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Great Takeaway Food in Midtown for Eating on Penn Station Amtrak


darkstar965

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Haven't used these "Help Needed" threads much in the past but thought to give it a try today.

I'm going to be in NYC later this week and will have about two hours free after a meeting to get to Penn Station and a train back to DC.  Will be in Midtown (either central Midtown or Midtown East).

Where would people recommend stopping to get some great takeaway to have for dinner on the train later since, well, can't stomach the fare that Amtrak sells? Can be most any cuisine but something that will stay for a few hours that can be boxed/packaged up.  Hoping for something especially good, interesting (doesn't have to be a restaurant; maybe a great food market of some kind?).

Would need it to be east of 8th between 50th and 30th.

Here's hoping. And, Thank you!

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Haven't used these "Help Needed" threads much in the past but thought to give it a try today.

I'm going to be in NYC later this week and will have about two hours free after a meeting to get to Penn Station and a train back to DC.  Will be in Midtown (either central Midtown or Midtown East).

Where would people recommend stopping to get some great takeaway to have for dinner on the train later since, well, can't stomach the fare that Amtrak sells? Can be most any cuisine but something that will stay for a few hours that can be boxed/packaged up.  Hoping for something especially good, interesting (doesn't have to be a restaurant; maybe a great food market of some kind?).

Would need it to be east of 8th between 50th and 30th.

Here's hoping. And, Thank you!

This won't meet your criteria because it's too far north, but right before I took my train at Penn Station the last time I visited NYC, I got a grab-n-go sandwich at Bouchon Bakery & Café in Time-Warner Center which was *perfect* train food.

Places like this abound. :)

Just not in the immediate vicinity of Penn Station which is at 31st-33rd and 7th-8th. :(

If anyone knows of a decent carryout that's walkable, please chime in!

Incidentally, the first time I ever had kaiten sushi in my life was in 1985 at Penn Station. I thought it was so "¦ cool! ... being able to find such a thing "¦ in a train station, yet! Was it any good? Oh, heavens no. But it was New York City with its vagrants, honking Checkers, and wafting subway odors - how much better can life get for a 23-year-old?

And isn't Amtrak WiFi wonderful when it works?

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I have actually had some decent sandwiches at some of the places in Penn Station, but I really cannot remember the names of those joints.  You can spend 5 minutes watching what they are putting out and get a pretty good sense of whether you would like it.  More often I will go to the Whole Foods at 24th and 7th, which is reliable early on a Sunday morning (open at 8 am) and fits in with my normal approach to Penn Station, which is from the south.  It is really an easy walk from Penn Station if you are coming from another direction.  Eataly (24th and 5th) is also in walking distance from Penn Station (I have done it killing time before a train) and you may find something there that suits your fancy.

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I do the Penn Station commute between Park & 26th and Penn Station a couple times per month. I have developed a set of favorites for train eating:

1. Hale and Hearty (multiple locations)

2. Spreads  (30th and Park)

3. Stumptown (29th and Broadway)

4. Korean bakery cafes along 32nd between Broadway and 5th

5. Second Avenue Deli (33rd between Lex and 3rd) but given your coordinates Carnegie Deli or Sarge's would be options as well.

If you want really random, I love Kyotofu.  Their chocolate fudge cupcakes were at one point ranked by the NewYorker as the best in New York. They can be purchased at a couple different places around the city but their shop in Hell's Kitchen is worth the trip.

The other amazing thing about New York is that you can get just about anything delivered- even to a street corner by Penn Station.

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Haven't used these "Help Needed" threads much in the past but thought to give it a try today.

I'm going to be in NYC later this week and will have about two hours free after a meeting to get to Penn Station and a train back to DC.  Will be in Midtown (either central Midtown or Midtown East).

Where would people recommend stopping to get some great takeaway to have for dinner on the train later since, well, can't stomach the fare that Amtrak sells? Can be most any cuisine but something that will stay for a few hours that can be boxed/packaged up.  Hoping for something especially good, interesting (doesn't have to be a restaurant; maybe a great food market of some kind?).

Would need it to be east of 8th between 50th and 30th.

Here's hoping. And, Thank you!

 

Have folks been to Num Pang?  I'd suggest their sandwiches, but I have a bunch of caveats:  I've only been once, I went to their original Union Square/Greenwich Village location, and I ate the sandwich right away.  The bread is toasted so not sure how long it keeps (toasted bread often gets hard and chewy after sitting).  I did enjoy my pulled pork sandwich though and intend to go back.

Locations as listed on their website:

Times Square

148 W 48th St
(between 6th and 7th Ave)

Chelsea Market

75 9th Ave
(between w15 - w 16 st)

Nomad Hotel

1129 Broadway
(Btw. 25th & 26th St)

Grand Central

140 E. 41st Street
(Btw. Lexington & 3rd Ave)

Union Square

21 E. 12th Street
(Btw. University Pl. & 5th Ave)

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Have folks been to Num Pang?  I'd suggest their sandwiches, but I have a bunch of caveats:  I've only been once, I went to their original Union Square/Greenwich Village location, and I ate the sandwich right away.  The bread is toasted so not sure how long it keeps (toasted bread often gets hard and chewy after sitting).  I did enjoy my pulled pork sandwich though and intend to go back.

I've been to Num Pang- the location in the Nomad hotel. It was good but I had a salad. My coworkers in NYC go there alot. They have fresh watermelon juice in the summer which is one of my favorite things ever.

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Thanks so much to everyone above who made suggestions.  I went with dcs' suggestion since I was well aware of Eataly but had never been there before.  Wouldn't make that choice the next time; was a bit underwhelmed but will try to post about that on the Eataly thread.

Sushi Yasuda is still outstanding btw. Though still not sure whether all is right there with the staff and lawsuit as it needs to be.

And, yes Don, Amtrak's wifi is a great thing when working.  It was for maybe 90% of the round trip for me.

Thanks again, all.  I'll definitely try a different suggestion from this thread next trip up. You're all the best.   :)

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Too late for this time but I second the Hale & Hearty Soup rec. 35th and 7th is probably the most convenient location.

My go-to order is a soup/half-sandwich combo. I love the turkey and avocado with walnut pesto sandwich.

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Too late for this time but I second the Hale & Hearty Soup rec. 35th and 7th is probably the most convenient location.

My go-to order is a soup/half-sandwich combo. I love the turkey and avocado with walnut pesto sandwich.

I used to "live" at 31st and 7th (Southgate Tower). :)

Pretty sure there wasn't a Hale & Hearty Soup there then, but there was a Sbarro's within a block of there (which I refused to try). Or was it a Godfather's? I can't remember - east side of 7th, right across from MSG and PS.

Man, I cannot believe I used to work in the World Trade Center. Métro, boulot, dodo, as they say in France - indeed, that was my life. And I just had the cutest flashback of my parents.

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Thanks again to everyone who replied on this thread.  Realizing now that this may be a useful topic for others in the future well beyond the need I had last week. To that end, I wanted to provide the link to the Eataly report I wrote since that's where I ended up.  As you'll read there, I'll look forward to trying some of the other ideas above on future trips up NYC way by train.   ;)

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