New Tops Cafe

Next door to a fast-food sandwich shop is an unassuming hole-in-the-wall specializing in pan-Asian cuisine -- emphasis on Thai dishes (naturally, pad Thai is available) and curries -- with a smattering of American fried favorites from land and sea, like fries, clams and hush puppies. Many of the menu options, which can be seen posted in the shop's window or read on the sidewalk chalkboard, are less than a 10-spot. One of the winners here, the made-to-order old-fashioned burger, has customers raving and returning in droves. Word to the wise, though, the lunch crush can be almost intolerable. But with food so cheap and varied, it's easy to see why Tops is so popular.