Now that we’ve entered the “ber months,” arguably the best time of the year in New York City, the conditions are ideal for traipsing around the city. However, appetites tend to get worked up when you have to walk over 70 blocks because your subway line stopped running (speaking from experience). 

So to avoid spoiling a perfect day by a bad case of being “hangry,” I’ll be taking a swing at making a perusable list of the best eats in the distinct downtown neighborhoods south of Central Park, doing my best to highlight some lesser-known eateries.

Hell’s Kitchen 

Masseria Caffè: This coffee shop is a frequent study spot of mine after Lincoln Center classes. If anyone has extra time before boarding the Ram Van, this is the perfect local spot to kill some time. They have quality Italian café food, seasonal lattés and — the real selling point — a student discount. 

Empanada Mama: Moving down Ninth Avenue, we have our next fuel stop. Don’t be fooled by the humble font on the store front: Empanada Mama is churning out some of the best pick-me-up empanadas for a steal. I highly recommend this if you’re just looking for something to take the hunger edge off while staying on-the-go.

West Village

Coppelia: It would be wrong to make a list of New York City dining spots and not mention a diner. Coppelia brings on diner vibes with a Hispanic twist. The atmosphere is always buzzing with chatter among customers and friendly banter between the waitstaff. The classic diner foods are given a facelift with the addition of latino flavors and the tres leches cake is an absolute must-have. 

Café-Flor: The West Village has coffee shops down, and let’s be honest, if the breeze is breezing, the air smells like leaves and the lightning of a coffee shop is just vibey enough, getting a pumpkin spice latte is basically obligatory. This shop covers every coffee shop niche — plants, dim lighting and an eclectic mix of seating options — and combines it all into one big aesthetic held within four walls.

East Village

Veselka: I may be biased from my eastern-European heritage, but I believe that a pierogi is the perfect comfort food and one that every citizen should be required to experience at least once. The cold weather just brings about a desire for dough and cheese, and if nothing else, this restaurant can deliver on both of those fronts. It expertly executes a cuisine that many aren’t often familiar with, and it is perfect to be followed by a quick stroll on Broadway for pastries. 

Dumpling N’ Dips: I’ll give you one guess as to what this place specializes in. This sub-street level dumpling depot provides ample options for both specialty dumplings and (you guessed it) dips! They also have noodle bowls that are sure to give you a great bang-to-buck ratio.

Chinatown

Tasty Hand – Pulled Noodles: Keeping with the ultra-literal restaurant names, we have our next stop on the list. Chinatown is perfect for any economical students that are looking for a cheap meal after checking their first month of college bank statement and realizing that those Metro-North tickets add up. Although it’s cash only, this restaurant’s pricing is phenomenal given the amount of food that comes with each order. The seating is mostly outdoor, so it’s important to go on a dry day, but the street is packed with color and design that is ideal to look at while struggling to use chopsticks. 

Dreamers Coffee House: I stumbled upon this hole in the wall coffee shop while waiting for my reservation at another restaurant, but it was so cute, I almost didn’t want to leave when my table was ready. Offering specialty coffees with Asian flavors, good music and a games corner, this tiny room immediately won a place in my Apple Maps guide. The location is near the pier with the swings that look at the Manhattan bridge that took the internet over.

This list could be about four times longer with all of the spots I have saved from last year, but this abbreviated version should provide a good starting point for anyone in the lower-Manhattan area. For anyone who is looking for a quick coffee and pastry, I would recommend sticking to the West and East Village, but ye be warned, sometimes just those two items can equal the price of one whole meal.

I send you all off into this newly-autumnal world wishing you all quick train rides, coffee with reasonable  prices and restaurants that have very good lighting. Stay hungry, Rams!