Best cheap romantic restaurants
Make sparks fly on a budget.
Tue Jan 29 2013
Corsino
- Rated as: 3/5
Brothers Jason and Joe Denton mastered rustic simplicity with the panini bar ’ino, and the small plates-oriented ’inoteca. At Corsino, their new neighborhood restaurant in the West Village, the Dentons don’t veer much from the straightforward formula that’s served them so well. This modest
- 637 Hudson St, (at Horatio St)
El Quinto Pino
- Price band: 1/4
New York’s first true Madrileño tapas bar offers its Spanish nibbles in cramped quarters, with only a few barstools and ledges for plates; the idea is to graze, drink and chat before heading elsewhere for dinner. An adventurous party of two, up for such challenging dishes as a miniature
- 401 W 24th St, (at Ninth Ave)
Esperanto
- Price band: 1/4
There’s a raffish, multiculti charm to the whirring overhead fans, live music and chili-pepper garlands at this low-lit spot. The tapas are consistently tasty, with a zingy tuna ceviche leading the way. Tuck into chayote salad with lime dressing, chicken roasted in a banana leaf, Brazilian pork
- 145 Ave C, (at 9th St), 10009-53
Kashkaval
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Warm woods and soft lighting evoke a turn-of-the-century general store at this midtown eatery and gourmet emporium. The restaurant, tucked behind the retail shop, suffers from sluggish service, but all is forgiven when tangy Mediterranean spreads—vinegary artichoke dip, hot-pink beet skordalia—hit
- 856 Ninth Ave, (between 55th and 56th Sts)
Le Barricou
- Price band: 1/4
After reinventing itself, this French bistro in Williamsburg now serves even more affordable classics, like cassoulet and bouillabaisse, than it did when it first opened. In the back, a nineteenth-century–style wine lounge with antique furniture and a functioning fireplace opens onto a small garden
- 533 Grand St, (between Lorimer St and Union Ave)
Mesa Coyoacan
- Rated as: 4/5
- Critics choice
Looking at the modern glass-and-steel building that houses Mesa Coyoacan, chef Ivan Garcia’s culinary paean to Mexico City, you’d never guess that a warm and intimate restaurant resides within. Filament bulbs, vintage wallpaper, traditional ornaments and a staircase lined with votive candles give
- 372 Graham Ave, (between Conselyea St and Skillman Ave)
Moustache
- Price band: 1/4
This beloved cheap-eats haven serves some of the city’s best Middle Eastern food in all three of its Manhattan locations. The original West Village dining room packs in a neighborhood crowd nightly—it’s not unlikely to see a line outside, since reservations are not taken. But it’s worth the wait.
- 90 Bedford St, (between Barrow and Grove Sts), 10009
Northern Spy Food Co.
- Rated as: 3/5
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Part of the problem with eating well—healthfully, deliciously and environmentally correctly—is that it’s expensive. Enter Northern Spy Food Co., a restaurant that serves locally sourced meals at reasonable prices (no dish costs more than $15). Chef Nathan Foot’s frequently changing menu is based
- 511 E 12th St, (between Aves A and B)
