. Minetta Lane and W. 3rd St.
212/674-8685.
www.mamouns.com
.
Daily 11am-5am. Subway: A/B/C/D/E/F/M to W. 4th
St./Washington Sq. Other location:
EastVillage,
22 St. Marks Place, btw. Second and Third aves.
212/387-7747.
Subway: 6 to Astor Place; N/R
to 8th St.
Street Meat & Greet: Carts & Trucks
Street carts are classic icons of New York City, although many still specialize in the hot dogs and Day-Glo-orange em-
panadas of Gotham's last incarnation. For a new city era, purveyors have gotten much more sophisticated, adding elab-
orate truck setups to the mix. There's even an annual award show, the Vendys (
www.streetvendor.org
), that recognizes
the city's finest street meat artisans. You can also follow/find many of your favorite trucks via Facebook and Twitter.
The
BiryaniCart
(southwest corner, 46th St. and Sixth Ave.) won the '08 and '09 People's Choice Award for its fresh,
flavorful Indian cuisine. Namesake chicken
biryani
is $6 for a huge portion, and
kati
rolls ($6 for two) are a Midtown cult
favorite.
Just a half a block away is another crowd-pleaser,
Kim'sAuntKitchen
(46th St., btw. Fifth and Sixth aves.). The awe-
some whiting sandwich (fish, fried on the spot) is just $4; order it on a hero with plenty of tartar and hot sauce.
The fast rise of Jeremy Lin has put Taiwan on New York's radar. For authentic Taiwanese cooking, check out the
Bian
Dang
(
www.biandangnyc.com
)
truck, the successor to NYC Cravings. Two huge pieces of chicken, rice, and pickled
veggies are $8. For the same price you can get the diabolically tasty fried pork chop, served with pork sauce! Check the
website or Twitter feed, as the truck rotates between several parking spaces on the weekdays. (There's also a brick and
mortar location, inside Koreatown's Food Gallery 32.)
For Korean on the move, check out the Mexican-inflected mashups served at the
KorillaBBQ
(
www.korillabbq.com
)
truck. Taco trios and burritos are on the bill ($7), stuffed with hearty
bulgogi
and six kinds of kimchi. Check Twitter or the
interwebs for the truck's weekday lunch and dinner locations.
The city's most famous cart is
53rdandSixth
(
www.53rdand6th.com
), named for the Midtown corner it holds down from
7pm until 5am. Tourists are regularly flummoxed by the length of the line (to say nothing of its 2,500-plus Yelp reviews), but
it's no mystery to the regulars—the $6 platters and $4 sandwiches here combine flavorful chicken and a legendary white
sauce with a recipe guarded more tightly than Fort Knox. (The daytime “imposter” cart on the same corner has become
almost as good as the original.)
You can make a great ethnic eating adventure by touring Midtown carts, or head for Latin America via Brooklyn's
Red
HookFoodVendors
(
www.redhookfoodvendors.com
)
. For decades, the local Latino population has been play-
