Trader Express Deli

Got lunch from there as I was attending a nearby event, no photo as it’s not super fancy. But it tastes good, got two avocado something wraps, small pack of chips, an apple and two cookies. As always, this is too much for me (as an european) but I guess it could be a good place to grab a quick lunch if you work nearby.

Delicious! I was randomly handed a lunch menu and the prices seemed hard to beat so we took a walk over. I got the steak gyro lunch special, my coworkers got the philly cheesesteak, crispy chicken sandwich and the chicken cheese sandwich. They all came with fries and a soup. The prices were unbeatable, I paid 8.50 for mine with a soda.
The food was absolutely delicious and was turned around very quickly. We went on the early side since it was a spot we hadn’t been to before and wasn’t sure of the crowd. I could definitely see this place getting chaotic during the heat of the lunch rush.
I’ll definitely be back for a cheap lunch in FiDi, those are definitely hard to find!

extremely irritated as I asked if I could order a lunch special at 10:30 am. Once the food was ready and I was paying, I was told i would be the charged normal price. I also asked for mayonnaise and was provided with one packet. My wrap wasnt that good. I wont be back.

I had ordered to have breakfast catered for my office of 10 on Christmas morning.
I placed the order a week prior for 830a delivery. They said they would call to confirm Xmas morning g at 8a. When I didn’t hear from them by 810a I began to think they forgot about us. I called and they said the order was on the way, I looked out the door and there he was.
We ordered eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes and french toast. Everything was delicious and even with 10 big hungry guys, everyone had seconds and there was still food left over!
Everything was included, plates, utensels, serving utensels, tablecloth as well as the usual condements
The price was very reasonable as well. They did a great job and surpassed my expectations!

This place was yet another stop on my quest to find the best burger in FiDi. This place is a little hard to spot if you aren’t looking for it, but I am so glad I stumbled in here. The service was extremely fast, I was out in five minutes. The burger was phenomenal, meat was juicy, the veggies and the bun were fresh. The price was a deal for the area as well: $ 6.95 for a burger with fries and a can of Coke. The only misgiving I had was that they didn’t make the fries as I ordered them, they just grabbed some that were already made. I guess they do that when its busy, since there was nothing wrong with them. I settled on 4 stars since I haven’t tried anything else, but I will definitely go back.

Unpleasant service… Asked for a deluxe burger with Swiss cheese. Got back a over cooked burger with cheddar cheese, burnt fries and the check out lady refuse to give me additional mayonnaise packages. had to BEGGGG FOR THE XTRA MAYO.
Plz either change ur staff or continue welcoming the bad reviews… N make sure there is no bugs on your soups

Place is across the street from where I work so it’s my go-​to place if I want something quick. The best thing about this place is really the value. For financial district they have very good prices and nice combos. You can get a hot sandwich, a soup and a small order of fries for about $ 7-​$ 8. That’s unheard of around there. Soup and large Salad also for about $ 7. A small hot plate of an entrée and a side or two will run you about $ 6-​$ 7 but it’s a nice sized portion that they give. The food is not earth shattering by any means but it’s fairly consistently good. The soups are very good for the most part. The salad bar has a nice variety. When it’s busy in there though it can be messy, there really is no organization to the the lines, if the guy behind the counter saw you then it’s your turn. I don’t know how the lady at the register keeps track of everything so well, she’s amazing.

My school is near this deli, so it’s convenient to get my food from here. I recently stopped, this place is really sloppy they don’t take there time with making the bagels and etc. I understand there is many people coming in during breakfast time, but I think people spend more time correcting them, then them doing the sandwiches.
I believe this place would be better if they actually paid a little more attention to the way they make them. For example they would add a huge pile of cream cheese, gets really upsetting when you ask for a hot bagel and it’s no longer hot because you have to bite through a huge mountain of cream cheese. The most upsetting for me is when they give your order to someone else or they don’t listen correctly to the person saying the order. Come here when there’s barely anyone. They don’t work good under pressure. I have came when there’s no one here and you would get the best bagels ever! But they are always busy so good luck.

The only thing this place has going for it is location and an open door. I don’t care how cheap everyone says it is: I can throw things in the trash for free — I shouldn’t have to pay for the opportunity, which is exactly what I ended up doing as I threw the «food» away.
First of all: WORST. MEATBALLS. EVER. I could easily have had a more enjoyable complement to my «baked ziti» (which, in fact was undercooked rigatoni smothered in low-​end canned tomato sauce with some processed ricotta thrown in for effect — I assure you there was nothing baked about this… concoction) if I had walked into my office pantry, balled up some brown paper towels, run some water on them and microwaved them. The food was bland, poorly prepared and flat out slung at me like I was raised by wolves (more on that later.)
Next: As far as presentation/​layout, etc… another commenter referenced unruly offsprng scampering about. I did not have the pleasure, but I can say that the situation for ordering is confusing. To look at it, one would think not: There’s a food bar and a nylon aisle separator about three feet out from it. The register is near the door. that’s a pretty standard layout. However, since the rocket scientists behind said food bar have to cue off who’s in queue, confusion sets in when no one is directing traffic. No one is directing traffic because no one is greeting or watching the foot traffic coming in the door. No one is greeting and watching the foot traffic coming through the door because the someone who SHOULD be doing that is highly occupied with her mobile device. SO, patrons walk in and approach the register wanting to know how/​where to order. Some go toward the back of the place (fighting through the crowded «line» area, which is usually just a mob) and are left standing there waiting to be noticed by the guys taking the orders and the guys takling the orders cannot see over the counter top. Who cares that they’re short? The problem isn’t their height, it’s the fact that the glass sneeze guards/​partitions are completely fogged over with steam condensate and the guys taking the orders do not have X-​ray vision — just as the people trying TO order do not have X-​ray vision and have no idea what is really going into their order. If I could have seen the [expletive] meatballs, I would not have ordered them in the first place. I did, however and was then left standing there wondering whether to proceed back through the mob toward the register to pick up my food or to stand there half-​struck awaiting it. Without a ticket system or something, there’s no differentiating from one white paper bag to the next, so for all I know I could’ve gotten some dude’s tobasco magic goulash chicken extravaganza (or whatever) and HE’d be sitting here whiling away twenty minutes crafting a scathing indictment of a horrid deli which is only blessed by location and? Yes, an open door.
Last item: service. I have been to this place before. I didn’t like it any of the other times I went, either. I was there about a month ago with my mother for a quick bite and we ordered pizza. Hers was a plain slice. I had two slices piled high with… whatever it was. We decided to stay and eat there as it was raining outside. It was not terribly crowded inside, but I don’t know that I’ve ever waited twenty five GD minutes for three slices of pizza that were already cooked and just needed to be warmed up. I asked a couple of times after about ten minutes and — wellm, have you ever seen «Snatch?» Right. Turkish’s sausages were a little longer than five minutes… the guy got flat out surly with me when I expressed my displeasure. The attitude was contagious to the register (remember her? FB update master of FiDi?) This go-​round, i was standing there waiting for what would turn out to be the cause of this rant and the preparer all but tossed my food over the counter to me. I’m a lot of things — Victor Cruz aint one of em. I shuoldn’t need wide receiver gloves to go to lunch.
I think I’ve made my point about this place. Stick to the bottled beverages and the sandwiches, but don’t expect service with a smile or smooth throughput.

I’ve passed by this place many times during my lunch hour. I was in the mood for a sandwich today for lunch so I decided to finally give it a try since it’s gotten such a good Unilocal rating, which means a lot in the Financial District.
I had a roast beef sandwich and it was really good. All of the ingredients were fresh and the service was quick and attentive. I also got a cup of the free soup. I chose the spinach lentil soup and it was delicious. It tastes like it was freshly made and it was perfectly seasoned. Plus, I got a free pickle! A sandwich, cup of soup, and an apple all for under $ 10, and it all tasted good! I understand why this place gets such good reviews.
They also have a large variety of hot food, which all looked really good. I’ll have to try some at some point.

Your typical NYC deli with a breakfast grill. The place is pretty clean, but for some reason in 30 degree weather there was no heat on in the place to keep customers warm.
The potatoes here are not exactly seasoned enough and i found myself adding lots of black pepper and a bit of salt to my breakfast platter.
Decent amount of space and really quiet on the weekends for an early brunch bite.

Their free soup distinguishes itself from the rest of the deli. Their hot entrees are solid. I started coming here more often after Guliano Gourmet Pizza and Waterstreet Gourmet closed down after Sandy and Traders Express Deli has the next best Tabasco chicken. I highly recommend the pork, Tabasco chicken, and the grilled chicken.
Staff is quick and friendly. But I feel that can be said about most delis in the area. This is a solid place if you are nearby and craving a huge filling lunch. If you get tired of the entrees here, another nearby deli that serves great entrée is Rockwells.

Well, well, well. I feel mighty special today!
You know how I said I have no idea how to tell what’s on special? I still haven’t completely figured it out, but I’m ready to suggest familiarity is its own reward here if you want some free fries. I went to Traders for lunch today because I slacked on bringing my own lunches so far this week. The sandwich artist (is this term copyrighted by Subway? What else can you call him?) said that substituting a hero for a wrap on today’s special would cost me extra. Understandable. When I asked how much — though I didn’t care, because the first sandwich wasn’t for me — he paused, said, «For you…»
Pause.
«50 cents extra. Is that okay?» Sure! «Do you want fries or salad and soup?»
«No thanks.»
«Do you want salad then?»
«No, it’s really fine.»
«It comes with it anyway.»
They really like to strong-​arm, via gentle nudging, you into getting their free add-​ons. Everyone who works there seems to come from a food = love culture, so I play along. I wonder if they would treat me differently if they could tell whether I’m of South Asian or Hispanic origin (everyone who works there is either South Asian or Hispanic). So far no one has tried speaking a different language to me, which is only hilarious because I have discerned I’m versed in both languages spoken between the staff.
In the end, both wrap specials-​turned-​sandwiches on semolina I ordered were rung up at $ 8.66 each, free soup for both, salad for one, fries for the other all included. All this with smiles and courteous service, no resentment abound for dishing out complimentary items. Especially since ordering a sandwich that isn’t a «special» (even if it’s the same sandwich innards on a different bed of bread) otherwise removes the free fries option.
This is my lunch tomorrow, too, because my chicken thing was way too big. Still too much meat, not enough lettuce. The soup varieties are decent, but they don’t compete successfully in flavor or wealth of options against Exchange Café across the street from my building, but it’s free instead of $ 4 with any sandwich.

I love this place for lunch! There specials are great! You get a sandwich/​burger/​gyro/​wrap whichever you decide and it comes with fries and a cup of soup! Super affordable and guarantee you probably won’t be able to finish it all. It is your best bet for good food at a great price. I usually end up spending around $ 6 — $ 8 there. There are cheaper options but I think you get a lot of bang for your buck. I haven’t tried their other hot foods yet but I will let you know what I think when I do. The ladies at the cashier are super friendly. My first time there the guy didn’t remember my fries and the lady asked if I had wanted them. Even when I went vegetarian she asked if I wanted a salad instead. Great Service. I usually take out and I never had delivery but I have read other reviews that delivery time can take a while. Nevertheless Traders Express has become my go to lunch place!

I gotta give this little deli nestled in the heart of NYC’s financial district a solid 3 stars. Went there for a quick breakfast and coffee and was amazed at the selection. Also the price for a coffee and egg sandwich was very reasonable and nothing like what you normally find in overpriced Manhattan. The food was about average. But for the price in the location, it was good. I’d stop by again if I’m sent to work in the area.

This is a great lunchtime spot in financial. The food is delicious and the staff is very friendly!

I only recently stumbled on this place. Usually it’s great value for about $ 8 — the sandwiches are hearty and the soups come in pretty big tubs. The vegetarian sandwiches and wraps taste great, as well as the hot soups.
The problem is: the service is sketchy at best. One day they will tell you that for $ 8 you’ll get sandwich and soup and fries, another day they’ll tell you that it’s either soup or fries, once I was told I’d get only fries. Once you enter the place, the pace at which the attendants will want to whisk you along is unnerving. They really have ZILCH patience and will not answer your question very well. I don’t understand what half of them are saying because they speak fast and keep moving. So I’ve gone there five times now and I still don’t know what they have and what the combos cost.
One woman there has insisted to me three times that she’ll give me chicken gumbo when I told her I’m vegetarian. Once she brought a cup of chicken gumbo, stirred it with a spoon in front of me and said «see, no chicken.» I don’t know what that means! I love the value and the taste, but I don’t want to have a hurried and sad lunch.

I usually go to this place when I’m trying to grab a cheap lunch. They have great prices on salads (comes with a small soup) and pasta options. I would have given this place fours stars, if it wasn’t for one incident involving a chicken salad sandwich that made me really sick. After that, I just stick to their salads and soups, which always keeps me full. A lot of my coworkers have order their pasta, some days its good, others it ehh. Good place for cheap lunch, but if you’re in the mood for something more appetizing, there are plenty of places around the financial district to grab a bite to eat.

Solid place to grab lunch in the area if you’re seeking soups, salads, wraps, sandwiches, various hot foods, etc.
Given the fair prices and it’s proximity to my office, Trader’s has become my go-​to spot for salad. They have a pretty decent soup and salad combo deal– $ 6.75+tax for a salad (5 toppings?) and cup of soup (chicken noodle, etc.). The salad is large enough so that it’s a filling and satisfying lunch.
I have yet to try anything aside from the soup and salad, but it all looks decent as well.

BEST TABASCO CHICKEN…
CAUTION: YOU WILL BE HOOKED!
The first thing I did when I got reacquainted with the downtown lunch scene? Make an A line to this place. Why? Their Tabasco Chicken ($ 7.95) is unparalleled. Imagine an unctuous fresh white meat chicken nugget coated with tangy and spicy bliss. What does that equate to? An UMAMITACULAR experience. You also get 2 sides so naturally I opted for the usual low simple starch veggies, baked mushrooms and carrots. 4yrs ago, prices used to be $ 6.50 + tax w/​a free soda & soup. Prices are now $ 7.95 + tax, nothing included but half a kaiser roll. Portion sizes are still enough to get you full. Albeit not the healthiest thing you can order there, it beats a greasy Yip’s next door. I hope this place will be open for years to come, cuz I can’t get enough TABASCO CHICKEN!!! That’s all I ever order from there!
Total came out to $ 8.66 after everything
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