The rule is simple: a full meal, not a snack, for fifteen dollars before tip, somewhere you would be happy to sit for an hour. When we first published this list three years ago, twelve places cleared the bar. Only six still do.
The survivors
Lupe’s on Fifth still serves the best breakfast plate in the city, and it still costs twelve dollars. The lunch counter at the Fulton Street market is louder than it was and no worse for it. Bao House, Pho Hanh, the falafel window on Front Street and the Polish deli by the ferry all held the line.
The new ones
Six newcomers, four of them in the Eastside, where the rents are still low enough to sell a bowl of noodles for eleven dollars. The standout is a Yemeni place called Sana’a that opened in a former bank branch and uses the vault as a private room for groups of six.
The full list, with addresses, hours and what to order, follows for members. If you think we missed one, the letters page is open.
