Good Food, Good Deal: Tuck Shop

From left to right: traditional beef pie with salad and scalloped potatoes, the beef pie "floating" in pea soup.

In the spirit of these desperate times, let's try to see how little we can spend and still get a decent, filling meal. Aussie eatery Tuck Shop takes pride in being “drinking man’s food at its best,” but we posit they could also claim sober man’s food at its best, too. And with these prices, you can use your leftover money on their homemade ginger beer ($2) to see if it works for the blotto man as well.

It's been a couple years since we last checked in with their Aussie-style pies, and we were relieved to find them as hearty as ever. We went in for their traditional beef pie and made it a Tucker Box, $10 for the pie and two sides; for which we chose the mixed salad with beet dressing and their vegetable of the day, scalloped potatoes. We took pride in our selection until the overachiever next to us ordered his pie “floating” (in pea soup), overwhelming us with envy.

For dessert, feel free to try one of their lamingtons; they also sell sausage rolls and a selection of Aussie groceries. (Tim Tams or Vegemite, anyone?) And during our visit, an actual Australian woman came in and bought a pie to take home. So if Aussie people eat Tuck Shop’s Aussie pies, it's probably safe to say you're getting the real deal.

Tuck Shop // 68 East 1st Street // (212) 979-5200