Mocca Hungarian Restaurant

New York -- For central and eastern European cooking on a budget, this is the place to go. Roughly the same cuisine, of higher quality, is offered a few blocks north at Heidelberg. But why pay? Mocca's $6.95 lunchtime prix fixe menu, available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is absolutely astounding. You get fresh bread, soup or salad, your choice from a generous list of entrees, and dessert. The service is phenomenally gruff and rude; your plates will be dropped onto your table, and you will not receive a single smile from anyone. But the food, oh, the food. It's heavy and delicious. We tried the Chicken Paprikash and the Wiener Schnitzel and found both above average. Allow time for a nap afterward.

Mocca Hungarian Restaurant | 1588 Second Ave., between 82nd and 83rd streets | Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York City | (212) 734-6470

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This piece is excerpted from an article that originally appeared August 15, 2000, in Nebraska StatePaper. You can see the original article here on StatePaper.