On the Cooking Channel’s Cheap Eats, Ali Khan spends 12 hours and $35 to find the best deals on breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack in cities across the country.
Cheap Eats, which airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m., started its fifth season on Aug. 8 with Khan scouring St. Petersburg, Florida, for bargain bites. Throughout the season, he’ll be hunting for meal steals everywhere from Savannah, Georgia, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, to San Antonio. “Queen City Cravings,” the 50th episode of Cheap Eats, takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina, and airs on Sept. 5.
“It’s very hard to judge a city fairly when you’re only there for three days (of filming), but it’s also a cool thing and better than not going at all!” Khan told Metro with a laugh during a recent phone call.
When in New York City, here’s where Ali Khan finds cheap eats
Though New York City is not featured on Cheap Eats this season, Ali Khan was kind enough to share some of his favorite reasonably priced places to hit up when he’s in town. And it should be no surprise that the author of the “Bang for Your Burger Buck” blog would have not one but two burger joints as must-visit cheap eats in New York City.
“I’ve been coming to New York and having burgers for years,” Khan said. “I’ve visited Corner Bistro since 2002 and even had it twice in the same day —during the afternoon and at 3 in the morning. I love me a good, thick juicy burger.”
Though Minetta Tavern’s legendary Black Label Burger didn’t make his list of cheap eats because of its $33 price tag, “Joe Junior is one for sure,” Khan said. “It’s a tiny little diner, and its burger is right up there with Minetta Tavern.”
One of the first places Khan visited when he first came to New York was Mamoun’s Falafel, and he still stops by for its shawarma sandwich. He also loves our abundant halal carts and Artichoke Pizza’s namesake slice with artichoke hearts, spinach, cream sauce, mozzarella and pecorino romano cheese.
“It’s the most one-and-done pizza that ever is,” he said. “One slice and you’re like, ‘I’m good.’”
