I've been working near Fulton Mall for a few months and I'm tired of the same cold sandwiches and fifteen-dollar grain bowls. My dad used to talk about old-school lunch counters where you point at a steam tray and they give you baked chicken, rice and peas, stewed beef, maybe a mac and cheese side. Does that still exist down here under $15? I mean the kind of place that looks like a bodega in front and hot food in the back. All the apps just show fast-casual spots. How do I even order—by weight, by item, small/large? I don't want to hold up the line.

They still exist but you have to look on side streets, not the main Fulton Mall strip. Walk down Hoyt or Bond near Livingston, look for a bodega with a hot table or a Jamaican bakery that has trays in the back. For lunch, just say small plate or small combo, they load it up. Under $15 is doable with chicken, rice and veggies. Steer clear of spots charging by weight, that's how you end up with a way overpriced scoop of mac and cheese.

I'm basically in the same boat. I found a spot near Borough Hall last week and got turkey with gravy over rice for under the fast-casual prices. It was good but I wasn't sure if it counted as a real steam table meal. They also gave me two plantains and a random side of cabbage. Is that normal? Following this thread for more exact locations.

Yes! Finally a thread about real steam-table lunches! Everyone sleeps on the hot trays now because the fast-casual lines look cleaner, but the food is way better. In downtown Brooklyn you have to hit the Jamaican spots, not the delis with the sad chicken cutlet under glass. You want actual steam, metal trays, gravy on rice and peas. If the mac and cheese looks like it has a little crust on top or the oxtail tray is half empty by noon, that's the signal. Have you tried the spot off Livingston with the blue awning? I think a small brown stew chicken still sneaks under fifteen. Don't be shy: ask for extra gravy from the bottom of the tray. That's where the scallion and pepper bits sit. Also! Skip the fancy island bowl places that charge way over budget for the same thing.

Over by me it's mostly the Spanish and Chinese steam tables, but the rules are the same. If you see a long tray with rice, pink beans, and pernil, walk in. In Downtown BK, the Jamaican bakeries are your best bet. Just say small plate or small combo, and if they ask rice and peas or white rice, always rice and peas. You'll end up with enough for two meals sometimes. Don't overthink, just point and say small.

Thanks all. I walked past a bodega on my lunch break and saw the steam trays in the back but I froze because I didn't know if you order a combo or by weight. There was a sign I couldn't read from the door and a line of people paying with cash. I ended up getting a cold sandwich like an idiot. Tomorrow I'm just going to say 'small plate' and see what happens. Do they normally take cards or should I have cash? Also is it cool to ask for extra gravy, or will that get me the look?

Cash is always safer at these spots, though some take cards with a minimum. Extra gravy is half the point, just say it while they're on the rice, not after they wrapped it. In Flatbush we have the same type of setup on every other block. Near Nevins/Flatbush there's a spot that does jerk chicken plates, not exactly steam table but close, and it hits under fifteen. Main thing: don't go at 2pm because the trays are picked over. Good steam tables empty out by 1.

I tried a bodega hot table near my office after reading this. Got pernil, rice and beans, and a little cabbage for under budget. It was good but the guy microwaved the pernil in a plastic container before closing it. Is that normal? I thought steam table meant hot already. Maybe the tray heater wasn't strong. I still liked it but want the real thing next time.

That's the problem—some places use warmers and still nuke the meat because they pre-portion or the tray sits too low. A real steam table should be hot enough that the food doesn't need a microwave. If you see condensation on the inside of the lid and steam when they lift it, you're good. Ask for the rice from the bottom too, not the dried out top layer. And yes, extra gravy! Have you tried a spot where they spoon the stew chicken and then drag the ladle through the rice? That's the move. I'm telling you, once you find one good tray, you'll stop looking at the lunch apps.