When walking through the Theater District, there are not a lot of reasonable options to eat anymore. Most of the .99cent pizza places are now charging $1.50 a slice (even though they have not changed their signs) and all of the great diners and small restaurants have either closed during the pandemic (no office workers in the district anymore) or have raised their prices to where a sandwich that was $5.95 is now $9.95 and it hasn’t gotten any bigger or better. This was until I passed Hello Deli on 215 West 53rd Street. It is one of the few hold outs in Midtown that still serves reasonable food with nice portion sizes at a very fair price. I have been there twice and enjoyed it very much both times.
The first time I went to Hello Deli, I passed this unassuming little take out place with limited seating both inside and out and a lot of boxes piled up (both inside and out). I forgot that it had been made famous by David Letterman when he took over the “Late Show” around the corner. That was over a decade ago and I had not remembered it. I am not sure if the same owner owns it or the guy who keeps waiting on me is the new owner. It says online that it is closed but it is very much open.
The inside and selection of food items that Hello Deli carries.
There is a nice selection of salads, sandwiches and soups to choose from on any given day with plenty of chips and desserts to accompany them. I was impressed by the number of sandwiches to select and they can put prepared with either a roll, bagel or hero roll (hoagie). The prices can range anything from $6.99 to $9.99 and the portion sizes of the sandwiches are very generous.
The selection of freshly prepared salads that you can order and take out with you.
The first time I ate here the deli was quiet and the inside of the place was piled with boxes all over the place as they just had a delivery. It was a cool night and I have been working in the theater district that afternoon. I was starved and had passed Hello Deli while walking around watching people taking out sandwiches. I stopped in and was impressed with how reasonable the deli was in pricing. I ordered a breakfast sandwich (they have breakfast all day), the Doughy which is two scrambled eggs with bacon, American cheese and a fried Hash Brown on a toasted roll with just a bit of mayo. Talking about warming you up on a cool night.
The Doughy breakfast sandwich for dinner.
The Doughy breakfast sandwich is nice combination of contrasts from the crisp bacon and crunchy hash brown to the oozing American cheese.
I really enjoyed breakfast for dinner and it was really good. It completely warmed me up and with a lemon ice tea made a great meal and gave me the energy to continue on my journey.
Recently I stopped in for lunch and watched the manager have words with the morning cook who wanted to leave. It is always interesting to hear this type of New York banter in front of the customers. It is like we are not even there. This time around they had the Chicken Salad that I really wanted to try the first time. I order the PNV sandwich, which is a Chicken Salad with Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato layered on it with a smear of mayo on top.
My PNV Sandwich lunch with a Coke and some Sour Cream & Onion potato chips by Deep River. What a wonderful lunch.
This sandwich is also another contrasts in textures and flavors as the bacon was fried crisp for the sandwich so it was still hot and the roll was toasted for me so their was a nice taste of the cold Chicken Salad with the crisp bacon and cool lettuce and tomato on top. The Chicken Salad is well spiced and has a nice chunky texture to it.
The PNV Chicken Salad Sandwich made for a wonderful lunch.
The Chicken Salad is excellent.
I plan many more trips to Hello Deli as there are many more sandwiches I want to try. The service is really nice and the manager is a real character. It will be nice to see the cook and manager getting along on a busy day.
Do not miss these potato chips by Deep River. This thickly cut chips are excellent and have wonderful flavor.
While working on my blog on the Theater District/Times Square, I stopped in for a late night dinner and they were still open at 10:30pm. That was convenient. I treated myself on a cool night to a Chicken Parmesan sandwich which was good but not like the other sandwiches. Still it warmed me up after a long walk of the blocks.
The Chicken Parmesan sandwich on a roll.
The delicious Chicken Parmesan sandwich.
The sandwich was really good.
Hello Deli is a place I plan to visit in the future.
I came across Lucky’s Famous Burgers while walking the Hell’s Kitchen/Clinton neighborhood for my blog, “MywalkinManhattan.com” and thought it looked like a nice little neighborhood restaurant. It is an excellent combination of food, atmosphere and good customer service. For a burger place, I thought the food was excellent and the portion sizes were really fair.
They have a nice selection of combination meals on the menu to choose from and after walking all day long I was starved. I settled for the Lucky’s Original Special with French Fries and a Boylan’s Black Cherry Soda from the fountain. That was a real treat because I love their sodas and you don’t see them on the fountain too much around the City.
The Lucky Famous Burger #1 Meal combination with a Cheeseburger, French Fries and Pepsi for $14.00 (2024)
The Lucky’s Original Burger is a juicy flavorful beef patty with lettuce, tomato, pickles, raw onion, ketchup and surprisingly mustard, which is never served on burgers in the New York area. It did give the flavor of the burger an extra zing.
The Burgers are really juicy here.
The burger was freshly cooked right in front of me and had a nice caramelization on the outside and was juicy and moist on the inside. Topped with all the fresh chopped vegetables it gave the burger a nice combination of flavors and textures.
The Fresh Fries were perfectly fried to a golden brown and generously salted. The portion size was very large for a combination meal and I thought it was very fair.
The French Fries are terrific here and taste even better with the Lucky sauce.
Boylan’s Sodas are a real treat and I was able to try several flavors including Ginger Ale, Black Cherry and Root Beer. Their soda is excellent and a nice change from the standard flavors. They have now gone to using bottled sodas from the vendor.
On a recent trip to Lucky’s, they were advertising a “Pandemic Sandwich” ($11.00), which was a new limited time specialty sandwich. It was a deep fried chicken breast topped with melted cheese, bacon, chili, French fries and Fried Onion rings and topped with a special sauce all tucked into a toasted brioche bun. It made me forget that the pandemic was going on. It was outstanding! (No longer offered in 2024).
What a combination of flavors that worked well together and the chicken breast was so crispy on the outside. The sandwich was complex in its taste and all the textures worked so well together. You have to try it while they still offer it. Again their French fries for a regular portion size could feed two people comfortably and were so well seasoned.
The manager on duty the second trip I made was personal and nice and very welcoming to the restaurant. She made the whole experience wonderful especially with these tough time in the restaurant business in Manhattan.
The inside of Lucky’s Famous Burgers at the West 52nd Street restaurant.
My third trip to Lucky’s Burgers was at their second location at 264 West 23rd Street and the food and service are just as good as their West 52nd Street location. What was nice is that there are three TV’s there and you could watch the local and national news.
The food was just excellent. I had one of their lunch combinations specials which was a little pricer than the original location which was $15.85 but it was well worth it. There was enough food for two people in the order.
The Lucky Famous Cheeseburger is excellent.
I had the Chicken Fingers and French Fries combination, and everything was wonderful. The Chicken Fingers were lightly breaded and deep fried until golden brown. The breading had a nice seasoning and was accompanied by both barbecue and honey mustard. I swear there must have been a pound of chicken in that order, and I could barely finish it.
The French Fries were perfectly deep fried and were served sizzling hot and again there must have been a pound of fries. It was the equivalent of a jumbo fries at any other fast-food restaurant. These crinkles cut fries are served in a small colorful bag and need several bags of ketchup to finish them off.
The French Fries are cooked to order.
When I recently visited the West 23rd Street (Closed June 2023), I had the combination meal with two mini cheeseburgers topped with pickles, onion, lettuce and tomato with a large bag of French Fries and a soda ($13.85). The burger was juicy and full of flavor. The freshly ground burger was perfectly cooked and caramelized.
Again what I like about their beverages is that it is unlimited Boylan sodas and I got to try both their grape and black cherry. Their sodas have a base of cane sugar and you can really taste the flavor of the fruits.
The woman working that afternoon could not have been nicer.
I swear that Chelsea Papaya has been part of this neighborhood since the 1970’s. I have passed this place a million times and never stopped in to eat. Recently when I was walking around the rim of Manhattan for ‘The Great Saunter” walk, I needed an early start, and this place opens at 5:00am (please check their website for the changing hours).
Chelsea Papaya at 171 West 23rd Street specials
For breakfast that morning I knew I would need to load up on carbohydrates so I ordered a Breakfast platter. I had two very large pancakes with a side of bacon and two scrambled eggs ($7.95) with a medium Papaya drink. It was the best breakfast on this rare cool summer morning.
The pancakes had a nice malted taste to them and were crisp and fluffy. The eggs were sizzling hot off the grill with the flavor of clarified butter. It was quite a large breakfast and it lasted me for most of the morning and afternoon.
The breakfast here is excellent
The only problem that I had with breakfast was that you could not eat inside and I had to eat at one of the filthy outdoor tables that were available. They looked like the homeless had slept at them all night.
Chelsea Papaya is open all night
Recently I was in the neighborhood and stopped in for dinner. I had a hamburger platter with French Fries and a Mango drink ($8.95). This was a hearty meal. The burger was freshly cooked with a rich caramelized outside and a juicy inside. The tomato slices were good but the shredded lettuce there could have been less of and could have been fresher.
I tried the Fried Chicken Sandwich and it was much better. The Fries had just come out the fryer along with the Chicken Cutlet. Even though it had the shredded lettuce and tomato on top, they seemed much fresher on the second trip. I really enjoyed the meal. It had been after class and I really needed a good dinner.
The Chicken Sandwich and fries are cooked to order here
The Chicken Sandwich #4 Special at Chelsea Papaya
It was delicious!
The fries were a standard steak fry but they were cooked to order and crisp and hot when I bit into them. The hamburger was also topped with ketchup and mayo and the whole burger was a flavorful gloppy mess that tasted so delicious with each bite.
The Papaya and Mango drinks are sweet and flavorful and traditional in these Papaya chain restaurants. They will really cool you down on a hot day.
The breakfasts at Chelsea Papaya are excellent
The service is very nice and both the men who work the counter have been so friendly and welcoming to me. It is one of those typical New York restaurants that we are slowly losing to the bigger chains. These small restaurant institutions are what make up the Manhattan neighborhoods.
It’s funny to return to a restaurant that had been part of your career twenty years earlier. In my years in the Macy’s Buying offices, Al’s Deli is entrenched in the memories of many Macy executives with early morning breakfasts before we had to be at the desk at 9:00am or in those late nights preparing for the holiday season after 8:00pm. Plus all those lunches being delivered when we were chained to our desks as the phones were ringing off the hook. Even when I visited the restaurant recently I still see their delivery people racing across the street delivering salads and sandwiches thinking nothing has changed over the years.
Al’s Deli has been serving the Garment District crowds since 1976 and its popularity is its consistency, large portion sizes, reasonable prices and the high quality of the meals. Everything I have ever ordered from Al’s has been delicious and homey. The countless cheeseburgers, grilled cheeses and pancakes that I have ordered over the years have been wonderful.
Al’s Deli hot food section along with breakfast items
There Cheeseburgers ($8.95 special) are large, juicy and are a mouthful to eat. When you order the deluxe, the French fries have always been fresh and cooked to order and the lettuce and tomato always taste in season. The several pieces of cheese on the top always give it a gooey consistency.
The Cheeseburgers at Al’s Deli are large and very juicy
The two most recent times I have been to Al’s Deli is when I have been walking Kips Bay and NoMAD (North of Madison Square Park) for my blog, MywalkinManhattan.com. I wanted an early start and since my beginning of neighborhood destination was West 34th Street, Al’s is always the logical choice.
Al’s selection of sandwiches and salads
Plus their Bacon, Egg and Cheese and Sausage, Egg and Cheese on a roll ($3.75 at breakfast and $4.75 after 11:00am) are always so good. The recent visit I made to Al’s had me eating my bacon, egg and cheese on a protective cement block outside the store to keep socially distanced from everyone.
The combination of the smokey crisp bacon with the eggs cooked in clarified butter held together by a piece of American cheese had a nice complex flavor and was relief on the cold morning I started my walk in Koreatown on the Avenues of the neighborhood. The sausage version offers a large spicy sausage patty instead but provides the same joy into biting into that chewy roll on a cool morning.
The Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a roll here is really good
On a recent stay in New York City, I revisited Al’s for breakfast again for a third time and had the French Toast and egg platter which was really good. You got two large slices of French Toast with a scrambled egg and a large sausage patty for $6.95. That was quite the bargain for all that food and everything was delicious.
The Bacon, Egg and Cheese at Al’s Deli will warm you up on a cold morning.
The French Toast is really good and a meal in itself. These large slices of Texas Toast are loaded with cinnamon and a nice buttery crust.
The French Toast at Al’s Deli is excellent.
I ate upstairs in the seating area that is now open and a nice place to sit. What nice views of the Garment District! I have not eaten in the dining area for twenty six years so it was strange to be back up there. I was the only one up there for most of the morning so it was quiet and relaxing while I sat and enjoyed my breakfast.
The selection of hot and cold food at Al’s Deli is tremendous with sandwiches, breakfast and lunch platters, salad, burgers and Italian and Spanish entree specials for the legions of garment workers that order their meals here. Most meals will run between $5.95 and $9.95 depending on what you order and what time of the day you order it.
Since coming back to Al’s Deli after so many years, rediscovering it again, this will not be my last trip. There is always more to try on the menu.
I love visiting Coney Island in Brooklyn and have loved coming here since I was a kid. In some ways it has improved and in some ways it has gotten worse but still it is one of the nicest beaches in the area and you can’t beat the history and innovation of Coney Island. It has set the standard for amusements parks for over a century.
One of my go to spots when visiting Coney Island is a trip to Williams Candy which has been part of Coney Island since 1941. This interesting little candy store is located right next to Nathan’s on Surf Avenue once the home of many amusement parks and rides and sits next to the Cyclones baseball field.
*Blogger wants to note that the prices have gone up since about $3.00 per some of the entree items and $2.00 for appetizer items in 2023.
Malachy’s at 103 West 72nd Street
I have been to Malachy’s (See reviews on TripAdvisor) several times when visiting the Upper West Side and just happen to come across it one night when walking down West 72nd Street, a shopping and restaurant row for this section of the West Side. The bar has been around forever and run by the same family.
The current Appetizer Menu in 2023
It really is the “Cheers” of the Upper West Side. Everyone here seems to know one another and as I have sat at the bar, I can see that I was getting ‘sized up’ by some of the regulars, who the bartender really well. I must have made the cut because everyone has been really nice to me every time I have gone there for lunch or dinner. Admittingly, I am not really a drinker so the only thing I pound down is a Coke.
It really has that old-fashioned feel to it with the wooden walls and solid bar and the mirrors surrounding the bar area. Everyone really did seem to know one another when I sat at the counter and it seemed that the other customers wanted to get to know who I was in case they saw me again eating there. It really did feel like a family with the bartender conversing with all of us.
Malachy’s at Christmas time
Malachy’s food is wonderful with nice size portions freshly cooked at a reasonable price. My first time there , I just had a cheeseburger with a side of French fries ($12.00) and God was that good! The burger had a almost caramelized, salty crust to the outside and perfectly juicy being cooked to a medium well consistency. It was so juicy and favorable it was one of the best burgers I had had in a long time.
Their cheeseburgers and all their sandwiches are really good.
My second trip to the bar was when I walked all the Avenue’s between West 84th and West 72nd Streets for my “MywalkinManhattan” project. I wanted a really filling meal because I had skipped lunch to finish the neighborhood. I opted for dinner here and was craving for Thanksgiving and wanted their open face turkey dinner ($15.00). It would have been perfect but the gravy tasted more like a beef gravy instead of the usual turkey gravy. It even looked darker. It was good but not what I expected.
The sandwich was loaded with slices of moist turkey breast on bread with a side of French fries. I would have preferred it mashed potatoes but I was not sure that was an option until the next time I went there. I was on the fence about the sandwich so I decided to come back for a third time to try the place.
The Hot Turkey sandwich here is really good.
The third time I came to Malachy’s is when I was deciding to add it to the blog. It was a really hopping night with the last Celtic’s game on for the NBA semi-finals. The place was loaded with Boston fans and it is so funny to see people from Boston who have every comment about New York. The Yankee-Red Sox rivalry really means a lot to them. Listening in on that conversation was interesting to say the least.
For dinner tonight, I needed something to stick. I had just walked the perimeter of the lower part of the Upper East Side and then crossed back to the Upper West Side to finish off a few more things I wanted to see there. So I stopped in to try their Chicken Fingers basket ($14.00). Amongst the cheering Boston fans I ate my dinner.
The Chicken Finger basket
The chicken was a little overdone (I would have pulled it out about 30 seconds earlier) but the food was really good otherwise. The chicken was crisp, plump and juicy with a nice crackle to the outside and loaded with a large mound of perfectly cooked fries. Again the portion size was so big that I could barely finish it.
I really like the homey feel of the bar and how nice everyone has been to me. It really seems like a place where everyone would know your name.
*Authors Note: There are now outdoor counters for dining.)
The Zabar’s Cafe is in the original Zabar’s building
Zabar’s is one of the most interesting grocery stores in New York City. Back in the late 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s, it was the only place to go for certain gourmet items, baked goods and a variety of vegetables. Their cheeses were some of the best in the city and when you needed fresh pasta, it was here or Manganario’s which went out of business about five years ago.
While other stores have gotten fancier or more expensive in their wares and grocery items, Zabar’s stays tried and true to its roots and is still a place for the average person to come and do their grocery shopping while buying high quality at a fair price. New York City has never been cheap.
I had been to the store many times in the past but even after all of these trips, I never realized that they had a cafe. I came across this when walking the Upper West Side and touring Zabar’s the many times in the neighborhood.
Zabar’s Cafe inside is for ordering
Zabar’s Cafe, according to their history, sits in the original part of the store (the store has expanded to the whole building) and is separate from the rest of the store. The one thing I like about their menu is that there is nothing over the price of $10.00. Their extensive menu which includes soups, wraps, sandwiches, pizza and pastry.
I have been there twice as while enjoying their specials for $1.00. This is a special treat that you have to hit in the early afternoon while the specials are going on. The first time I ate there, I had a ham, egg and cheese croissant. That was really good. The outside was buttery and crunchy with a nice bite to it while the inside is stuffed with scrambled eggs, chopped honey ham and cheddar cheese. Yes, worth every bite.
The menu here is very straightforward
The second time I ate there, I had their version of Sicilian pizza with some fresh tomato on top of it that was very tasty. It was more of a sauceless pizza with a just a light touch of olive oil, cheese and fresh tomato sliced on top.
I have overheard many customers rave about their homemade chicken soup as a cure all. Their cookies and pastries look delicious, sitting like gems in the display cases. I recently had one of the giant cinnamon buns which was loaded with a thick icing ($2.95) and it was worth every bite. I must have had a big smile on my face when I was walking down Broadway because everyone was staring at me enjoying myself.
The Zabar’s Cafe outside seating
The crowd is very interesting. It is made up of older Westsider’s who claim their spots in the restaurant as their own. It is really a neighborhood hang out for a lot of these people and I hear a lot of gossip going on as well as old friends greeting one another. If you try to sit in their area, there is that distinct look you get.
Overall, it is a nice place to eat with reasonable food with fresh ingredients and a nice selection of simple American foods from soups and wraps to sandwiches and desserts. There is something for everyone here and the best part is you can still visit the main store to pick up more goodies right next door.
They now offer outside dining with standup cocktail tables.
The new outpost for Gray’s Papaya opened to a very welcoming return from the reviews online. It has been a nice addition to the restaurants that have been opening around the Port Authority lately. The prices have also been a pleasure as well.
Gray’s Papaya’s hot dogs
They are having a recession special of one hot dog with a drink for $3.99 and two hot dogs with a drink for $5.99, which is a good deal and the hot dogs are now $1.95 which is better than any of the hot dog concession offer and the hot dogs are much better quality. They are cooked on the grill and have a nice snap when you bite into them. They have a nice spicy flavor to them that is accented by the mustard.
Their grill is almost mouthwatering
In the morning, they also serve breakfast sandwiches that run for $3.45 (add coffee for $4.45) and that is a nice deal for a bacon, egg and cheese on a roll.
Since its opening, it has been a very busy restaurant for the neighborhood and is open late night. There is no place to sit down but there are a few cocktail tables to eat at. If you have a late night in the city and are not in the mood for pizza, Gray’s Hot Dog recession special can’t be beat.
*Author’s Note: the prices have been going steadily up here over the last few months. Please refer to their website for pricing. Also because of COVID-19, there are now cocktail tables outside the restaurant.
(*I have to announce with much sadness that the family who ran Lung Moon Bakery for 53 years have closed this institutional bakery in Chinatown Manhattan. The COVID pandemic must have been too much on business and when I passed the bakery for Chinese New Year 2021, there was a very note note on the door that said that the family was closing it down.)
When visiting Chinatown in New York City there are many places to get a reasonable snack. This traditional bakery has been around since the 1970’s and before and has been serving Chinese-American sweets to customers for years.
The family that owns the bakery I have found to be very friendly and engaging with their customers as I am sure that they are used to tourists coming in and out of the store. The bakery has seen a lot of competition over the years with a mass opening of Hong Kong style bakeries and bubble tea shops that litter the entire neighborhood with more opening every day selling pretty much the same food items.
What separates Lung Moon Bakery from the other bakeries is their quality and their prices. I have been coming here for years and just recently have stopped back in making several trips to try their baked goods again and it was as if I had never stopped coming here. The quality is still excellent and the prices can not be beat. There are no items with the exception of the larger ones like cakes that are over $2.50. This is getting rare in New York City as rents are driving prices up everywhere.
The Lung Moon Bakery Case
I made a few recent trips for a quick snack at the store and the quality of their product is wonderful. I tried one of their mini-apple pies ($1.00) and it was delicious. The outside was flaky and buttery and in four bites melted in my mouth. The inside was loaded with fresh apples with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg and could not be juicier. They are especially good when they have just come out of the oven and have cooled so you have that warmth of the freshly baked pie.
Another item that is enjoyable is their mini-Angel Food Cakes ($1.00). I am not sure what they do but the cakes are moist and chewy on the outside and taste almost custardy on the inside. You have to take the cake out of its wrapping and bite it from several angles to get the rich taste. The inside has almost a creamy center.
The Angel Food Cakes
On another trip, I tried their Egg Custard ($1.00) which has creamy consistency. The outside crust has a rich buttery taste and the inside is a creamy egg filling that when warm is heavenly. There Pineapple Cupcake ($1.00) is very good but tasted like they took it out of the refrigerator. It had streaks of pineapple pudding on top.
The delicious items at the Lung Moon Bakery
I have tried their chocolate and vanilla spin cakes with sprinkles ($1.00) that have a light sweetness to them with a vanilla cream filling and then rolled in sprinkles. They are only about three bites but make a light snack after a big meal in Chinatown. They are filled with cream inside the rolls and studded with sprinkles on the outside. They also make another version of the rolled cake topped with pineapple and strawberry on top that are delicious as well and taste almost like a shortcake ($1.00).
The bakery has an assortment of savory buns as well off to the side. They sell roast pork, chicken and stuffed buns all between $1.50-$2.00.
The best part is that the family that runs the bakery are really nice and have always been very helpful whenever I have stopped there for a snack. They are very welcoming when you enter the bakery.
I have to give McDonald’s credit. Their Marketing & Sales Department really has the pulse on the nation right now. Jobs are pathetic, salaries have not risen with inflation or not at all and people are looking for something cheap and quick but still want quality. I think over the last four years I have seen a real improvement in McDonald’s food but again that depends on the individual restaurant and at what time of the day you go. For the most part I have seen an improvement in taste, speed and quality across the board.
The McDonalds in Punxsutawney, PA was open 24hours for the Groundhog’s Day festival.
The McDonalds in Union Station Washington DC is always busy.
When McDonald’s food has been sitting around, you can taste it but when a restaurant is busy the food is really hot and fresh and you can really taste it. When the fries are freshly cooked out of the fryer and salted properly, they are the best.
McDonald’s French Fries are the best
When a burger just comes off the grill and is still sizzling, the taste of the ground beef comes out. The best time to order a Sausage McMuffin with Egg is at 8:00pm.
The McDouble is always a treat
During Pre-Pandemic times, their new $1, $2 & $3 Menu, the latest promotion that has been rolled out, is marketing genius. People are really stuck these days with having to stay on a low budget but still want to go out to eat or need something reasonable on lunch hour. This new promotion is a great way to build the customer base and trade up. It has since replaced by the $3.99 Bundle promotion in select McDonalds.
Classic McDonald’s Hamburger
At the $1.00 level, you have a choice of a drink of any size (big deal in that the cost of soda is .03 cents a gallon), a Sausage Burrito, four chicken McNuggets (vastly improved) and a Cheeseburger.
At the $2.00 level you have a choice of a small McCafe drink (good deal) , two Buttermilk Chicken Tenders, a Bacon McDouble (really good) and a Sausage McGriddle (bypass).
At the $3.00 level, you can get a Happy Meal, a Sausage McMuffin with Egg (my favorite), a Classic Chicken Sandwich and a triple Cheeseburger.
The Double Cheeseburger Bundle is great!
Currently though I have noticed that the program is changing especially in New York City and the local surrounding suburbs.
The double cheeseburger makes a great snack.
The drinks have pretty stayed put on the $1.00 and $2.00 levels but sandwiches have replaced most everything on the $3.00 menu and new $3.00 bundles have been the replacement where you can get a double cheeseburger, a chicken sandwich or a fish sandwich with a small French Fries. Still reasonable but the menu has gotten much altered since 2019.
The new Promotion 2 for $3.00 bundles as the $1. $2 and $3 menu is phased out(this is now the $3.99 bundle).
They did raise the price of French Fries which may I add has one of the highest markups in the industry and everyone still order fries.
During the COVID pandemic era upon us, the bundle now has gone up to $3.99 for either a Double Cheeseburger, Six Chicken McNuggets (all white meat now) or a Chicken Sandwich with small fries. The drinks are still a dollar for any size, but I recommend the medium because how much soda do you need to drink.
Having been to about a dozen McDonald’s since the promotion has started I have noticed it has been a huge hit with the customers. I know that McDonald’s has taken some of this as a ‘loss leader’ and traded down but the one trend I have seen is that people are buying more items. I see myself doing it as well as I say “Wow, for $5.00 guess what I can buy and I will be filled up.” This is a slippery slope when you are trying to loose weight.
At a busy time though, everything tastes so good, it does not matter. When people are on a budget, you have to do what you need to do when getting something to eat. Not everyone can ‘brown-bag’ it to work and the average lunch in New York City can run between $10.00-$12.00 a day at the average restaurant. Add the fries into this mix and McDonald’s is doing what the supermarket industry has been doing for the last ten years, bundling up all the cheap items and making them look they are on sale (when they have always been that price).
Two Cheeseburgers with Medium Fries and a Coke at $7.99
Another good thing about the value menu is that you can taste a lot of their food items for a reasonable price and that is smart marketing. You can have small sample of the their Buttermilk Chicken Strips or their newly minted Chicken McNuggets with all white meal.
The best is the McCafe beverages which are only $2.00 for a small beverage. McDonald’s just brought back the ‘Shamrock Shake’ for St. Patrick’s Day and that minty green drink is really refreshing on a hot day as is the smoothie drinks in strawberry and mango. It gives a customer an opportunity to try them all.
I have to say that overall the food at McDonald’s has gotten better over the last five years. I don’t know if their purveyors have changed or just that they have put more emphasis into the quality of their food, but it does taste better.
The chicken sandwich ($1.00) is a very fair price for a meal item that is crisp and has a very nice spicy taste to it. I tried it in the River Edge, NJ McDonald’s and they did a nice job with it. It was very fresh and the bun was toasted properly. The sandwich is crisp on the outside with a little spice in the breading and is is juicy on the inside. When the sandwich is fresh, it has a nice bite to it.
I have had the Bacon McDouble in three separate McDonald’s in both New York and New Jersey and everyone has cooked it well. It has just the right amount of bacon on it and it is a fair price ($2.00) for a sandwich this size. The Cheeseburger is always consistent as well.
The regular McDouble and/or the Double Cheeseburger with a small French fry ($3.99) on the new $3.99 meal bundle was really good this afternoon. The burger just came off the grill and was still sizzling and the cheese was melted perfectly. I have noticed a consistency in the flavor of the burgers and over several McDonalds and the burgers have been very good.
The $3.99 Double Cheeseburger bundle
The fries just came out of the fryer and were super-hot and you could really taste the saltiness of them. The restaurant was really busy, and the food kept being made. I have tried this now at four different McDonald’s and the results were the same. It was fresh, hot and really good.
The Double Cheeseburger/McDouble
The McDouble is a great item in the $3.99 Bundle menu.
The Chicken McNuggets ($1.00 for four) are a vast improvement from when they were created. They are all white meat now and you can taste the difference from when they were ground up meat. When you bite into them you can see the meat. When they are cooked fresh, they are crisp and have a delicious flavor. Even the coating is not that thick and there is a good ratio of chicken to breading.
Chicken McNuggets are now all white meat
The $3.99 Six Piece Chicken McNugget meal was wonderful at the West 23rd Street restaurant in Manhattan
McDonald’s has also introduced a new version of McNuggets called the Spicy McNuggets and they really have nicely spiced flavor. They are better enhanced by their new Spicy Hot Sauce which does have some fire to it. Dipping the Spicy McNuggets into it and it adds to the heat.
Spicy McNuggets with the hot sauce
The Spicy Chicken McNuggets are now on the $3.99 bundle for a limited time and they are really good.
The Spicy Chicken Mc Nuggets taste really good with the barbecue sauce
I was recently in Pennsville, NJ and visited their McDonalds and they had a $3.99 mix and match. So, I ordered the four-piece chicken nuggets with a McDouble and a Medium Coke. It was more than enough food for lunch.
The $3.99 Mix and Match meal of a McDouble and four Chicken Mc Nuggets
I stopped in after class one night to the Union Square McDonald’s in New York City and the food is really good at this McDonalds. The manager is out front and she looks like she really cares. I had the McChicken Sandwich Bundle with French Fries and the meal was perfect. The chicken sandwich had just been fried and was crisp and juicy and the French Fries just came out of the fryer and were hot and salty when I bit into them. It is my late night favorite.
The McChicken and French Fries with a Coke makes the best late night snack
I was eating dinner at McDonalds the other night using a coupon that our local McDonalds had on a special, I had the new Fried Chicken Sandwich (to compete with Chick-fil-A), which was a nice sized fried breast on a soft roll with pickles. It was delicious and could compete with the chicken sandwich at its competitor.
The Fried Chicken Sandwich at McDonalds
The Sausage McMuffin with egg ($3.00) hands down my favorite item at McDonald’s when cooked properly is one of the best food items on the restaurant’s menu and one of the best breakfast items.
The $6.99 Sausage McMuffin Breakfast with a Hashbrown and Hot Tea
The Sausage McMuffin with Egg is my favorite item on the McDonald’s menu!
High in fat and cholesterol yes but still tastes the best when it is fresh. Their pork sausage is delicious and well spiced.
With beverages, a soda of any size is very fair and the small McCafe with its smoothies and coffee drinks is the perfect way to try all their drink selections at a very fair price ($2.00). Go for the Mango smoothie on a hot day. It is the best!.
One of the specialty drinks that I really enjoy, and it is seasonal is the Shamrock Shake (Small $2.99 and Medium is $4.29). It is pricey for a milkshake, but it is always fun to get when St. Patrick’s Day comes around. I like the mint flavor and the consistency has changed since they went to using yogurt as a base instead of ice cream. It has a creamy consistency as all of their milkshakes have and the sweet minty flavor puts you in the holiday mood.
The Shamrock Shake is worth the trip when it is in season.
The Shamrock Shake is great with a McBundle meal.
The Shamrock Shake is a much anticipated treat every year.
Another shake that recently came out in 2023 was Grimace’s Birthday Shake, a creamy blend of berries and yogurt that makes the purple shake. It is matched with several combination meals, but I had to try it on its own. On a hot day, it hit the spot. It’s not cheap with a medium being $4.99 but for a limited time it was worth it.
The Grimace’s Birthday Shake, a purple berry shake
Whether it be a strawberry or a vanilla shake, McDonalds has improved on their shakes since I was a kid. When I have an upset stomach, the McDonald’s Vanilla shake cures all. They are the best!
The Vanilla Shake is also wonderful and very refreshing
Another item while not on the Dollar Menu or the Bundles that is served at certain times of the year is the McRib sandwich. I swear I had not eaten one of these in over twenty years. The sandwich is a boneless piece of pork shaped into a rib like appearance and then smothered in barbecue sauce, pickles and onions. A little on the pricey side at $5.95 for a sandwich it was not bad. The barbecue sauce had a nice sweet flavor to it.
The McRib Sandwich
I was recently in Abu Dhabi for a class I was taking at NYU and tried an item not available in the states, the McArabia Chicken Sandwich. It is two baked chicken patties with lettuce, tomato and sauce tucked into a pita bread studded with parsley. It was delicious and could be a big hit if it ever came to the States.
The McArabia Chicken Sandwich available in Abu Dhabi.
The McArabia Chicken Sandwich meal at McDonalds in the Middle East.
McDonald’s has also now introduced a new line of breakfast baked items. There are cinnamon buns, apple fritters and blueberry muffins. The apple fritter I had at an upstate McDonald’s was really good. The pastry was studded with small pieces of apples and had a nice sweet glaze. It will be fun to try the other items soon.
McDonald’s new breakfast baked items
On a recent trip to the McDonalds in Manhattan, I tried one of their new Blueberry Cream pies for dessert ($1.79) and I thought it was pretty good. I wish it had been a bit fresher but still the taste was delicious. The Classic Hot Apple Pies I still love but I miss them when they were fried. They tasted so good!
The new baked Blueberry Cream pie is worth the visit
The classic Baked Apple Pie is still wonderful and reminds me of my childhood. Then it was fried and was delicious back then as well.
McDonald’s came up with another new sweet dessert that has been featured aboard and that is the new Chocolate Cream pie. It is a really good. It tastes like a Devil Dog or Ring Ding. It is a chocolate cake fill with a rich cream filling and topped with sugar granules. It was sweet and delicious.
The ‘new’ Chocolate Cream pie was introduced as a tester in the United States.
The cream filled chocolate pie is delicious.
What was really good for the holidays is the limited edition ‘Holiday Pie’ that they created for Christmas. This sweet cream filled pie was delicious and was filled with a vanilla cream and topped with a flavorful level icing with sprinkles on top. It is nice way to start the holidays.
The limited edition ‘Holiday Pie’
The Yum factor!
My hats off to McDonald’s, the only national chain for making the cut in “DiningonaShoeStringinNYC”. The food at most of the McDonalds I have tried is consistent and the flavor and quality of the food has gotten better over the last five years.
They are doing a good job to adapting to the customers needs.
Dining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond. 