The Best Takeout and Delivery Lunch Spots in Greenwich Village

Last week, we learned that if there is one thing sadder than a Sad Desk Salad, it’s a Sad Couch Sandwich. If you’re lucky enough to be working from home during New York’s “pause,” you might find yourself missing your workday routine. The morning and evening commute bookended your days, but lunch -- lunch! -- was the bright spot of every 9-5. If your new work-from-home routine consists of eating half your hoard of Double Stuf Oreos by 10am, it’s time to reassess your options.
 
Many of New York City’s businesses are still open for delivery and take-out, and ordering can help keep their doors open through these difficult times. If you’re able to, call the restaurant directly to place your order to help small businesses with tight margins avoid third-party fees.
  
If you're in Greenwich Village, we’ve rounded up our favorite WFH lunch spots in your neighborhood that you can order from the comfort of your couch.

Call 212-243-1974 or order on Caviar

You could make yourself a peanut butter and jelly on crackers -- or you could eat a gigantic sandwich from Faicco’s. This Italian deli has been open since 1900 (that means they made it through the 1918 Spanish Flu, too) and it’s still run by the Faicco family. The chicken cutlet sandwich, topped with fresh mozz, is a standout, as is the classic Italian stuffed with prosciutto, ham, capicola, and soppressata. The sandwiches aren’t cheap, but they’re so big you can eat the other half for lunch tomorrow. 

Order online

Need a little comfort food? Chicken bone broth is dense with nutrients (Bubbe didn’t call chicken soup “Jewish Penicillin” for nothing!) and an easy meal to have on hand. You can even order quarts of frozen broth to keep in your freezer -- at the very least, it’ll make your mom happy to know that it’s there. While we’re social distancing from family, it’s nice to have a little taste of home just ready to be defrosted. 

butcher's daughter cauliflower
The Butcher's Daughter

Call 917-388-2132 or order online

If you’re stuck inside and missing spring, a plant-based meal can make you feel a little sunnier. The Butcher’s Daughter is best enjoyed at brunch, on the patio, but take-out on your fire escape feels pretty good, too. Order a Butcher’s Bowl with roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and a poached egg; “crab” cakes with jackfruit and fennel-cucumber slaw; or half a roasted cauliflower served with tzatziki. They’re offering a limited grocery menu, too, so you can fill your pantry with staples like bread, coffee, dried pasta, and pancake mix.

Call 212-366-1182 to order

Your freezer might be packed with rise-in-the-oven pizzas, but nothing will ever beat the real thing. With salty cheese, a burnt crust, and almost no sweetness in the sauce, the pies are exactly what you want from a New York pizza. Let a good slice remind you that while NYC might be “paused,” it’ll never, ever stop.

daddy-o nyc
Daddy-O NYC

Call 212-414-8884 or order (food only) on Caviar

Need a lunchtime drink? Call up whiskey bar Daddy-O, where the burger is great -- it’s made with Pat LaFrieda’s dry-aged beef and brisket -- and the liquor is available to go. Get a little fresh air on a walk to pick up your burger and tots (keeping your distance of course), then head home to pour your cocktail into a mug. The only good news about working from home indefinitely? No one will know you’re tying one on in your 1:30 meeting. 

Mamoun's Falafel
Mamoun's Falafel

Order online

Mamoun’s has been slinging falafel in the Village since 1971, delighting drunk NYU students, vegetarians, and anyone who loves to eat a messy sandwich on the street on a warm spring day. One of their falafel sandwiches covered in tahini sauce is the ideal weekday lunch: quick, cheap, and satisfying. Order a few affordable sides, too, to throw in your freezer -- seasoned rice, hummus, and baklava will be a treat as you make your way through all that pasta you bought.

Call 646-719-1553 to order

Taco Mahal’s Indian tacos are filled with veggies for a healthy(ish) weekday lunch. Pick naan or roti for your “taco” base, then fill them with creamy saag paneer or turmeric-tinged chana masala (and since this is lunch in 2020, so you can order the whole thing in a bowl, instead). Opened by the owner in the newsstand that her father ran for decades, Taco Mahal is indicative of the always-changing nature of NYC -- and the small businesses that we can help to keep afloat.

bonbon candy
BonBon

Call 212-786-0094 or order on Caviar

F*** it, candy for lunch. Who among us hasn’t picked through the stale sweets in our file cabinet instead of eating a balanced meal? Order a pound of chocolate, sour gummies, or salty licorice, then snack on them throughout the day. Just like you would at work! (Except now, you don’t have to share your candy with your co-workers). Go ahead and eat until you get a gummy tummy ache -- you can always eat vegetables for dinner. 

sweetgreen salads
sweetgreen

Order online for pickup

If you’re really, really, really missing that office life, recreate your routine by walking to Sweetgreen for a Kale Caesar or a Spicy Thai. There won’t be a line around the block of women in their brand-new Rent the Runway duds, but at least your lunch will taste the same. When you get back home, call your coworkers on Zoom, eat over your laptop, and let everything feel completely normal for a few minutes. You’ll be back at the office soon -- until then, there’s always desk salad.

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Rachel Pelz lives and writes in Brooklyn.