NYC Food Truck Lunch: The New Nathan's Famous Cart on Columbus Circle

Perry, the founder of New York Street Food, brings you his latest review on New York City street food.

A New York institution finally came to my office neighborhood recently. Nathan's opened a cart on Columbus Circle, right by the entrance to Central Park.

Now we don't have to trek all the way to Coney Island (or into the bowels of Penn Station) to enjoy Nathan's for lunch. Yes, Nathan's is located in many malls and airports across America, but that doesn't help us for lunch at work.

Prices are decent, with a hot dog and fries costing $6.75, 2 hot dogs and fries costing $10, and an assortment of other options on the menu. You can get chili or cheese (or both) on your hot dog or fries, and they even have bacon ranch fries, although we weren't feeling that brave yesterday.

With all these options, there was one disappointment - relish wasn't available. Not even those tiny little packets.

We were almost in 7th heaven, but without relish, we ended up in 6th heaven. That's still a pretty good place to be, though.

Nathan's large crinkle-cut fries are our favorite, and we even buy the frozen ones at our supermarket. At home we bake them, but here they were deep-fried, which gave a slightly crispy exterior, but a soft, mushy interior.

Of course, Nathan's are known for hot dogs. They're a little garlicky, a little salty, and have a crisp snap with each bite. Nathan's hot dogs are delicious, which is why they are "Famous".

The original Coney Island location was opened by Nathan Handwerker in 1916. That means 2016 marks their 100th year in business! That's a certifiable institution anywhere, but especially in NYC, where food businesses come and go at an extraordinary pace.

You can find the Nathan's cart on the east side of Columbus Circle, right outside the entrance to Central Park. It's a classic NYC tourist location for a classic NYC institution, but we'll happily walk into the tourist maelstrom for lunch from Nathan's Famous.