Lunch Break: Melt-Your-Face-Off Spicy!

Ultimate comfort food burgers, face-meltingly spicy Thai food, or a reasonably priced Korean lunch menu: today's Lunch Break! By Yvo Sin.

Burger Shoppe

30 Water Street
New York, NY 10004
(212) 425-1000
burgershoppenyc.com/

See Also: NYC's Best Burgers | NYC's Best French Fries

When Burger Shoppe first opened in 2008, the area workers cheered: finally, a place focusing on burgers and burgers alone. Prior to that, they'd had to rely on delis for burgers, which sated the craving but not particularly well. Burger Shoppe serves up Shoppe Burgers (pictured); 4 oz beef patties topped with cheese, lettuce and "Shoppe sauce" to the masses. Since they opened, the burgers, which were good, have gotten progressively better, to the point where Burger Shoppe now flexes its chops with many additions to the menu; check out the Mac&Cheese burger, which has macaroni mixed into it and is topped with a four-cheese-sauce, creating a juicy, tender burger that will fill you with the ultimate in comfort food.

Chao Thai

8503 Whitney Avenue
Elmhurst, NY 11373
(718) 424-4999

This is not for the faint of heart or those averse to spicy food: when Chao Thai says spicy, they don't mess around. You can ask for a dish to be made mild, and they'll agree; but when the dish arrives, you'll realize they either forgot or they're intent on watching you squirm. Don't let this deter you if you love spice, though. Chao Thai is the real deal, creating dishes that balance precariously the flavors of Thai food: sour, spicy, sweet, and salty, though some dishes - especially those marked with the spicy asterisk - sometimes fall right off the spicy cliff into a pool of face-melting spiciness. Be sure to try the papaya salad (pictured) - deceivingly cool-looking, this dish will start the meal off right, with a burst of heat punching you in the mouth.

Jup She

171 Grand Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 343-0090

See Also: NYC's Best Korean Barbecue

In a part of Manhattan where Korean restaurants are scarce, Jup She doesn't just fill the need, it fills it well. For a just over $10, you can order one of their many lunch boxes with choice of protein (bulgogi, or thinly sliced and marinated rib eye; galbi, or grilled and marinated boneless rib eye; eel, shrimp), miso soup, japchae (glass vermicelli) noodles, appetizer of the day, salad, white rice, which all comes with a few small containers of banchan (the complimentary appetizers given to you at the start of any meal at a Korean restaurant) when you take it to go. The food won't knock your socks off, but it will make you loosen your belt and stuff you silly.

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Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of Feisty Foodie.