5 Lunch Specials That Will Make You Look Forward to (Finishing) Morning Classes

I used to loathe lunch breaks on campus. The trifecta of time, location, and price limits my options severely, often leaving me in paralysis about where to go to sustain myself through my afternoon classes. I almost understood the Midtown finance bros’ daily ritual of lining up for Sweetgreen at noon. At least sticking to that would save me from the struggle of indecision.

Then one day, my life changed when I typed in “lunch special” into Google Maps. The list of restaurants that churned out has carried me through my weekday lunches ever since. Now, I could vary up my gastronomic adventures at 12:15pm on weekdays without having to trek for 20 minutes and fear being late for my next class since all these places are within a 10 minute walk from Bobst. And most importantly, I could do all of that while feeling like I was getting a good deal, too. 

Google Maps was a good place to start, but it didn’t show me everything. To give you a leg up, here are my favorites from the past couple of months!

Top Thai Greenwich ($$)

235 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012

Top Thai was the first lunch deal I tried, the one that started it all. What’s more, I discovered it the old-fashioned way—I walked past it and saw the sign outside, then came back some time later with a friend. They actually have another outlet close by in the West Village, and both locations offer an appetizer and your choice of popular Thai entrees from Pad See Ew to Green Curry, starting from $15.95.

Personally, I love the Basil Udon with chicken. While it definitely isn’t the most authentic item on the menu, the chewy udon noodles go so well in soaking up the savory and spicy Pad Kra Pao sauce, providing an interesting twist on one of my favorite Thai dishes. And, most importantly, you can add on a glass of Thai Milk Tea for $2—cheaper than a soft drink in many places! I don’t know about you, but that sells it for me. 

Gandhi Cafe ($)

283 Bleecker St #4107, New York, NY 10014

To this day, I am still confident that this is the best value lunch special in the city. When I saw Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala for 8.95 under the lunch menu, I was already shocked, considering these usually cost at least double that. Moreover, you often have to get naan and rice individually as sides, but here it came with both! Admittedly, the curries felt a little sweet to me, but each chunk of meat was bursting with flavor from the Indian spices – just don’t finish the sauce.

Apart from that, each entree came with an appetizer, a bowl of soup, AND dessert. A three-course meal for $12…after tip…in this economy..? Everyone please go here so I can keep coming back. 

DH noodles ($)

15 W 8th St, New York, NY 10011

Fun fact: I actually first tried this place in Jersey City! Two months later, I saw that they were opening in Manhattan just above Washington Square Park too. They ran a $2 noodle special for a week which I unfortunately didn’t get to try. But their lunch special – $13 for an “appetizer”, a plate of eggplant, potato, or cucumber salad that could genuinely be shared between two, and a piping hot bowl of your choice of beef noodles –- is definitely bang for your buck. 

I would highly recommend either the Signature Lanzhou Beef Noodles or the Braised Beef Noodles. The beef broth is hearty and perfect for warming yourself up on the fake spring days we’ve been having. In addition, the noodles are freshly made on site too. How do I know this? Because you can customize the thickness of the noodles from thin to extra wide. Don’t sleep on the salads too: the cold, fresh vegetables may look simple but are a great complement to whet your appetite before and cleanse your palate during if the broth gets too much.

Gyu-kaku Japanese BBQ ($$$)

34 Cooper Sq, New York, NY 10003

BBQ for lunch? That’s what I also thought when my friends suggested it, but don’t knock it until you try it, because I have been convinced.  For $19.95, you get a choice of 3 meats to grill by yourself, together with rice and salad. This unique experience offers a change of pace from the other options, and is a perfect choice for longer lunch breaks, but less so when you meet your friends for lunch at 1 but have to go for class at 2. That’s not the fault of the service, because the meat actually came out pretty quickly, but more so because it takes at least an hour to get through cooking all the mountains of beef you will have in front of you. 

Pro-tip from my friend: if you order the Angus Beef Rib, ask for salt, because a dash takes it up a level.

Frankly, considering I was stuffed by the time I got to my third tray of beef and had a massive food coma during my afternoon classes, I believe their smaller set, 2 meats for $15.95 is more than sufficient.

Olio e Più ($$$)

3 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014

Courtesy of Kieran Heng

This deal is definitely on the spendy side, especially for lunch… but after all, this is a spendy restaurant overall. Their lunch prix-fixe, which comes with a main-sized appetizer and one of their famed pastas for $25, is an underrated hack to dine at this West Village institution, get more food, (and maybe even impress a date) while minimizing the damage to your wallet as much as you can. 

Contrary to popular belief, the food came pretty fast here, and we were done in under an hour. And that was with slowing down, taking in the leafy potted plants and the midday sun rays streaming in, while snacking on an entire whole personal sized “pizzetta” as an appetizer.

I got the Spaghetti Carbonara, arguably their specialty and most popular dish, and it was rich and creamy with every bite; maybe even a little too rich. Topping a sauce made out of egg yolks and cheese with – you guessed it – another egg yolk and more grated cheese, is decadence exemplified. But I’m not complaining. We all need a little indulgence in the middle of the week to get us through, and this provided just that. 

Whether you’re tired of the dining halls and “bowl-grub”, or just want something you can look forward to in those too-short but also too-long intervals between classes, I hope this varied list is a good place to start! And even better, make your own – the satisfaction of finding a good lunch deal is all you need sometimes to get you through the school day.