Four classic food stops in New York's Hell's Kitchen

[Flickr / Cevic]


Over the past few decades, the neighborhood immediately west of Times Square has been transformed from an area most New Yorkers avoided like the plague to one now flush with trendy condos, a happening nightlife scene, and a recent explosion of new hotels like Tudor Hotel New York, Ameritania Hotel, and GEM Hotel Midtown West. But the dining scene, while not short on options, can be a bit of an overwhelming blur, given the neighborhood’s new propensity for overpriced coffee shops, fusion eateries that seem to open and close weekly, and a greater concentration of generic Thai restaurants than anywhere this side of Bangkok. But locals will tell you Hell’s Kitchen is still home to some of New York’s best old-school eats.


Manganaro’s Grosseria and Manganaro's Heroboy: The family feud between these next-door Italian restaurants is the stuff of local legend, and the owners of either are happy to talk your ear off about how theirs is the true original HK sandwich shop. For our money, Grosseria is the better bet for hot entrees like veal parmesan, while Heroboy aces the cold cut sandwiches. Grosseria: 484 Ninth Ave. Heroboy: 494 Ninth Ave.


Leon Bakery: This hole-in-the-wall Mexican bakery and grocery store looks pretty unremarkable from the street, but head to the back during lunch hour for the steaming vat of fresh, homemade tamales filled with chicken, pork, and cheese. At $2 a piece, this is one of the cheapest (and tastiest) lunches to be found anywhere in Manhattan. 695 Ninth Ave.


Rudy’s Bar and Grill: This long-standing dive is a far cry from what you would call a restaurant, but they do have the cheapest dinner in town: free hot dogs. Even better, Rudy’s gives no nod to the neighborhood’s newfound trendiness, keeping pitchers of beer at an unbelievably cheap $7. 627 Ninth Ave.


-- Brendan Spiegel of Endless Simmer.