I challenged ChatGPT and Gemini to find NYC’s best eats under $100 — here’s the winner (and how to try it in your city)

The city I’ve inhabited since birth is known for so many things: the ease of public transportation, the strange smells, the bustling nightlife and the incredible food are chief among them.On that last note, that sticks out to me as one of my favorite aspects of New York City. Everywhere I look, there’s your average hot dog vendor, a standout food truck, a NYC restaurant staple or a hidden gem that’s sure to blow up once it gets shared across IG. I’m prone to eating with my eyes and not thinking about how full I can get after just a few bites (especially since my metabolism isn’t what it once was).Even so, I still love to go adventuring in my city with a friend in tow to enjoy all the good eats littered across every borough. Since I’m planning to enjoy that same activity this weekend with one of my closest (and always hungry!) buddies, I came to ChatGPT and Gemini with a simple request: find me the best and most affordable places I can eat at with a $100 budget in mind.Here’s which chatbot gave me the best cheap eateries and the prompt you can put in place to try it out for yourself.ChatGPT’s preferred picks(Image credit: Shutterstock)With this prompt, I requested ChatGPT’s help with locating a specific number of affordable spots to grab some grub at: “Find me 7 of the best cheap restaurants in all five NYC boroughs for a total budget of $100, prioritizing filling meals. Include specific orders, current prices and a map.” Of course, you can change the number and location in that prompt to make it personalized to your preferences.ChatGPT took note of my request and laid out a solid selection of dishes worth taking a couple of train transfers for: You'll get Chinese roast pork, Puerto Rican chicken and rice, Nepalese dumplings, Sri Lankan kottu roti, and more. After laying out a map of each location alongside its numbered review scores, the chatbot proceeded to detail its seven picks and an estimated price for each location’s best menu selection:Wah Fung No.1 Fast Food in Chinatown, Manhattan: Order the Roast pork over rice with vegetables. $7.50–$10 estimated price. Generous helpings of char siu or roast pork, rice, cabbage, and savory sauce. A great choice when you're hungry and want a proper meal. Bring cash and expect a queue.188 Bakery Cuchifritos in Fordham, The Bronx: Order the Chicken thigh or breast with rice and beans. $8 estimated price. A substantial Caribbean-style plate with protein, rice, and beans. One of the most practical meals for staying full on a tight budget. The $8 price comes from a third-party menu and needs confirmation.Allan's Bakery in Flatbush, Brooklyn: Order the Bake and codfish sandwich ($5) plus a beef patty ($2.65). $7.65. A savory Caribbean sandwich with an extra flaky, meat-filled pastry. Better for a filling breakfast or lunch than buying sweets alone. These are listed online prices.Nepali Bhanchha Ghar in Jackson Heights, Queens: Order the Chicken momo ($10) and sel roti ($2). $12. A plate of juicy Nepalese dumplings paired with a fried rice-flour bread. A strong combination of carbohydrates, protein, and rich dipping sauces. Prices were checked in October 2026.New Asha Sri Lanka Restaurant in Tompkinsville, Staten Island: Order the Chicken kottu roti ($6.50) plus a vegetable roti ($1). $7.50 listed. Chopped flatbread stir-fried with chicken, spices, and vegetables. It's a hearty Sri Lankan comfort-food meal. The published menu lists these prices, but diner reports suggest actual bills can be higher, so confirm before ordering.Royal Grill Halal Food in Midtown Manhattan: Order the Chicken over rice ($7) plus canned soda ($1.25). $8.25. A hearty halal-style chicken-and-rice platter with sauce. This is the kind of inexpensive, filling street-food lunch that makes a $100 challenge achievable. Prices from an October 2026 menu check.Shu Jiao Fu Zhou: Order the Pork-and-chive dumplings with peanut noodles. $8–$10 estimated. Two of the shop's signature dishes in one meal. Rich noodles plus savory dumplings deliver excellent value and a filling lunch. Cash is strongly recommended.Gemini’s strongest options(Image credit: Shutterstock)When it was Gemini’s turn, Google’s chatbot acknowledged my hunger for cheap, carb-heavy, protein-packed portions that my fellow culinary adventurer and I could enjoy. And while it didn’t showcase a map as descriptive as ChatGPT’s, Gemini’s version still proved to be helpful since it laid out which trains and ferries I could take to get to each location.Gemini produced its list of recommendations and delivered it in the form of an easy-to-read chart that highlighted the restaurant’s name, location, a specific order I should consider getting and its estimated price. A good example of that format is how Gemini listed an Italian restaurant located in Gravesend, Brooklyn that could fill me and my friend up with 2 Sicilian "Upside Down" Square Slices for a total of $9.Underneath a section entitled “What Makes Each Spot Unbeatable & Filling,” Gemini went into further detail about the inexpensive eateries it chose for me:Wah Fung No. 1 Fast Food (79 Chrystie St, Manhattan): Cleaver-chopped Cantonese sweet roast pork packed so heavily into a takeaway box that the lid barely snaps shut. Soaking the jasmine rice in sweet roast drippings turns this into two meals in one. Cash only; arrive before noon to avoid a 45-minute queue.Shu Jiao Fu Zhou (295 Grand St, Manhattan): Fujianese comfort food at rock-bottom pricing. The peanut butter noodles ($3.50) are rich and savory, and 10 hand-pleated pork and chive dumplings ($5.00) give you instant protein ballast.A&A Bake & Doubles (1337 Fulton St, Brooklyn): A James Beard America’s Classics winner. Doubles are fried flatbreads (bara) sandwiching curried chickpeas and topped with tamarind, pepper sauce, and kuchela. Combined with a massive, dense dhalpuri roti wrap, you won't need to eat for eight hours.L&B Spumoni Gardens (2725 86th St, Brooklyn): Thick, pillowy Sicilian crust layered with melted mozzarella on the bottom and a sweet tomato sauce on top. Two dense squares weigh almost a pound together.Sammy’s Halal (73rd St & Broadway, Queens): The Vendy Award–winning cart in Jackson Heights. Unlike midtown tourist carts, Sammy coats his yellow basmati rice in a signature spiced herb green sauce alongside fiery red and creamy white sauces. The platter is heavy enough to double as a doorstop.188 Bakery Cuchifritos (158 E 188th St, The Bronx): A classic Puerto Rican lunch counter. A platter of garlic-marinated, slow-roasted pernil over seasoned yellow rice and gandules (pigeon peas) will supply plenty of savory, crisp cuerito (pork skin).New Asha (322 Victory Blvd, Staten Island): Staten Island is home to the largest Sri Lankan diaspora outside of Sri Lanka. Kothu Roti is shredded godamba flatbread stir-fried on a griddle with eggs, onions, aromatic spices, and tender mutton, served with rich curry gravy.The verdictBesides both chatbots generating the best and cheapest NYC food options I should consider, both ChatGPT and Gemini also gave me a budget breakdown of every meal.ChatGPT also factored in the leftover money I’d have before public transportation fees, the taxes attached to each meal and any tips me & my hungry cohort may leave behind. Gemini’s aforementioned chart produced an estimated total for its recommended restaurants and meals, plus an approximate amount of money I’d have left over for sales tax, cash tips and subway swipes.Out of the two chatbots, I ended up adding most of the suggestions Gemini brought forth. While ChatGPT and Gemini both mentioned Wah Fung No.1 Fast Food, 188 Bakery Cuchifritos and New Asha Sri Lanka Restaurant, Gemini got the nod with its suggestions since ChatGPT recommended an average halal food vendor that I can find anywhere in the city. Gemini also brought up a halal food truck, but the fact that it has a signature sauce and was given an esteemed culinary achievement made me consider it more than ChatGPT’s option.Both chatbots gave me plenty of great choices to choose from besides that one place, but Gemini’s options made my stomach growl a bit more. Gemini’s mention of a pizza spot alongside its other cheap food selections ended up being the deciding factor for me to make a delicious playlist out of its endorsements.More from Tom’s GuideHere's what James Talarico, Abdul El-Sayed and other US midterm election winners have to say about AI data centersGoogle Gemini now lets you see everything it remembers about you — here's how to take controlI had ChatGPT explain the 7 main arguments AI doomers make and asked it to challenge them — here’s how it responded to every possible doomsday setup