Cheap Eats That Over-Deliver On Their Modest Price Tag
The bargain menus across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth that stay affordable, skip the bookings and still deliver on flavour.
Cutting the price doesn't have to mean cutting corners. These venues have simply worked out where the money doesn't need to go — the fit-out, the service theatre, the wine markup — so it can go straight into the pan instead. Expect BYO, queues, and an experience that's maybe a little rough around the edges but always generous, filling and easy on the wallet.
Across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, we've rounded up the ones worth the trip: a taco stand that outgrew its food truck days, a Lebanese institution serving the same mezze for decades, a laneway of hawker stalls where indecision is half the fun. Catching up with friends doesn't have to be expensive — presented by Honda ZR-V, this guide is your cue to skip the delivery app and actually meet somewhere.
Read other guides in our A to Z with Honda ZR-V series:
After-Work Drink Spots to Meet Your Friends and Wind Down the Day
Breakfasts That Make an Early Alarm Feel Completely Reasonable
Cheap Eats That Over-Deliver On Their Modest Price Tag
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RestaurantGood Times
214 Saint Georges Road, Fitzroy North
This low-key Melbourne joint has built a following on $9 pastas and cheap carafes of wine.
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RestaurantFrenchie
15 Collins Street, Melbourne
Everything on this Collins Street menu is $14, and that hasn’t stopped it doing confit duck leg and steak entrecote properly.
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CafeUdom House
343 Victoria Street, West Melbourne
This West Melbourne bakery-cafe turns Thai green curry into a pie and pairs it with pandan custard desserts.
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RestaurantAl Yasmin Punchbowl
222The Boulevarde, Punchbowl
This Punchbowl Lebanese institution in Sydney has served the same shawarma, falafel and mezze for more than 30 years.
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RestaurantBar Reggio
135 Crown Street, Darlinghurst
This 20+ year old Darlinghurst institution in Sydney serves Italian classics at prices that haven’t caught up with the rest of the street.
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Papi's Birria Tacos
20 Smidmore Street, Marrickville
What started as a Haberfield food truck queue in Sydney is now a Marrickville cheap eat built around one perfect birria taco.
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RestaurantSpice Alley
Kensington Street, Chippendale
Tucked into Chippendale, this Sydney hawker-style laneway serves Singaporean, Thai and Cantonese dishes under string lights.
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RestaurantYok Yor Thai Food Factory
323 Castlereagh Street, Haymarket
In the middle of Sydney’s Thai Town, Yok Yor serves dishes rarely found this far from Khon Kaen, at prices that make the $3.50 BYO corkage the biggest line on the bill.
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BarTaro's Ramen CBD
480 Queen Street, Brisbane City
This Brisbane city ramen joint spends two days on its tonkotsu broth, then charges like it’s serving instant noodles.
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BarVietnam House
152 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley
In Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, Vietnam House pours out pho and rice paper rolls in a BYO room nicer than its prices suggest.
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RestaurantOld Lane Street Eats
68 Roe Street, Northbridge
In Chinatown, this Perth laneway spot serves BYO South-East Asian street food, from Marmite chicken bao to banana leaf nasi lemak.
