I’ve been doing the lunch rounds between 8th and 10th Aves from 37th up to 45th for years, and the old reliable steam-table counters are quietly moving away from what made them great: a full plate under twelve dollars, any protein they have that day, no menu theater.

A lot of the smaller spots have added delivery tablets and suddenly the same rice, beans, maduros, and pernil plate is closer to thirteen once you add a can of soda. Fine, but that’s no longer the cheap lunch.

I want to know which counters are still genuinely affordable and good. My usual test order is rice, beans, a protein (pernil or stewed chicken), and maduros. If that lands under $12 before tax, I’m in. If it’s all dry chicken sitting under heat lamps at 1 p.m., I don’t care if it’s $8.

I’m not talking about the places with three tables and a guy on a laptop taking online orders all afternoon, and I’m not asking about sit-down spots with a printed menu. I mean the actual steam-table places where you point, they plate, and you can be in and out in eight minutes if the line moves.

So, who is still doing that well west of 8th? Cross streets, hours, best protein, and whether they have the green hot sauce or the watery pink stuff.

Yep, the west 40s steam-table scene is not what it was. I stopped going to my place on 9th after they swapped the old lady at the counter for a new crew and the pernil got stringy.

Still, there’s a little spot on 43rd west of 9th, can’t remember the exact name, maybe blue awning. They do rice, beans, maduros, and stewed chicken. I want to say it’s maybe $11 and change now. Not a bargain but fills the plate. Ask for the hot green stuff, that’s the only thing saving the chicken.

Don’t hit it at 12:30 unless you like standing behind two guys ordering for an entire office.

I just started working near Port Authority and I’m still learning the lunch neighborhood. Last week I wandered into a place on 8th and 40th I think, got some yellow rice, beans, and a piece of chicken and they charged me $14. I didn’t know if that was normal or if I got the new-girl special.

Do you just point? I never know if I should say something in Spanish. What exactly are maduros? Are they like sweet bananas or something? I keep seeing them in the trays but I haven’t gotten them yet.

Also is the rice supposed to have beans on top or mixed in? I’m clearly out of my depth but I want to do better.

Beth, you probably got the 8th Avenue tourist-adjacent upcharge, especially if you were near 40th and the place had a digital menu. The old-school counters don’t usually charge $14 for chicken unless you’re in a build-your-own bowl spot.

At a real steam table, pointing is completely fine, but if you want to sound less lost, order it as ‘arroz, habichuelas, y pollo guisado.’ Maduros are sweet plantains, which are cooked bananas but not the kind you eat raw; they’re sticky and caramelized. Beans can go on top, on the side, or mixed into the rice—if they ask, it’s usually ‘habichuelas encima o aparte’ at some counters.

My current rotation: a tiny place on 41st between 9th and 10th in a bodega-adjacent storefront, maybe four trays out front. The stewed chicken is good, the pernil is better if you catch it before 12:45, and the rice is made ahead but not dried out. I’ve also had luck on 38th just west of 8th, but avoid the fish on Mondays, it sits forever.

Biggest caveat: the more expensive places will push extras. If you see avocado slices already on top without asking, say you don’t want it before they swipe your card; that’s what pushes a plate from $11 to $14.

Okay, thread is a gold mine. I’m new to the city and my default lunch near work has been the same sad salad place, so this is perfect.

I tried the 43rd spot mentioned above after reading the first few replies. I got a small pernil plate and a can of soda and I think it was under $12. The pork was a little salty but the maduros balanced it out. The hot green sauce was no joke.

What’s the move for white rice vs yellow? Does yellow cost more or is it just cooked with chicken broth? I couldn’t tell if the guy gave me yellow automatically.

I work over here sometimes, coming from BK, so I don’t have the daily loyalty. The spot I like is on 37th off 8th, closer to the big post office vibe. Half chicken with rice and beans under $12 at lunch only, and they’re not shy with the chicharrón as a side if you ask. The green sauce is hot; the watery pink stuff is more vinegar.

I wouldn’t sleep on the carts around 40th and 7th for a change-up, but that’s not the same. A steam table plate with a can of Malta is a full afternoon coma for less than a salad. Respect to the office guys who eat this and go back to a desk.

Good recs. A few corrections and additions:

• If the plate comes with avocado already on it, that’s not a giveaway. You will pay extra for it. Same with the little side of fried cheese if they ask you ‘¿y queso?’ and you nod.
• Yellow vs white rice: at most steam tables the yellow rice is just white rice with color and maybe a little seasoning, not automatically more. Some places use chicken broth, but don’t count on it. I ask for white rice if I want to taste the stew sauce, yellow if I want the maduros to mix in.
• Portions fall off a cliff after 1:45. If you can go at 11:45, the pernil is fresh and the line is short. If you can’t, order the stewed chicken or the beef; those hold better than pernil under the lamp.
• For Beth: yes, you can just point, but the magic phrase is ‘un poquito de cada’ if you want a little of each, or ‘un poquito de arroz, no mucho’ if you don’t want a full pound of rice. They will sometimes still give you a full pound.

One more spot: on 40th between 9th and 10th there’s a counter attached to a deli, right side when you walk in, with maybe five trays. The woman there does half rice and half mofongo if you ask nicely, no extra charge. That’s my current under-$12 lunch.

Update: I went back to the 43rd place with a game plan and got arroz, habichuelas, pernil, and maduros. Pointed at the pernil, said ‘un poquito de verde?’ and the lady loaded the green sauce. It was $11 and change, definitely not $14. I think I got the tourist price last time by letting them give me a bunch of extra stuff.

I’m a convert. Now I need something lighter for days I can’t do a full plate—do any of these spots do a small or half order, or is it better to just get the rice and beans with a side of plantains and skip the meat?