Where To Eat When You’re Trying To Not Spend Money

Some people say cheap is relative. We disagree. Especially when inflation is high, fast food spots are raising their prices, and shopping in bulk doesn’t inspire the same feeling of joy that it used to. And while we don’t mind breaking up a fancy evening into four easy credit card payments, nothing hits quite like grilled pork belly, savory beef noodles, or loaded brisket fries for less than $15.

THE SPOTS

Alpha Bakery & Deli

This Chinatown spot serves the best bánh mì in town for only five bucks. Located in Hong Kong City Mall, Alpha Bakery & Cafe sells a handful of sandwiches and hundreds of packaged Vietnamese snacks. The folks behind the counter slather so much butter, mayonnaise, and paté on the bánh mì, it qualifies as a religious experience. And that’s before the chả lụa, pork belly, giò thủ, pickled daikon, and fresh herbs get added. You’ll want more than one, so bring cash in the form of a crisp $20.

Cochinita & Co.

Cochinita & Co. in the East End might not have the cheapest dishes on this list—the most expensive item is a cochinita pibil, which costs $14.75. But volume here is key, because we’ve never seen anyone polish off an entire corn and chicken bowl. At only $12.50, this dish puts another massive burrito chain to shame. Loaded with savory rice, black beans, crunchy greens, and tender roast chicken, this is two meals in one. Now that’s just smart math.

Asia Market Thai Lao Food

Most dishes at Asia Market Thai Lao hover between $11 and $12, and almost all are enough for two people to share. The Heights restaurant, which doubles as a Thai grocery store, serves everything fast, hot, and spicy, even if you ask for “mild” spice. And whether you get crispy egg rolls or curry, every dish comes layered with a healthy dose of flavor, funk, and acidity that we can’t get enough of, especially for the price.

Siu Lap City

Midtown’s Chinese barbecue Siu Lap City has a simple formula: choose a rice, a meat, and a vegetable—all for $8.95 for a one-meat small plate or $11.95 for a two-meat large plate. As soon as you walk in, the view from the tiny counter immediately grabs your attention. Crispy skin whole ducks, racks of pork belly, and braised beef tendon dangle from behind a steamy service window and get loudly chopped up with a massive cleaver. Those efforts result in juicy breast or barbecue pork with cracker-crisp skin. Just get here early because the line is usually long and the duck sells out quickly.

House of Fries

House Of Fries in Inwood exists in a liminal pre-smartphone era. When we were all full of hope and fast food was actually affordable. Feel that pre-millennia joy again because nothing on the House Of Fries menu is over $9. Order your choice of loaded fries—battered and seasoned, curly, waffle, or house fries—with toppings like thin strips of griddled beef fajita, smoky cheese, and fresh pico do gallo, a burger with four full strips of bacon, and giant milkshakes topped with enough whipped cream to make a robber baron blush.

Cedar’s Bakery

We never knew love until we went to Cedars Bakery. Or at least we never knew the love of a soft, warm manakish flatbread baked with tangy akkawi cheese and parsley. The casual spot in the Mid-West neighborhood makes the best manooshe in town, wood-fired with toppings like spiced beef, za’atar and olive oil, or a simple smear of labneh, all for less than $7.

San Dong Noodle House

When you and two of your closest friends only have eight bucks each, go to San Dong Noodles. You can split a scorching bowl of deeply savory roast beef noodle soup and a platter of 20 pan-fried dumplings for less than $20 and still have leftover money for a gracious tip. This Chinatown takeout powerhouse may be utilitarian—plastic furniture seating and a shelf of get-it-yourself to-go staples so diners don’t bother the staff—but it’s comforting and filling, so ignore the plastic silverware and enjoy the noodles.

Las Tortas Perronas

The sandwiches at Las Tortas Perronas in Spring Branch defy the laws of physics—or at least the laws of how many ingredients one sandwich should contain. The Chilanga torta gets loaded with six kinds of meat, cheese, and another six condiments, all squished between soft bolillo bread for only $7.99. Each bite tastes rich, slightly spicy, and fresh especially if you pour the extra salsa on the side on top. For all the jamón, salchicha, and breaded skirt steak on the torta, it’s a wonder you don’t have to unhinge your jaw.

Champ Burger

The most expensive burger on Champ Burger’s menu—a double meat and double cheese—is only $9.59. Here, cheap and good is the entire point. The East End walk-up window has been shelling out burgers and orange creamsicle shakes since 1963, and prices have only moderately increased. The burgers here are juicy but not greasy, and the thinly breaded and crispy “Texas-sized” steak sandwich will put you in a food-induced stupor for the rest of the day.

Paulie's Restaurant

A large portion of pasta at Paulie’s, a casual Italian restaurant in Montrose , runs around $23. While this exceeds that $15, the portion is enough for two meals. Unless you recently trekked through the desert without sustenance or need a pre-marathon carb load, you won’t be able to finish an entire large pasta by yourself. So that $23 will supply you, your children, and your children’s children with housemade rigatoni bolognese or savory canestri in a mushroom cream sauce. The portion-to-price ratio also applies to the entrees and the salads, including a crunchy caesar with a generous blanket of parmesan.

Ekko's Greek American Deli

Ekko's Greek American Deli proves that only some things near the Galleria require taking out a second mortgage to afford. The small counter in the back of this gas station serves gyros for $9, burgers for $9.50, and double portions of souvlaki over potatoes with warmed-to-order pita for $14, for which you’ll need a to-go box. Ekko’s also has a tiny dining room painted a deep blue. Staring into that color long enough counts as a mini-vacation, and they don't even charge extra for that.

Nickel Sandwich Grill

Teenagers with part-time jobs can afford to eat at Nickel Sandwich Grill in the Fifth Ward, which might be why the menu board looks like it belongs at a high school football game. For $10, you can get a griddled cheeseburger or a BBQ sandwich overflowing with glazed beef on slices of sauce-stained white bread. Use the spare change in your car’s cup holder to add fries and a soda, then finish off the rogue pieces of meat caught by the sandwich’s aluminum wrapper.