Lunch Break: A Trip to Hawaii Without Leaving NYC

Authentic Hawaiian food in the Financial District, a great Midtown diner, and a quiet place to have a beer and a bite... it's all in today's Lunch Break. By Yvo Sin.

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue

64 Fulton Street
New York, NY 10038
(212) 577-8888
hawaiianbarbecue.com

A trip to Hawaii whenever you want Hawaiian food probably isn't a good idea for your bank account; however, eating at L&L Hawaiian certainly is. L&L is the McDonald's of Hawaii; boasting 52 locations across the Aloha state, it serves up Hawaiian cuisine cheaply, abundantly, and quickly. Its sole location in New York's Financial District stays true to this ideal, and offers such Hawaiian classics as the loco moco (white rice topped with two hamburger patties, two fried eggs, and brown gravy), kalua pork (shredded pork that's been roasted to absolute succulence, mixed with shredded cabbage, and served with rice), Hawaiian BBQ chicken, and even Spam musubi (sushi rice topped with a slab of Spam that's been fried and glazed with a soy sauce/sugar mixture, then wrapped with seaweed), which may not sound that awesome but truly is a taste to behold. Despite L&L being one of the few restaurants to serve Hawaiian food in the NYC area, the prices are more than reasonable as a plate lunch will run you in the range of $6.99 – 8.99 and be enough for more than one meal. Bonus: though L&L has a seating area, it is steps from the South Street Seaport. On a nice day, take your food to go and stroll over to the waterfront to enjoy the sun and pretend you're in Hawaii. Please don't feed the seagulls, though; they can become very aggressive.

Skylight Diner

402 W. 34th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 244-0395
skylightdinernyc.com/

As diners go, what can be said is: Manhattan has them. Skylight manages to stand out from the rest not just by its namesake building accessory – a skylight that brings in so much light as to almost be blinding some days, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere – but with its consistent delivery of excellent diner fare. Blueberry pancakes, tuna fish sandwiches (pictured), juicy burgers with your choice of toppings, perfectly fried chicken fingers, hot soup for a cold day and crisp salads for a warm day, Skylight does it all. Something for everyone, so take your fussy coworkers who only eat chicken fingers and French fries, and enjoy whatever you'd like there… but not the shrimp cocktail. Don't get the shrimp cocktail. Other than that, all's fair game, with plenty of options that eating your way through the entire menu will happily take months, if not years, of lunches. Take your time… they'll be there, waiting, as they have been since 1996. And... they'll deliver.

Ginger Man

(credit: feistyfoodie.com)
11 East 36th Street
New York, NY 10016
(212) 532-3740
gingerman-ny.com/

Ginger Man is generally known for the extensive beer menu, and despite the bar's large size, it frequently is uncomfortably packed to the gills. Avoid the crowds by going for a bite at lunch, where you'll be pleasantly surprised that they pay just as much attention to the food menu as the beer menu (though it isn't quite as exhaustive). Soups, sandwiches, hot dogs, salads (Cobb salad pictured) are just some of the delicious items offered – save your calories for a beer or two through lunch, and enjoy a very large, filling salad. Or go with the always lovely charcuterie plate – cured meats, olives, and crusty slices of bread; perfect with a pint. No one's telling your boss about the beer, so have another one.

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Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of Feisty Foodie.