Cheap Eats: Sunrise Mart
One of the perils associated with being new to any big city is not knowing exactly where to find good deals. Whether it's that cute cubicle of an apartment you can just afford or that little-known clothing outlet with all your favorite designers for sale on the cheap, uncovering hidden deals is essential to NYC survival. And when it comes to food (the kind that won't send you to an early food poising grave), finding something affordable can be difficult.
Enter The Sunrise Market, incongruously situated smack dab in the middle of Snobville, aka Soho. Dedicated exclusively to Japanese food (and a little Korean), the location is an offshoot of the first Sunrise Mart, still thriving in the East Village. The major difference at the new Soho location is the cafeteria-style set-up in the front of the store.
Now, instead of purchasing your Dragon Roll sushi box and rushing outside into pedestrian traffic, you can actually sit down and enjoy the atmosphere-something of a mix between Shinjuku, Tokyo and a snooty Paris café. The tasty bento boxes boast everything from baked salmon to tempura shrimp. Any dish can be popped into the in-store microwave oven and enjoyed with an Asahi beer or one of the many Japanese bottled teas on display. Few items are more than $6-$8, but the quality and presentation of the cuisine makes the budget dining seem more high-end than it is. Open until 10 p.m. weekly, Sunrise Mart takes the edge off with Far East comfort food at a reasonable price.
212-219-0033