Archie & Sons, located at 23 Third Ave in NYC (right at the entrance to St. Mark Place), caught our attention when it first opened about a year ago. The facade is brilliantly constructed as a throwback luncheonette and the original sign boasted serving the best Tuna Melt in the city (they've since removed this claim). The inside of the restaurant is appropriately small for a luncheonette and equally as charming and quaint as the facade.
The menu is refreshingly pared-down with a few breakfast items and a strong focus on their signature salads -- not the leafy garden variety but rather classic Americana salads like tuna, chicken, egg, salmon and crabmeat (any many more). We tried one of their "Archie's Classics," the aforementioned Tuna Melt (on rye with cheddar) which came with pickles and our choice of salad side; we opted for the Macaroni Salad. While we wouldn't say it was the best we've had in NYC, the tuna melt was traditionally prepared and was quite comforting and delicious. The tuna salad was made with mayo and finely chopped celery, the rye bread was nicely toasted and the cheddar was melty and hot. The melt also tasted great with the pickle halves. Our favorite, however, had to be the macaroni salad which was surprisingly very flavorful with finely diced sweet carrot and parsley. The menu listed a "Mac Salad Melt" in the classics section and we are so intrigued that we may have to go back and try it!
Overall the experience at Archie & Sons was very pleasant. We enjoyed the food and retro atmosphere and our waitress was very nice and attentive. We asked her about the joint and she said that before the Manhattan location it was in Long Island since 1983.
The price of our lunch was appropriate for the area: $11 and change for the melt and a Diet Coke. There was also a picture of comic book icons Archie, Betty and Veronica on their juice and shakes menu, which of course we loved.
Hopefully this place sticks around for years to come!
