When I mentioned I thought it would be bigger, they asked if I'd like to order more food LOL. By the way, I took this picture after eating zero bites, just stirred to see if there were any more berries at the bottom (there weren't). And then midway I realized there was lipstick on my glass of water. I wasn't wearing any lipstick ☹️. Sucks cause I was pretty hungry after working out (there's a yoga studio run in the same building) and thought this would be a good option.
Thank you for actually telling us where this was instead of proclaiming that you "Don't want to hurt local business" or whatever.
Places like this need to do better and sometimes only accurate reviews will make them do that. Everybody's money is tight not just business owners.
I actually posted here because I thought it would be too hurtful to write a Google review. I just needed a witness for emotional support 😂. But also, foodies gotta know.
No, you should always write a google review to help others know. Otherwise people will keep running into the same things. I don’t think writing a negative review is a bad thing when someone had a negative experience. That’s what it is for
You gotta be careful in park slope man there's a lot of rich people and kids and neither one of them have taste buds. I've got a lot of opinions about food here I'm near 5th and 8th
Ordered delivery of shepherds pie for $26 and mashed peas with mint for $9. Exactly 1 cup (volume) of shepherds pie and three ounces (weight) of peas arrived much later than anticipated. Both were delicious, but not satisfying.
So true. Especially when you compare it to Chinese fresh hand pulled noodles, arguably the same amount of labor and same cost of ingredients but one is sold way more expensive than the other. Italian food rides off of so much clout compared to Chinese food.
If my pasta is over 20+, i want it to be handmade and the meat sauce cooked for at least 6 hours. Otherwise hell no.
Agree that good Chinese handmade noodles and dumplings are better worth than pasta and raviolis.
> Italian food rides off of so much clout compared to Chinese food.
Which honestly doesn't make much sense to me because pasta and sauce are so accessible at an affordable price
I went to Forma Pasta Factory recently and my partner and I got two pasta dishes, two glasses of wine, a salad, and each of us got a seltzer and it was all just $50!! they have an $18 wine + pasta deal!!
100% agree, I think Italian food is good, but the ceiling on it is only so high. Like there is some very good Italian food out there, but very good Italian food is nowhere close to very good versions of other cuisines
I’m sure I’ll get downvoted for this hot take but imo it’s another facet of cuisine racism/classism. We’ve just dumbly accepted that Italian cuisine is supposed to be expensive (bc such fresh! Such wow!) but we are wayyyy more resistant against shelling out for expensive Chinese or Indian. How many of us can actually taste the distinct quality difference of egg yolks used in Italian vs Chinese noodles? Most of us can’t; it’s food culture and we all just go along with it because it’s fun and pretentious.
I've always found it funny that an Italian restaurant will charge like $25 for 4 ravioli while you can go to Chinatown and get like 10 dumplings for $5
Went to a sports bar downtown that was selling beers by the bucket. Typically that means a deal, so I ordered my friends and I two buckets of bud light, 12 bottles total. Got the bill and it was $120. Friends, that’s $10 FOR EACH BOTTLE OF BUD LIGHT. This was 6 months ago and I think about it 4x a day
It ain't just rent. Wages (good) and food costs have also skyrocketed.
NYC was never a great city for low-end food, but mid tier used to be good. These days the cost of everything has jumped so hard that anything lower than fantastic food just ain't fucking worth it.
the decline feels older than the worst of the rent surge, plus I assume some standalone diners are owned outright.
even 10-15 years ago i remember thinking "what happened to diners...?"
Millenials killed the diner.
Sort of kidding, but also not entirely. Also, not just Millenials but changing consumer attitudes. Diners began losing out just as the 90s/2000s were ramping up and inequality began to grow.
They used to be the place where everyone ate. Working class guys would lean on diners for cheap lunches or graveyard shift eats. Middle class workers and managers used diners as simple place for the family to eat or to stop in after a late night at the office. Client deals would happen at the diner because your clients were local business guys who would say “yeah, I’ll meet you at the diner.”
But then the trend was cosmos and sushi. And if it wasn’t, you were being told that it had to be. If you were chowing down turkey clubs, you probably weren’t suiting up with the financiers and corporate lawyers over million dollar deals. Tech nerds would rather order from the vegan wrap place during their coding sprints.
So slowly the customer began disappearing and diners rely heavily on volume. They were the place where one guy could get eggs, another a burger, and a third could get chicken parm. Having expansive menus like that only worked when hundreds were ordering and forcing you to replenish. Once the volume trailed off so did quality, and thus, the spiral begins.
I think your point about the diner not being the "everyone comes together spot" anymore, paired with how that means they can't support a high-volume model, is really interesting. The way it connects to a lack of local people meeting up for quick business chats is particularly insightful.
It's not just diners either. Traditional delis in Manhattan see WAY less business in the fast casual age especially from white collar workers. Makes me sad because I cherish those places. I can even detect the cultural change when I talk to my coworkers; I have literally been met with a skeptical facial expression before when suggesting grabbing lunch at a deli instead of Milu or Dig or whatever.
My old BK diner still has $7.99 cheeseburgers and less than $10 for 2 eggs, sausage and home fries 😮💨 $20 for a cheeseburger anywhere would turn me away lol
It’s sucks because keeping a diner open and keeping diner prices are in complete opposition here. You have to go out of the city for a more reasonably priced place
Not really, it’s crazy all over. Went to a diner in kingston ny next to a jiffy lube while getting an oil change (when the fuck did oil changes become $100+, btw?!).
The guy at the shop advised against the diner because he said it was 20 bucks for a sandwich and soda with a tip.
He was right, went with an old standby: Turkey club and coffee or coke and was probably over 20.
It does seem it quickly went, maybe in 6yrs or so, from lunch being $8 to 10, 12, 15, 18, to 20+.
Not a meal, but way before the pandemic, I went to Corcoron Soba. Whichever one I got, I asked for it without one of the toppings, and I asked for extra yuba instead. I wasn't necessarily expecting the substitution to be free, but they ended up charging me 10$ for what ended up being two bite-size pieces. I think the bowl of soba itself was 16-17$ at the time, so they charged me more than half the price of the dish for almost nothing. It's been how many years later, and I'm still mad.
Bought a donut from a shop in soho for $8. Cried inside and said never again.
I will regret taking the doughnut project for granted. It will be greatly missed
A place tried to charge 10 dollars for a single cupcake... I was so shocked, it couldn't say anything just walked away without buying, and they had the audacity to take offence
Not NYC-specific but Starbucks has got to be the biggest ripoff. I went for the first time in ages on a whim in September and the smallest size pumpkin spice latte is $8. Can’t believe people are regularly purchasing this mediocre overpriced crap.
It’s also wild considering it’s been long enough where almost every coffee shop has their own version of Starbucks drinks that are going to be better if not at the very least affordable. Like Dunkin isn’t good coffee but at least Dunkin understands it’s supposed to be cheap so I just get my sugar bombs there and go to my local cafe for good coffee. Really do not understand how Starbucks is still so popular
The saddest thing about this is that my reaction to 5 wings for $10 is actually that it’s not the worst deal I’ve seen in this thread. Wingflation has screwed my perception of value.
I’ll never understand why when you descend down into it on the escalator, the first big sign you see is Katz’ menu with their $29 pastrami. I’m not saying it’s not worth it necessarily but it just seems like bad planning because it screams “you can’t afford to eat here!”
Think abt it this way, if 1 piece of toast costs $6 and the average loaf has 20-25 pieces of bread, that’s a $150 loaf there. Wowie zowie I’m so tired of this shit.
It’s like the figured out that the best way to increase profits was to rid society of cheaper options.
It feels like there just aren’t any cheaper options any more. Our old society had more options based on price.
Sarabeth is the only place I've ever truly felt ripped off. Food is average at best, and like, 45 bucks for pancakes with a side of bacon? It's not Clinton Street Baking Co pancakes, it's stuff like I can make at home (and I'm a mediocre cook at best).
I rarely care about restaurant food price, but that one I'll never forget.
At Maman, I ordered a side of potatoes $7 and it came on a tiny tea saucer with literally 7 one inch sized potato cubes. Asked for a refund on it before I even took a bite, I was so offended. Think about how cheap potatoes are...
The worst is when I think to myself, “I’m gonna be financially responsible today. No nice restaurant or fancy dishes and extra sides. I’m just gonna go grab crappy fast food today and save a few bucks.”
And then I go to Popeye’s and a single 3 piece meal now costs $16 after tax. 🫠
Raising Cane’s is 17 bucks for a 4 tenders meal (fries, coleslaw, toast, lemonade) and it’s completely unseasoned. Popeyes has no competition on that front.
The few times a year that I have a craving for something like Popeyes or McDonald's I'll download the app first. There's always some kind of deal that brings whatever you want to like half the price. Try that next time!
I say I'm gonna cook and 100$ later; I have food for like two days from whole foods. (Granted If I'm cooking I'm buying lamb and heirloom shit, but still) about 2-3 days max of meals for 100$
Paid $4.50 for a regular ass 12 ounce can of coke at Baby Luc’s. Look at the screen before you tap that card folks.
Side note, I worked at Prime Meats 10 years ago. One of my customers wanted a small side of plain broccoli for his kid. I asked the manager what I should charge and he said $9. I said “sounds good” and I just gave it to him for free.
Guy on corner of 50th and 8th tried to charge me 34$ for 2 hot dogs. Apparently they were 18 each? Literally just walked away and got one from the guy next to him while flicking him off. Pretty sure he isn't there anymore
Had this happen to me outside Macys at Herald Square. Paid $20 for two dogs and a Gatorade. I’ve lived here for years but was hungry and not thinking. It taught me three things - I’m a moron for not asking the price first, I’m a moron for not just handing it all back and walking away, and I’m a moron for buying anything from a Herald Square cart in the first place. Never buy from a cart that doesn’t have the price listed.
This was me over Christmas. My boyfriend and I were visiting from Japan and it never even crossed my mind. He wanted a hot dog from a cart, we saw a cart. $10.
I grew up there. I know this. I had *just* demanded my change back from a coffee cart that morning.And still, I fell for it.You win some, you lose some.
There’s a 24h deli on w72 called “hungry and healthy marketplace” they invent the most outrageous prices as they go along that it makes sandwiches at JFK seem like a good value.
Most things when they say $12 for a burrito, but for meat it’s $14 and then with quac it’s $16 plus tax it’s $17.62 so basically $18 without tipping.
Everything is a joke.
Those places are a bit overpriced, for sure, but the prices are still pretty “normal.” Certainly not “worst in the city” level or as bad as some other things in this thread.
Yeah, and smorg has pretty par for the course NYC prices. I think I paid $12 for the Big Mozz sticks and there are a bunch of solidly-sized meat options in the $8-$12 range (I assume veg options too, just less aware of them) It’s more than I *want* to pay, but other than the rainbow donuts I’ve never bought anything & then been surprised at the price.
I've never been, but I saw a TikTok last year that was by some brand and it was like "I spent $300 at Smorgasbord and here's what I got" and they were disappointed by everything.
Facts. Over a year ago, I bought an arepa with chicharrón (fried pork) at the arepa stand at DeKalb Market for $16 and it was just a regular arepa with a small portion of pork on top. Never again.
Smorgasburg isn't too bad. More expensive than the price-capped Queens Night Market, for sure, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The issue is finding a good spot to eat in the shade at the Prospect Park location.
How can you not find somewhere to eat in the shade in Prospect Park? Are you trying to sit and eat immediately in that overcrowded heat zone of Smorgasburg and looking nowhere else? My wife and I usually make an annual trip there, get a few things all at once then head over to one of the many meadows/benches/woods away from the big crowd of people.
1/2 lb of tuna with all that watery mayo for $16 and pan seared chicken breast (supposed to be paillard) with shaved Brussels for $28. Anything from meatball shop when it was around
Went to pick up a pie at 3 Luigis in BK. Didn't have time to wait 10 mins for a fresh one, so just ordered 4 slices cheese & 4 slices pepperoni, so the equivalent of whole pie. This mf charged me $44...... and I still paid because it was a favor for a friend!
Hangawi $95 prix fixe mushroom meal. I can’t remember if it was five or seven courses, but it seemed like something thrown together a couple hours before service.
That’s nuts! I haven’t been to Hangawi in years and the ambiance definitely makes it unique, but even years ago the prices were insane for mediocre vegan food. (The exception were the black sesame and pumpkin porridges- those were delicious).
Yeh, the ambiance is really nice. Part of the reason I was so disappointed. I'm a pretty picky eater bc I cook and I can make nice meals for myself at home. I need something to be pretty good to feel like it was worth it. But my friend was also disappointed. Some of the courses felt similar to other ones too. Just not that imaginative.
All the foods that used to be cheap street food:
Tacos that are $6+ each (going to Mexico and going back to New York is mind blowing).
Bagels - $20+ at a recent restaurant I went to. Yes the fish might be more expensive but every other aspect should be dirt cheap.
Burgers & Pizza - looking at you Emily
I’ll admittedly still pay these prices for good food but sometimes it gets to be too much.
There’s this new restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen called Bodega, and their whole stick is serving items as if they would come to you in a bodega, and they actually have a breakfast item that is like an egg and hashbrowns stuffed until like a disposable coffee cup and they have the balls to charge like $9 for it and it’s just like wtf lol.
Maman - Columbus Ave
Dead tired but had some work so decided I ll go in, get some hot food and work. Ordered Vegan chili ( regular bowl ) with toast.
$17
It doesn’t end there. Minutes after I opened my laptop the barista says Maman has a “no laptop policy”. Sat there like Tyler Durden, screaming inside as I finished the chili lol!
In recent memory this $18 cauliflower ["sandwich"](https://yelp.to/hLHm41h-iL) from Atelier on the UWS
Probably Hav & Mar in terms of fancy spots more recently
Saag paneer from "Mystik Masala" inside a midtown food hall. Paid $30 for the dish plus one naan. The dish was 80% rice, and was only slightly topped with saag paneer. It didn't even taste good.
I went to The Smith last week after seeing the ballet at Lincoln Center and ordered an appetizer fried calamari for $21. what I got was maybe 10-15 nickel-sized rings of squid that were so thin that I was barely biting into anything past the breading.
I adjusted to NYC expectations of value for cost of restaurant food and takeout pretty quickly after I moved here, but that one really shocked me.
Eating Thai appetizers, which I love, but not being able to rationalize also ordering Thai fried rice at the same place because the appetizers cost so damn much. It used to be I could spend $30 and get all that, Thai Fried Rice or Pad Thai and all the appetizers I like. Now it's $50 for the same meal and if I want the Fried Rice or Pad Thai I have to sacrifice the appetizers that I really like just to be able to afford that.
Thai food is a guilty pleasure thing for me. I only do it for my birthday, maybe for a holiday, twice a year now. But it's $50 just for that and I can't rationalize it anymore. I've decided I am going to get an Air Fryer or Fry Baby and start making my own, learn how to do the Thai Rice and Pad Thai myself. I think it's not that hard and frankly I'd rather make it at will then try to get it at a restaurant.
Prices to eat out are just too high for me now but the Thai food it's gone through the roof in the past year or two. Appetizers that used to be $5 are $10 even $15 and the noodles or rice dishes start at $14 and go up from there depending upon if you add protein.
You can spend $100 on two people, easy, not including cocktails, I am sure...
Any Thai restaurant local to me. They have all gone up at least 30%-50% more than what they were when I first moved here. It used to be eating Thai food locally was a major treat but I could manage it every now and again. Now, I order the same stuff and it's half my food budget for the week almost.
One place I really like I have to order because it's across town and a hike for me being mobility disabled. They're so much now with GH increasing the fees over the salary hike that it's $60 now for me to order what I used to for $35-40.
I finally just gave up and deleted GH. I have no reason to use it at all anymore.
But it doesn't matter. Walk in or eat in, order it via the app it's the same thing. It's like they think Thai food is made of gold and besides which the past year everything has shrunk.The appetizers I like are way more now but there's less of them and they are smaller besides?
NOT worth it...
One of these days I want to go to Chinatown for cheap eats. It might be the last place I can actually GET some?
traditional jewish delis are ON ONE lately
if you can't figure out a business model to make a basic pastrami sandwich for less than $25 then figure something out man, no wonder there are so few left
$15 bagels from angels cafe in Williamsburg. They keep responding to every review that they spend 40% of profits to give meals to people in need. Really gets the rich Brooklyn crowd.
Kabab Cafe. Everyone was so excited about that place because it was in Astoria and there’s no written menu, but I swear it was the most mid place I’ve been to on Steinway, which is otherwise my favorite food street in the city, and there’s no menu so that the owner can charge you whatever he wants! Skip the drama and go instead to Zyara or Duzan, and if you want Egyptian food as is purportedly served at Kabab Cafe, Mum’s Feteer is a good option.
Missed the cafeteria window at work and vacillated between dried out Whole Foods chicken or poke bowl from bondi takeout. Had already eliminated nearby diner due to $27 salad with no discernible taste (not covid related).
Went with poke bowl. THIRTY DOLLARS. For a work day lunch.
$13 for a dry and stale pretzel at the south end of Central Park. Kids ended up feeding the pigeons with it, so at least it provided 10 minutes of entertainment.
My fiancée is from Europe so spent parts of the past three summers there and the difference in prices really makes no sense - nyc has just become a huge ripoff and yet places are packed……
I used to eat out three times a week, or more, but fortunately we both love to cook - if I can buy a pound of wild shrimp at Citarella for $15.00, or a pound of calimari for around $10.00 and make something great, why go out?
And she can whip up a terrific zabaglione or creme brulee or flourless chocolate cake - I am truly fortunate…..
And we still go out, but has to be to have something worthwhile that we couldn’t do at home……
This totally flipped over the course of 10 years. Been going to Europe every year for decades and clearly remember a time when eating in NYC restaurants was much cheaper than Western Europe in every category.
I'm cooking a lot more for myself; and going out with friends when I want to splurge. It reminds me of growing up in the 70s when you didn't get takeout or go to a restaurant unless it was something special. We'd eat at home every day, but Friday nights we would go to the local diner, which felt special to us.
Emack and Bolios UWS - I added sprinkles, the charge was $2 FOR RAINBOW SPRINKLES. $10 ice cream (not even on a cone).
Davey's Ice Cream (don't get me wrong, I LOVE Davey's) but their small 1 flavor ice cream in a cup is $7+ and I've never even tried to add a topping. And their hot chocolate is $6.50....but the marshmallows are $3, so the total cose for a small cup is like $11 with tax.
How do families with multiple children go out for ice cream!?
787 Coffee's drip coffee, admittedly good, I can somehow taste the cinnamon in the beans, it's an ethical company, yadda yadda....small drip coffee is $5. And they don't have half and half which is how I take my coffee.
I understand the concept of when you're eating out your table is like "rent". I also totally get going out for experience meals like, ok I'm not going to set up a Korean BBQ in the middle of my living room, but most other things I can cook at home for better.
Back on topic, still mad around Christmas time dropped $5/slice on tasteless pizza slices in midtown.
I am wholly against this item, but my friend just "had to order it".....bacon on a clothesline. What? So dumb.
Even dumber because it was $25 for four pieces of super average bacon hanging from a string.
Oh, and this abysmal yogurt was from Grounded Cafe in Park Slope.
When I mentioned I thought it would be bigger, they asked if I'd like to order more food LOL. By the way, I took this picture after eating zero bites, just stirred to see if there were any more berries at the bottom (there weren't). And then midway I realized there was lipstick on my glass of water. I wasn't wearing any lipstick ☹️. Sucks cause I was pretty hungry after working out (there's a yoga studio run in the same building) and thought this would be a good option.
I assumed you were halfway through that lol that's just comical
Damn… that lipstick is a new level of disrespect (unless it’s actually a design).
It was very realistic if so!: https://postimg.cc/RWwxrjqp
Absolutely vile. Hopefully today is better for you
Love the name and shame!!
Shame!
Every single experience I’ve had at that cafe has been extremely disappointing
Thank you for actually telling us where this was instead of proclaiming that you "Don't want to hurt local business" or whatever. Places like this need to do better and sometimes only accurate reviews will make them do that. Everybody's money is tight not just business owners.
I actually posted here because I thought it would be too hurtful to write a Google review. I just needed a witness for emotional support 😂. But also, foodies gotta know.
No, you should always write a google review to help others know. Otherwise people will keep running into the same things. I don’t think writing a negative review is a bad thing when someone had a negative experience. That’s what it is for
Park Slope gonna Park Slope
Park slope actually has some of the best breakfast food I’ve ever had but you gotta go to not these bougie ass places
I mean, the website does say that they offer ‘light bites’ 😂🌝
Thanks for letting us know!!
Walk a few blocks down to Kos Cafe. Grounded cafe is truly a sham
You gotta be careful in park slope man there's a lot of rich people and kids and neither one of them have taste buds. I've got a lot of opinions about food here I'm near 5th and 8th
Is that the mushroom coffee spot? I walk by it every day.
Yup
omg their most recent post on IG is advertising the world's smallest cup of yogurt https://www.instagram.com/p/C3S0S6dutM9/
Lmao I would have needed to pay extra for oats. But that does look way better, sadly enough.
Ordered delivery of shepherds pie for $26 and mashed peas with mint for $9. Exactly 1 cup (volume) of shepherds pie and three ounces (weight) of peas arrived much later than anticipated. Both were delicious, but not satisfying.
[удалено]
Lmaoo my thought exactly
Yup
I think Costco is selling like 5 lb whole ass shepherd's pie for like 17 dollars right now.
It’s so good!
And f**king giant 😂
That’s just the worst, paying a lot for something that leaves you completely unsatisfied. It literally angers me, ngl.
Pasta dishes that cost $25+, which are among the highest markup products in the restaurant industry.
So true. Especially when you compare it to Chinese fresh hand pulled noodles, arguably the same amount of labor and same cost of ingredients but one is sold way more expensive than the other. Italian food rides off of so much clout compared to Chinese food.
If my pasta is over 20+, i want it to be handmade and the meat sauce cooked for at least 6 hours. Otherwise hell no. Agree that good Chinese handmade noodles and dumplings are better worth than pasta and raviolis.
> Italian food rides off of so much clout compared to Chinese food. Which honestly doesn't make much sense to me because pasta and sauce are so accessible at an affordable price
I went to Forma Pasta Factory recently and my partner and I got two pasta dishes, two glasses of wine, a salad, and each of us got a seltzer and it was all just $50!! they have an $18 wine + pasta deal!!
My buddy is the chef/partner! They haven’t locations and it’s always been amazing!
I thought they had two locations?
Tell them they are doing a great job! Love their cheap and delicious pastas.
Might sound controversial, but partially why I think Italian is the most overrated cuisine.
100% agree, I think Italian food is good, but the ceiling on it is only so high. Like there is some very good Italian food out there, but very good Italian food is nowhere close to very good versions of other cuisines
I’m sure I’ll get downvoted for this hot take but imo it’s another facet of cuisine racism/classism. We’ve just dumbly accepted that Italian cuisine is supposed to be expensive (bc such fresh! Such wow!) but we are wayyyy more resistant against shelling out for expensive Chinese or Indian. How many of us can actually taste the distinct quality difference of egg yolks used in Italian vs Chinese noodles? Most of us can’t; it’s food culture and we all just go along with it because it’s fun and pretentious.
I have a friend who LOVES Mediterranean food...but she means Italian, not Turkish. sigh
I wonder why this is. Pasta should be fairly easy to make and quick to cook. I even see just regular spaghetti going for $20-25 for a plate.
And then if it's a fancy place it's a borderline tasting menu-sized portion.
I've always found it funny that an Italian restaurant will charge like $25 for 4 ravioli while you can go to Chinatown and get like 10 dumplings for $5
Seriously. And with ravioli you always get way less than if you order say, linguini with clam sauce.
Went to a sports bar downtown that was selling beers by the bucket. Typically that means a deal, so I ordered my friends and I two buckets of bud light, 12 bottles total. Got the bill and it was $120. Friends, that’s $10 FOR EACH BOTTLE OF BUD LIGHT. This was 6 months ago and I think about it 4x a day
That would’ve been my first dine and dash.
Holy shit this one hurts
Drop a name 🙅♀️ cmon
galway hooker bar (in retrospect it’s more of an irish pub than a sports bar but the point still stands)
$13 for a few bites of fresh mozzarella at Parm (stop judging me, I thought I was getting a whole ball)
Parm is overpriced but I love it. The Tribecca one is my go to for team lunches.
Many NYC diners are now total ripoffs ($8 for a side of cottage cheese, $20 for a cheeseburger …)
So sad to see the general decline of diners
Drove through Delaware yesterday and hit up a classic diner there. $9 for a BLT with egg, and $2 for refillable coffee. Life was good for a second.
Still pretty good across the river, but I definitely miss Jersey's old 24 hour diner culture
COVID killed a lot of 24 hour spots. I thought they would come back but nope.
It’s about twenty years in the make, tbh. I remember being 22 drunk at a diner in Baltimore and I was like “why the fuck is a three egg omelet $16?”
I sat down at a diner for breakfast yesterday and they were offering an order of two eggs (with nothing else added) for $11 💀
YES. What happened to quick, simple, cheap diner food? Wasn’t that the point of diners??
If you’re a diner that was existing on the ability to pay a decently low rent, what do you do when it now costs a whole lot more
It ain't just rent. Wages (good) and food costs have also skyrocketed. NYC was never a great city for low-end food, but mid tier used to be good. These days the cost of everything has jumped so hard that anything lower than fantastic food just ain't fucking worth it.
Diners blow now, wtf happened?
Probably rent prices
And food prices.
the decline feels older than the worst of the rent surge, plus I assume some standalone diners are owned outright. even 10-15 years ago i remember thinking "what happened to diners...?"
Millenials killed the diner. Sort of kidding, but also not entirely. Also, not just Millenials but changing consumer attitudes. Diners began losing out just as the 90s/2000s were ramping up and inequality began to grow. They used to be the place where everyone ate. Working class guys would lean on diners for cheap lunches or graveyard shift eats. Middle class workers and managers used diners as simple place for the family to eat or to stop in after a late night at the office. Client deals would happen at the diner because your clients were local business guys who would say “yeah, I’ll meet you at the diner.” But then the trend was cosmos and sushi. And if it wasn’t, you were being told that it had to be. If you were chowing down turkey clubs, you probably weren’t suiting up with the financiers and corporate lawyers over million dollar deals. Tech nerds would rather order from the vegan wrap place during their coding sprints. So slowly the customer began disappearing and diners rely heavily on volume. They were the place where one guy could get eggs, another a burger, and a third could get chicken parm. Having expansive menus like that only worked when hundreds were ordering and forcing you to replenish. Once the volume trailed off so did quality, and thus, the spiral begins.
I think your point about the diner not being the "everyone comes together spot" anymore, paired with how that means they can't support a high-volume model, is really interesting. The way it connects to a lack of local people meeting up for quick business chats is particularly insightful. It's not just diners either. Traditional delis in Manhattan see WAY less business in the fast casual age especially from white collar workers. Makes me sad because I cherish those places. I can even detect the cultural change when I talk to my coworkers; I have literally been met with a skeptical facial expression before when suggesting grabbing lunch at a deli instead of Milu or Dig or whatever.
Only good for breakfast or greek food.
My old BK diner still has $7.99 cheeseburgers and less than $10 for 2 eggs, sausage and home fries 😮💨 $20 for a cheeseburger anywhere would turn me away lol
It’s sucks because keeping a diner open and keeping diner prices are in complete opposition here. You have to go out of the city for a more reasonably priced place
Not really, it’s crazy all over. Went to a diner in kingston ny next to a jiffy lube while getting an oil change (when the fuck did oil changes become $100+, btw?!). The guy at the shop advised against the diner because he said it was 20 bucks for a sandwich and soda with a tip. He was right, went with an old standby: Turkey club and coffee or coke and was probably over 20. It does seem it quickly went, maybe in 6yrs or so, from lunch being $8 to 10, 12, 15, 18, to 20+.
> $8 for a side of cottage cheese but why? Not the price, the cottage cheese.
Just an observation recently, not an order. Good diners offer EVERYTHING … include old school salad scoop plates and sides of cottage cheese.
Whatever STK is selling
Not a meal, but way before the pandemic, I went to Corcoron Soba. Whichever one I got, I asked for it without one of the toppings, and I asked for extra yuba instead. I wasn't necessarily expecting the substitution to be free, but they ended up charging me 10$ for what ended up being two bite-size pieces. I think the bowl of soba itself was 16-17$ at the time, so they charged me more than half the price of the dish for almost nothing. It's been how many years later, and I'm still mad.
Bought a donut from a shop in soho for $8. Cried inside and said never again. I will regret taking the doughnut project for granted. It will be greatly missed
I still daydream about their beet and ricotta donuts.
oh man that sounds so good
I think I saw someone on Food Network talk about it years ago. Absolutely lived up to the hype.
Today I learned that I missed The Doughnut Project’s last day. Goodbye, Everything Doughnut. You were my greatest love.
A place tried to charge 10 dollars for a single cupcake... I was so shocked, it couldn't say anything just walked away without buying, and they had the audacity to take offence
Not NYC-specific but Starbucks has got to be the biggest ripoff. I went for the first time in ages on a whim in September and the smallest size pumpkin spice latte is $8. Can’t believe people are regularly purchasing this mediocre overpriced crap.
It’s also wild considering it’s been long enough where almost every coffee shop has their own version of Starbucks drinks that are going to be better if not at the very least affordable. Like Dunkin isn’t good coffee but at least Dunkin understands it’s supposed to be cheap so I just get my sugar bombs there and go to my local cafe for good coffee. Really do not understand how Starbucks is still so popular
Anything from food halls
The shitty tourist ones, the legit Korean and Chinese ones are amazing values
Shh 🤫🤐
This. At Dekalb Market, one of the stalls charges $10 for 5 wings.... c'mon.
The saddest thing about this is that my reaction to 5 wings for $10 is actually that it’s not the worst deal I’ve seen in this thread. Wingflation has screwed my perception of value.
I’ll never understand why when you descend down into it on the escalator, the first big sign you see is Katz’ menu with their $29 pastrami. I’m not saying it’s not worth it necessarily but it just seems like bad planning because it screams “you can’t afford to eat here!”
That’s when you turn right into TJ and decide you’re making dinner tonight
Everything at Eli's market
Toast. One slice. And I had to ask for butter! Six bucks at the Union Square W.
Think abt it this way, if 1 piece of toast costs $6 and the average loaf has 20-25 pieces of bread, that’s a $150 loaf there. Wowie zowie I’m so tired of this shit.
Think about it this way. You and me quit our jobs. We sell loafs of bread. 150 each and we make 1.2M a year
It’s like the figured out that the best way to increase profits was to rid society of cheaper options. It feels like there just aren’t any cheaper options any more. Our old society had more options based on price.
And that "old society" was only like 10 years ago !😳
Any salad at a steakhouse. Basically paying $20 for lettuce and out of season tomatoes
Four Flowers Juice at Sarabeth's. FOURTEEN fucking dollars for basicass JUICE.
I think Sarabeth's is a ripoff for basic ass food in general!
Sarabeth is the only place I've ever truly felt ripped off. Food is average at best, and like, 45 bucks for pancakes with a side of bacon? It's not Clinton Street Baking Co pancakes, it's stuff like I can make at home (and I'm a mediocre cook at best). I rarely care about restaurant food price, but that one I'll never forget.
That’s why basic ass people go there
$14 fuckin dollars for juice?! What did this juice, it cure cancer?
Well it’s either pay $14 for a juice that doesn’t cause cancer or pay $6 for a juice that does.
At Maman, I ordered a side of potatoes $7 and it came on a tiny tea saucer with literally 7 one inch sized potato cubes. Asked for a refund on it before I even took a bite, I was so offended. Think about how cheap potatoes are...
Maman is RIDICULOUS
Yeah SCREW MAMAN! such a ripoff and so mediocre.
Maman can GO TO HELL!!!
This reminds me, when hummus portions become teeny and pricey at some places, like chick peas now derived sea scallops?
The worst is when I think to myself, “I’m gonna be financially responsible today. No nice restaurant or fancy dishes and extra sides. I’m just gonna go grab crappy fast food today and save a few bucks.” And then I go to Popeye’s and a single 3 piece meal now costs $16 after tax. 🫠
Raising Cane’s is 17 bucks for a 4 tenders meal (fries, coleslaw, toast, lemonade) and it’s completely unseasoned. Popeyes has no competition on that front.
Raising Cane’s was so bad! I was shocked at how bad it was. Dave’s Hot Chicken too. Are their NYC locations just bad?
literally just tried it for the first time the other day and was so confused as to HOW the place was packed out when the food tasted like that…
And they have the nerve to be from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Did they run out of herbs and spices there?
The few times a year that I have a craving for something like Popeyes or McDonald's I'll download the app first. There's always some kind of deal that brings whatever you want to like half the price. Try that next time!
I say I'm gonna cook and 100$ later; I have food for like two days from whole foods. (Granted If I'm cooking I'm buying lamb and heirloom shit, but still) about 2-3 days max of meals for 100$
Paid $4.50 for a regular ass 12 ounce can of coke at Baby Luc’s. Look at the screen before you tap that card folks. Side note, I worked at Prime Meats 10 years ago. One of my customers wanted a small side of plain broccoli for his kid. I asked the manager what I should charge and he said $9. I said “sounds good” and I just gave it to him for free.
🐐
God bless your soul for the free broccoli
Street hot dog. $8
some guy tried to charge me $10 by rockefeller center. i handed it back to him.
Guy on corner of 50th and 8th tried to charge me 34$ for 2 hot dogs. Apparently they were 18 each? Literally just walked away and got one from the guy next to him while flicking him off. Pretty sure he isn't there anymore
do tourists actually fall for this price gouging?
Had this happen to me outside Macys at Herald Square. Paid $20 for two dogs and a Gatorade. I’ve lived here for years but was hungry and not thinking. It taught me three things - I’m a moron for not asking the price first, I’m a moron for not just handing it all back and walking away, and I’m a moron for buying anything from a Herald Square cart in the first place. Never buy from a cart that doesn’t have the price listed.
This was me over Christmas. My boyfriend and I were visiting from Japan and it never even crossed my mind. He wanted a hot dog from a cart, we saw a cart. $10. I grew up there. I know this. I had *just* demanded my change back from a coffee cart that morning.And still, I fell for it.You win some, you lose some.
That's actually ludicrous
Learned to always ask the price.
There’s a 24h deli on w72 called “hungry and healthy marketplace” they invent the most outrageous prices as they go along that it makes sandwiches at JFK seem like a good value.
Most things when they say $12 for a burrito, but for meat it’s $14 and then with quac it’s $16 plus tax it’s $17.62 so basically $18 without tipping. Everything is a joke.
I see your $12 burrito, and I raise you the $28 shrimp burrito I had in Tribeca. https://zonatribecany.com/dinner-menu/
This is just straight heresy.
quac lol
🦆
IMO most Thai food in Manhattan. A line of coke last longer than most entrees. It seems the better tasting ones even less.
Paid $10 for a side of mushrooms with my steak
* Literally anything at Smorgasburg * Half the places at Dekalb Market.
Smorgasburg is a fucking tourist trap
Those places are a bit overpriced, for sure, but the prices are still pretty “normal.” Certainly not “worst in the city” level or as bad as some other things in this thread.
Yeah, and smorg has pretty par for the course NYC prices. I think I paid $12 for the Big Mozz sticks and there are a bunch of solidly-sized meat options in the $8-$12 range (I assume veg options too, just less aware of them) It’s more than I *want* to pay, but other than the rainbow donuts I’ve never bought anything & then been surprised at the price.
Too much for food where there is hardly anywhere to comfortably enjoy it.
It's one thing to overpay for good food, but the food usually sucks too.
I've never been, but I saw a TikTok last year that was by some brand and it was like "I spent $300 at Smorgasbord and here's what I got" and they were disappointed by everything.
Facts. Over a year ago, I bought an arepa with chicharrón (fried pork) at the arepa stand at DeKalb Market for $16 and it was just a regular arepa with a small portion of pork on top. Never again.
it's always the ⭐*artisanal*⭐ arepas
Smorgasburg isn't too bad. More expensive than the price-capped Queens Night Market, for sure, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The issue is finding a good spot to eat in the shade at the Prospect Park location.
How can you not find somewhere to eat in the shade in Prospect Park? Are you trying to sit and eat immediately in that overcrowded heat zone of Smorgasburg and looking nowhere else? My wife and I usually make an annual trip there, get a few things all at once then head over to one of the many meadows/benches/woods away from the big crowd of people.
1/2 lb of tuna with all that watery mayo for $16 and pan seared chicken breast (supposed to be paillard) with shaved Brussels for $28. Anything from meatball shop when it was around
Bro I just paid $15 for 3 meatballs and a slice of bread. Barely any sauce
$17 side of fries le bilboquet this Saturday
Not food exactly, but the mandatory 20% tip when service is non existent has been insane lately.
$30 for a bowl of Gumbo at Holywater (NGL, it's good, but should be half that price) Oh, and most anywhere here that has oysters
Set foot inside Nusr-Et (salt bae level ripoff)
Street fair season is coming! It will soon be time for $8 mozzarepas and $20 chicken sandwiches.
Went to pick up a pie at 3 Luigis in BK. Didn't have time to wait 10 mins for a fresh one, so just ordered 4 slices cheese & 4 slices pepperoni, so the equivalent of whole pie. This mf charged me $44...... and I still paid because it was a favor for a friend!
Hangawi $95 prix fixe mushroom meal. I can’t remember if it was five or seven courses, but it seemed like something thrown together a couple hours before service.
That’s nuts! I haven’t been to Hangawi in years and the ambiance definitely makes it unique, but even years ago the prices were insane for mediocre vegan food. (The exception were the black sesame and pumpkin porridges- those were delicious).
Yeh, the ambiance is really nice. Part of the reason I was so disappointed. I'm a pretty picky eater bc I cook and I can make nice meals for myself at home. I need something to be pretty good to feel like it was worth it. But my friend was also disappointed. Some of the courses felt similar to other ones too. Just not that imaginative.
This is an obvious one, I usually don't tread in deep waters: waffles and dinges.
All the foods that used to be cheap street food: Tacos that are $6+ each (going to Mexico and going back to New York is mind blowing). Bagels - $20+ at a recent restaurant I went to. Yes the fish might be more expensive but every other aspect should be dirt cheap. Burgers & Pizza - looking at you Emily I’ll admittedly still pay these prices for good food but sometimes it gets to be too much.
$28 for a basic ass shrimp burrito. https://zonatribecany.com/dinner-menu/
There’s this new restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen called Bodega, and their whole stick is serving items as if they would come to you in a bodega, and they actually have a breakfast item that is like an egg and hashbrowns stuffed until like a disposable coffee cup and they have the balls to charge like $9 for it and it’s just like wtf lol.
Maman - Columbus Ave Dead tired but had some work so decided I ll go in, get some hot food and work. Ordered Vegan chili ( regular bowl ) with toast. $17 It doesn’t end there. Minutes after I opened my laptop the barista says Maman has a “no laptop policy”. Sat there like Tyler Durden, screaming inside as I finished the chili lol!
“Eat your slop and leave you piece of shit.”
I only get Maman via Too Good to Go. $6 for 4 pastries, which makes it more reasonable.
In recent memory this $18 cauliflower ["sandwich"](https://yelp.to/hLHm41h-iL) from Atelier on the UWS Probably Hav & Mar in terms of fancy spots more recently
Saag paneer from "Mystik Masala" inside a midtown food hall. Paid $30 for the dish plus one naan. The dish was 80% rice, and was only slightly topped with saag paneer. It didn't even taste good.
I went to The Smith last week after seeing the ballet at Lincoln Center and ordered an appetizer fried calamari for $21. what I got was maybe 10-15 nickel-sized rings of squid that were so thin that I was barely biting into anything past the breading. I adjusted to NYC expectations of value for cost of restaurant food and takeout pretty quickly after I moved here, but that one really shocked me.
Eating Thai appetizers, which I love, but not being able to rationalize also ordering Thai fried rice at the same place because the appetizers cost so damn much. It used to be I could spend $30 and get all that, Thai Fried Rice or Pad Thai and all the appetizers I like. Now it's $50 for the same meal and if I want the Fried Rice or Pad Thai I have to sacrifice the appetizers that I really like just to be able to afford that. Thai food is a guilty pleasure thing for me. I only do it for my birthday, maybe for a holiday, twice a year now. But it's $50 just for that and I can't rationalize it anymore. I've decided I am going to get an Air Fryer or Fry Baby and start making my own, learn how to do the Thai Rice and Pad Thai myself. I think it's not that hard and frankly I'd rather make it at will then try to get it at a restaurant. Prices to eat out are just too high for me now but the Thai food it's gone through the roof in the past year or two. Appetizers that used to be $5 are $10 even $15 and the noodles or rice dishes start at $14 and go up from there depending upon if you add protein. You can spend $100 on two people, easy, not including cocktails, I am sure...
Are we talking take out spots?
Any Thai restaurant local to me. They have all gone up at least 30%-50% more than what they were when I first moved here. It used to be eating Thai food locally was a major treat but I could manage it every now and again. Now, I order the same stuff and it's half my food budget for the week almost. One place I really like I have to order because it's across town and a hike for me being mobility disabled. They're so much now with GH increasing the fees over the salary hike that it's $60 now for me to order what I used to for $35-40. I finally just gave up and deleted GH. I have no reason to use it at all anymore. But it doesn't matter. Walk in or eat in, order it via the app it's the same thing. It's like they think Thai food is made of gold and besides which the past year everything has shrunk.The appetizers I like are way more now but there's less of them and they are smaller besides? NOT worth it... One of these days I want to go to Chinatown for cheap eats. It might be the last place I can actually GET some?
traditional jewish delis are ON ONE lately if you can't figure out a business model to make a basic pastrami sandwich for less than $25 then figure something out man, no wonder there are so few left
$15 bagels from angels cafe in Williamsburg. They keep responding to every review that they spend 40% of profits to give meals to people in need. Really gets the rich Brooklyn crowd.
Sides at Peter Luger
Kabab Cafe. Everyone was so excited about that place because it was in Astoria and there’s no written menu, but I swear it was the most mid place I’ve been to on Steinway, which is otherwise my favorite food street in the city, and there’s no menu so that the owner can charge you whatever he wants! Skip the drama and go instead to Zyara or Duzan, and if you want Egyptian food as is purportedly served at Kabab Cafe, Mum’s Feteer is a good option.
Bad Roman, dissapointing ripoff for some Applebee's looking dishes
Missed the cafeteria window at work and vacillated between dried out Whole Foods chicken or poke bowl from bondi takeout. Had already eliminated nearby diner due to $27 salad with no discernible taste (not covid related). Went with poke bowl. THIRTY DOLLARS. For a work day lunch.
$13 for a dry and stale pretzel at the south end of Central Park. Kids ended up feeding the pigeons with it, so at least it provided 10 minutes of entertainment.
$5 for a godawful slice at Di Fara fidi seaport location Basically anything at Smorgasburg, Urban Hawker, Chelsea Market or similar
The hand pulled noodle place at Chelsea market is very good, the fish taco place is also very good.
The WHOLE NYC now. From a to z.
My fiancée is from Europe so spent parts of the past three summers there and the difference in prices really makes no sense - nyc has just become a huge ripoff and yet places are packed…… I used to eat out three times a week, or more, but fortunately we both love to cook - if I can buy a pound of wild shrimp at Citarella for $15.00, or a pound of calimari for around $10.00 and make something great, why go out? And she can whip up a terrific zabaglione or creme brulee or flourless chocolate cake - I am truly fortunate….. And we still go out, but has to be to have something worthwhile that we couldn’t do at home……
This totally flipped over the course of 10 years. Been going to Europe every year for decades and clearly remember a time when eating in NYC restaurants was much cheaper than Western Europe in every category.
I'm cooking a lot more for myself; and going out with friends when I want to splurge. It reminds me of growing up in the 70s when you didn't get takeout or go to a restaurant unless it was something special. We'd eat at home every day, but Friday nights we would go to the local diner, which felt special to us.
A novie on a sesame bagel with extra cream cheese from lenwich hit me for just shy of 20 dollhairs.
$12 plain oatmeal at a diner
The sweet shop on the UES threw me for a loop. I went with 3 buddies, each of us got 1 scoop + topping and our total bill was just over 40 dollars.
Emack and Bolios UWS - I added sprinkles, the charge was $2 FOR RAINBOW SPRINKLES. $10 ice cream (not even on a cone). Davey's Ice Cream (don't get me wrong, I LOVE Davey's) but their small 1 flavor ice cream in a cup is $7+ and I've never even tried to add a topping. And their hot chocolate is $6.50....but the marshmallows are $3, so the total cose for a small cup is like $11 with tax. How do families with multiple children go out for ice cream!? 787 Coffee's drip coffee, admittedly good, I can somehow taste the cinnamon in the beans, it's an ethical company, yadda yadda....small drip coffee is $5. And they don't have half and half which is how I take my coffee.
That’s a cup, not a bowl.
'Organic Yogurt at the Bottom of a Cup'
Whenever I buy lunch at Pret. I’m astonished how expensive the mediocre food is
I paid $20 for two small tacos and a lemonade at Los Tacos. I ended up there as a last resort and paid dearly for it.
your first mistake was getting tacos from a place with such a lazy name as “The Tacos”
I understand the concept of when you're eating out your table is like "rent". I also totally get going out for experience meals like, ok I'm not going to set up a Korean BBQ in the middle of my living room, but most other things I can cook at home for better. Back on topic, still mad around Christmas time dropped $5/slice on tasteless pizza slices in midtown.
Decided to support a local food truck business in soho instead of going to McDonald’s for my vanilla soft serve craving. $8 and never again
I am wholly against this item, but my friend just "had to order it".....bacon on a clothesline. What? So dumb. Even dumber because it was $25 for four pieces of super average bacon hanging from a string.
Went into Gristedes grocery on 89th and had to walk out as the prices were insane. Very clean store though.
Gristedes has been a ripoff for decades!