Budget New York: Cheap yet chic dining, shopping and lodging

— -- You won't have much trouble finding a chic restaurant, hotel or boutique in New York City. What's much more difficult is finding one that won't drain your wallet. However, there's no need to put off a trip to the fashionable haunts of the Big Apple; we'll show you how to scout out the hidden values in this pricey town.

That said, New York will never be "cheap" – what locals consider inexpensive in New York may be extravagant in other parts of the country. For the purposes of this article, "cheap" is defined as $60 and under for a meal for two people and $300 and under (before taxes) per night for a hotel room. The amount you spend shopping is up to you, but we've found some places where you'll get good value and style for your money.

Restaurants: Fashionable yet frugal

None of the places below take reservations, nor do most have "proper" seating – you'll likely find yourself sitting on stools at a bar or narrow table, or sharing a space with others. But the cool, casual vibe is all part of the fun, and if you do have to wait for a seat, the food more than makes up for it.

El Quinto Pino With only 26 stools and no real tables, Chelsea's tiny tapas bar El Quinto Pino (401 W. 24th St.; 212-206-6900) is not the best place to visit with a large group. But if you're with a small party and are in the mood for sharing inventive Spanish-influenced small plates, you can't do much better. The short, smart menu averages about $7 per dish, including garbanzo stew with spinach ($6), eggplant with honey ($7.50) and garlicky shrimp ($9). The most expensive dish, at $15, is the one that's been winning the most raves, including "sandwich of the year" by The New York Times and "best uni" by New York Magazine– the amazingly addictive uni panini, sea-urchin roe spread on a buttered baguette and served in a wax-paper bag. A frozen brandy-spiked horchata or a glass of Spanish wine or sherry rounds out the meal in true Spanish style.

GottinoA food-focused wine bar (or "gastroteca," as former Morandi chef Jody Williams calls it), Gottino (52 Greenwich Ave.; 212-633-2590) features a sleek marble bar up front and a few tiny tables in the back. Enjoy seasonally focused small plates including cheeses, crostini, vegetables, fish and meats for easy-on-the-wallet prices ranging from $5 to $14. Especially addictive is the olive oil-whipped salt cod, served with freshly toasted bread, and the seasonal crostini, which may include toppings such as walnut pesto or fava beans and ricotta cheese. Add a selection from Gottino's all-Italian wine list, which ranges from about $9 to $18 a glass, and you have yourself a reasonably priced meal.

Kampuchea Noodle Bar New York City's only Cambodian street food restaurant, Kampuchea (78 Rivington St.; 212-529-3901), offers classic dishes such as the house-made pork pate and headcheese terrine num pang, or Cambodian sandwich. But due to its location on the hipster-heavy Lower East Side, Kampuchea has expanded its num pang choices to include coconut tiger shrimp, Berkshire pork meatballs and even grilled tofu in a sweet ginger-scallion soy sauce, each ranging in price from $10 to $15, with a tasting of three for $17. The rest of Kampuchea's menu of small plates, crepes, salads and soups, ranging from $8 to $17, is meant to be shared, easy to do at the elegant communal tables. The adventurous might opt for the seared sweetbread in a shiitake mushroom broth ($12), while those with a taste for seafood may lean toward the prawn katiev, flat rice sticks in a chicken broth with sweetwater prawns, PEI mussels and bell peppers ($17).