For Baruch College students, convenience seems to be the name of the game. As the weather grows colder, wetter, and generally more uninviting, students are searching for the quickest, most accessible solutions to their lunchtime cravings.
There are, of course, the usual suspects in the area – chains such as Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and Popeye’s are all within a block and a half of the vertical campus. While all three are great for a quick, inexpensive meal, students can only eat so many sandwiches, pastries, and chicken wings each week.
There are dozens – most likely hundreds – of restaurants in the east 20’s alone, well within walking distance of the Baruch campus. Simply spend a couple of minutes browsing through this blog and you’ll discover an endless array of carts, serving anything from halal food to cupcakes. For those who want more of a restaurant experience, all money issues must be set aside for a while; in order to shake things up, the usual five-dollar budget of a college student has to increase, if only for a day.
One of the most recognizable names for Baruch students is the Gramercy Star Café. Located on the corner of 23rd Street and Lexington Avenue, nearly every student who takes any of the 23rd Street subways to campus has to pass by it just to get to class. With a variety of sandwiches and a full salad bar, it may appear to be similar to countless other cafes in New York City. But Suzanne Patrick, who works in Union Square but walks to the café once a week, begs to differ. “I recommend [the Gramercy Star Café] to my coworkers all the time; I would definitely recommend it to students as well, not just because it’s only a block away. I especially love the breakfast sandwiches.”
But for New Yorkers who constantly buy their food, sometimes a simple café just doesn’t fit the bill. Luckily, the east 20’s offers a wide variety of ethnic food as well.
One of the most widely recommended restaurants in the east 20’s is the Ecuadorian spot called Latin Thing, located at 61 Lexington Avenue between 25th and 26th Streets. Yelp (www.yelp.com), an online resource where anyone can post reviews of virtually any business, currently ranks them 4.5/5 stars. Entries include glowing reviews such as “The best burrito I’ve had since I lived in Texas” and “Cheap. Quick. Delicious. That’s everything I want at lunchtime.” Bonus: If you’re still hung up on the money issue, full plates of food hover around $7.50 a piece, and can easily serve two people.
Right next door to Latin Thing is the Vietnamese restaurant Baoguette. Serving sandwiches with authentic Vietnamese meats such as curry beef and pork banh mi, guest (and Vietnamese tourist) Will Singh calls it “a taste of home.” In fact, other customers were so animated about the authenticity of Baoguette’s cuisine that it was impossible to find another who was able to review the food without bursting into a string of enthusiastic expletives.
For students willing to walk a little further for some great Indian food, Sirtaj (26th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue) is the place to go. Customer Alex Sito raves, “They hook people up with full plates of stuff…the mehkni and tandoorhi chickens are the best in New York.” Another customer, Joe Sou, simply declares “Sirtaj is the bomb. I work down the block and I’ve been going for years.”
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of these restaurants is their sizes – Latin Thing contains three 2-person tables, while Baoguette and Sirtaj barely have enough room for their ample lines of customers. In fact, Yelp reviewers frequently comment on the “dingy” or “unflattering” appearances of the restaurants, going on to say that often, the smaller the space, the better quality of the food.
Lastly, it seems as though you can’t walk more than a block without running into a pizza joint; New Yorkers surely know that the aforementioned rule (smaller space equals better quality) seems to always apply to these restaurants. After speaking with multiple students and pizza lovers, the consensus seemed to lie with Rosa’s Pizza and Pasta, located at 37 East 28th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues. Shockingly enough, Rosa’s is no hole in the wall. With plenty of seats for choosing, and employees to provide fast service, it’s no wonder Rosa’s has become a franchise, with more than five locations throughout New York City. The most popular item? “The Grandma slice,” declares customer Adrienne Batali. The square, cheesy slice with an ultra-thin crust is easily the most admired slice at any of Rosa’s locations.
It’s easy to see why Baruch College students sometimes don’t branch out past 23rd or 24th Streets for their lunches. In fact, between homework, studying, involvement in organizations, and those dreaded group projects, it’s a wonder students even have time to eat nowadays. But when looking for a way to spice up the old lunchtime routine, these are some great ways to get you started; from there, one can discover all that New York – not just the East 20’s – has to offer.