New York Lunch

Awesome place, friendly service, wieners are good but cheese burgers and steak and eggs are the best! You have to try a grilled muffin buttery, sweet, perfect!

Meh, not a bad spot, but a bit of a greasy spoon. I was a bit put off by the attitude of the employees, but then realized they are a friendly group.
I’m not a fan of «wieners» as they call them out here, but their cheeseburgers were actually really good. The fries were also really tasty.

Decent weiners, wish they would go back to a dollar a piece. Any more is just ridiculous.

let me start off by saying — if you aren’t getting the daily special with the works and coffee milk, you’re doing it wrong. this restaurant is great, i’ve gone various times with various groups and each time it has been stellar. weiners are always great, tasty, and perfectly salty. fries are in great proportion but need to be salted slightly more. the enivornment is nostalgiac and friendly, creating a warm and greeting environment. love this place; veey quaint and great food.

I don’t know what happened to this place it use to be half way decent. Recently purchased weiners to go and the weiners were so small and had no taste, they were horrible. Onions seemed old. Saturday evening you would think they would have fresh food. Will travel to Onleyville, Prov. they have the best around All done with New York Lunch

Used to be Better
Of all of the greasy spoon wiener joints that infest the state of Rhode Island, this used to be my favorite. It’s a guilty pleasure. However, something slipped here. I know it changed ownership recently, but the old owner still works here, so I don’t know what happened.
RI wieners are a very subjective item among natives. Everyone has a favorite joint, but this spot had the most consistent version. Not anymore. My last couple of visits, the product has been subpar. Buns not steamed enough, wiener a bit dry, and very salty sauce. For years, these issues weren’t a problem, which set it apart from all of the others.
Overall, they still serve a good wiener, and it’s still a cool late night spot to grab some grease to cover up a night of drinking, but I think my heart is now with NY System in Olneyville.
Thanks

Nothing like the original NYS, it might be a matter of opinion but they just don’t seem to have it quite right. Onions were old and meat sauce was lacking something. I could look past the different take on the hot wiener, but when the place is filthy and in dis-​repair. It’s hard to want to return to give it a second chance. I rather just take the ride to Onleyville.

It’s a decent wiener joint my only complaint is they need to put more meat sauce on their dogs… All in all what you would expect from a small diner/​wiener place… If you are in the mood an in the area it will do the trick that’s for sure.

It’s a weiner shop that has been around for sometime now. One of the better places around and way better than onlyville weiner. Can get crazy with the late night crowds at time and a bit of a wait. Whiners are done like most are they places steamed.
Inside was nice really done like an early diner would be plenty of room now inside. Almost reminds me of a Johnny rockets.
People are friendly and always willing to chat. Other food there is good as well.
It’s clean and well lit inside and taken care of.

I came from Mass with a friend to check this place out for the first time. Woonsocket is an interesting old, albeit fairly depressed old mill town on the Blackstone River. The few passing cars hinted at the staggering poverty in the area. The dam on the river across the street was pretty (except for the tire resting on a rock below in the river below the falls). Parking is abundant.
New York Lunch is a charming, compact throwback to the 1960s with Rexall-​style counter seating with a view of hundreds of stacked, bagged hot dog buns and a crowd of small, orange wieners turning on a rolling wiener grill. There’s also a cozy dining room with booth seating. We chose the dining room, which was really nicely decorated with photos and memorabilia from times past. The whole place appeared to be clean. There were a few other diners.
Our waiter was an easy-​going, down-​to-​earth and gregarious guy, clearly proud of this venerable establishment. He suggested the House Favorite, the Three All-​Around — three wieners with «meat sauce», mustard, onions and celery salt. Fries or onion rings. We chose the fries. Soon, we were presented with our lunches on white paper plates.
The wieners were unappetizing to look at. The buns were untoasted white bread. I assumed they’d be toasted or grilled, the way they are up in Boston. The buns, which were normal size, were too big for the little wieners. The dogs, only peeking out at the ends, were that strange, dull burnt orange color I’d noticed on the grilling apparatus. Only, seen up close, the color was even less appealing, and the dogs were very small and skinless, with no plumpness. Not good signs. I was hoping for «snap», and based on their appearance, these dogs promised to lack any kind of snap.
The chopped onions were on top, and looked to be parboiled to soften their flavor. Under the onions, I could see what had to be the «meat sauce». It was an unappealing shade of brown, with a chili-​like consistency. I saw no mustard. It must have been the first condiment applied. (I would have squirted it over the «meat sauce» in a colorful curlicue, but apparently, no such thought of an attractive presentation occurred to the management).
Our drinks and the small paper baskets of fries were brought to us with a friendly warning, «Be careful, these are hot!» So, with our drinks (a Diet Coke and a bottled water), and a bit of friendly banter with our host before he departed to let us «Enjoy!», I tried to muster some faux enthusiasm to do just that. I tasted the fries. They were cooked a little darker than medium color and crisp. As advertised, they were hot. A tad greasy, but a little ketchup from the big Heinz bottle on the table made them greasy-​spoon yummy. I wished the fries order was bigger. I would have happily eaten my fill of just fries. The hot dogs had to taste better than they looked. After all, this is a decades old, «World Famous» hot dog place!
Dear God. They SUCK. I wanted to spit it out, but since I wasn’t raised in a barn, I forced myself to ultimately eat two of the three wieners on my paper plate, out of pure politeness.
No part of the hot dog was hot. At best, it was lukewarm. NO SNAP. The bun was cold. It had an ever so slightly clay-​like texture and was completely devoid of any flavor. Inside, the hot dog was a peach color, like flesh-​toned particleboard, and tasted like it, too. It was dry, and had a sawdust-​like texture. If it had any flavor of its own, it was entirely lost under the bland and granular «meat sauce». I wasn’t at all sure that there was any meat in the wiener. I decided that it may be made of cornmeal.
I couldn’t help but wonder what was in their porridge-​textured «meat sauce», but Alpo came to mind. I forbade myself from speculating further.
I could neither see or taste any mustard.
The last thing I noticed was an unexpected, mildly astringent, almost chemical aftertaste. Celery salt. I had forgotten the mention of celery salt among the «All-​Around» toppings. It had a rancid taste, and yet, more grittiness. It was like that of something your mother might tell you never to put in your mouth. The onions on top had been pre-​cooked to soften their flavor. This added culinary measure worked a bit too well; The onions were rendered fully wilted, and all but entirely flavorless.
For my next unwanted bite, finding no mustard with which to doctor it, I squirted the aforementioned Heinz Ketchup all over my lunch in an effort to make it more palatable. It was a most unpleasant experience to now consume the rest of this and a second wiener, so as not to hurt the feelings of the proud waiter.
Two stars, one for the really cool ambiance and one for the super-​friendly staff.
Save yourself the trip, or if you’re nearby, not terribly hungry and really bored, go, but just get fries and maybe their famous Rhode Island coffee milk. The wieners were actually the worst I’ve ever had, or even ever imagined possible.

Better than Olneyville New York System! At least when Timmy is there.
Great wieners!

Saw a positive review on the Phantom Gourmet about this place thought I would try it out. Ordered two dogs all the way which included mustard, meatsauce, grilled onions and salt and pepper. With all those ingredients I only tasted the steamed bun and the snap of the hotdogs not too much flavor at all dissapointing.

One of my fellow Unilocalers prefers New York Lunch OVER Olneyville, so I had to stop in and try for myself.
I was worried about parking since this place is in the historic district, but then I remembered that Woonsocket is an economic sinkhole, so there’s not too much going on. Parking was easy, right on the street.
Anyways, this place is super cool and friendly. The weiners were very good and, in my opinion, second behind Olneyville due to the amount of toppings. The buns were super fresh and steamed, the wiener perfectly cooked, meat sauce was right on, and the onions were chopped a little bigger and cooked out more than Olneyville, so they’re not as harsh. The toppings were a little light compared to ONYS, but the price was considerably lower.

I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager. My friend and I used to take our tip money from bussing tables at Chan’s and spend some of it on weiners at New York Lunch. I usually go from 3 or 4 weiners with an order of fries and a soda and it’s been consistently great. There’s something about watching Tim, the owner, line up a dozen weiners on his arm as he throws on all the toppings with speed and precision right next to a picture of his father doing the same thing back in the day.
They’ve really revamped the place since I started going as well. Lots of new décor, they’ve opened up the second room, I think there’s even a TV in there now. Everyone who works there, especially Tim, is very nice and helpful. They have to be to put up with some of the crazies that wander in late on a Friday or Saturday night.
Their prices have always been reasonable. If it wasn’t for Woonsocket turning more and more into a shithole, I’d go there more often. That being said, this is still the best weiner joint around.

Honestly… I would take Tex Barry’s over this place 8 out of 10 times, but this place has a great customer base (always packed), price that is unbeatable at $ 1.60 per weiner, and great, friendly service. This makes it completely difficult to rate it less than 5 stars. Not to mention the weiners are delicious here!
I would say it’s better than Olneyville New York System without even thinking twice about it.

Having moved away from the area, miss NYL. Healthy? Heck no but ohhhh so tasty. Always thought they gave Olneyville a run for the money. NO ONE does weiners like this outside of RI.
Quick visit but service was super and a taste that took me back 20 years.

My first time here… Super cozy… Everyone was friendly…
Wieners for $ 1.40?!? U kidding me? Really good and tasty…
We are from ChiTown visiting my brother who lives in Cumberland.
I’m so glad he brought us here.
Before we leave next week, I wanna visit again :) yum

I’ve been eating here since I was a little kid. Now I take my kids there. The consistency is terrific. Sure, it’s not healthy, but whatever… just don’t go there every day.
The weiners are very good, and I love the fries. It’s not fancy. But it’s affordable, the food is good and it’s a fun experience if you sit at the counter and watch how they assemble steamed buns, weiner, meat sauce, onions and celery salt, 10 at a time, all on top of one arm (kids especially love that part). In the olden days there was no arm glove. I’m kind if glad for the glove update if I’m going to be honest. Oh, and fresh coffee milk… mmm…
Don’t be afraid of where it’s located — there are nice people inside. Just park on the road and walk across the street. Open till 2am. Welcome to Rhode Island!

I’m probably one of the few people that eschew going to Olneyville to come get wieners here.
Tim’s got a good thing going here. Although I have to be in a mood to have «gaggahs» when I do have them it never disappoints. The burgers are a good alternative, too, for those days when you’re just not feelin’ it.
Ask for a coffee milk to be wicked traditional. :)
I guarantee you’ll enjoy your stay, especially with the prices!

Open late! It has taken me a few years to finally visit this fantastic wiener joint and I wish I had tried it sooner!
The wieners are delicious, the fries are hot and the people are super friendly! I’ve only visited late at night, and the people watching was also really good. This is now my favorite late-​night wiener joint in Rhode Island. Give it a try!