A&E

The most popular restaurants in New York City are not always the grandest or the biggest. Despite the glamour associated with the city, many of its restaurants consist of nothing more than a cramped room, a shabby kitchen and numerous tables and chairs shoved into every square inch of available space. The lights are dim, the walls are dark, and the restrooms are proof that using the bathroom before leaving home is an excellent rule to live by. These hole-in-the-wall places continuously attract customers because of their delicious food, regardless of the dining environment.

Vietnamese restaurant Pho Bang looks like nothing out of the ordinary on the outside, but its many branches across the country must serve something special. The chefs take dishes as simple as beef noodle soup and make them incredible. A single bowl of it is enough to silence its lucky recipient until the last bite is consumed. At Pho Bang, anyone can be a chef. The restaurant allows their customers to add to the taste of their broth. Plates of basil leaves, lemon juice, seafood sauce, hot sauce and pepper are given to guests to season their noodles with. Variations of the beef noodle soup are also offered. There is a mix and match of beef and noodle with fresh brisket, tendon or navel. The portions are huge and priced at $5.50-6.50. Pho Bang’s spring rolls serve as a perfect complement to their noodle soup. The crispy rolls wrapped in dark green lettuce leaves and dipped into an exotic sauce are wonderful. A plate of four spring rolls is $3.75 and a plate of eight costs $6.45. Light on the wallet, but heavy on the flavor is clearly the theme at Pho Bang.

There are two locations of Chinese restaurant Wo Hop on two consecutive floors of their building. Turns out, Wo Hop needs every bit of flooring they can get, due to their immense popularity. The one upstairs is bigger and a little higher-classed—the dining area looks more like a proper restaurant—while the one downstairs is for customers who are less interested in ambiance, but want the same great Chinese food. Like most secrets, this one is very well kept. Most customers are only aware of the larger establishment upstairs, while true Wo Hop fans know of both restaurants. Their wonton soup, brimming with little strips of roast pork, is phenomenal. The wontons are freshly rolled and stuffed with soy sauce covered roast pork. In fact, they are on the list of Wo Hop favorites, along with their roast duck, cold sesame noodles, fried dumplings, roast pork and egg rolls. The prices are cheap—anywhere from $2 to $10. The wontons and fried dumplings are most popular, probably because they are the least expensive. With such delicious food, it’s easy to ignore the tacky decor of the restaurant. The walls are covered in photos of customers in Wo Hop T-shirts, who form peace signs with their fingers.

Anyone who fears a little dirt and grunge will never set foot in Kabab King Diner. The floor could be vastly improved by a mop, and the seating area on the first floor can only accommodate 10 people. The cheap furniture, plastic flowers and fluorescent lighting makes the place feel like an old school cafeteria. Nonetheless, it is loved amongst its fan club of customers. Eating off a paper plate at a diner doesn’t feel as bad after tasting the kebab, hot off the grill. The explosion of flavor is hard to get as cheaply anywhere else. The kebab sandwiches with chicken, lamb or beef wrapped inside naan is so mouth-wateringly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Best of all, it only costs $2.50. The weekend buffet is only $8 for the same food and is available upstairs.

Another Kabab Diner special is Gulab Jaman, a fried milk ball in rose-scented syrup. It introduces unusual but still delicious flavors to customers. The lassi, a popular yogurt drink, is the perfect way to wash down a delicious meal. However, Kabab King Diner’s meats are what keep their customers coming. The savory seasoned beef and the juicy, smoke-charred chicken in biryani rice are usually best when eaten with bread. The lamb Indian kababs and gosht—goat— biryani are favorites among diners. Curries filled with lamb and vegetables are draped with thick sauce and accompanied by mountains of rice.

Hole-in-the-walls have started a trend for people who want to enjoy good food at cheap prices and are willing to trade in silverware for plastic. Students will adore these eateries for their cheap prices. Not the place for “germaphobes,” but for anyone who values food over ambiance, these places are sure to be a hit.

Pho Bang
157 Mott Street
212 966-3797

Wo Hop
17 Mott Street
Manhattan/Civic Center NY 10013
212 962-8617

Kabab King Diner
Elmhurst, Queens 73-01
37th Road Jackson Heights NY 1132
718 457-5857