How to Find a Week’s Worth of Cheap Eats in Sydney

Eating on a budget doesn’t mean that you have to shuffle out to the nearest transnational fast food chain for a greasy burger that, if not bland, tastes terrible, and will make you feel like a shameful ball of clogged arteries afterwards. For less than fifteen dollars, you can still go out and experience a wide range of Sydney cuisine, from delicious culinary experiments to time-tested dishes perfected by masters.

And the best news? Concrete Playground has you covered for every day, so being broke and hungry will be a thing of the past.

El Loco

Where: 64 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills

Located next to the Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills, El Loco is the brainchild of chef extraordinaire Dan Hong. Its tacos, with a subtle Asian influence, are recognisable anywhere, and for five dollars a pop, you’d be hard-pressed to say no. The rest of the menu stays under the fifteen dollar mark, with hotdogs and salads delivered in giant servings.

Tip: The frozen margaritas are delicious, but pricey at $13.50. Signing up to Club Loco, however – a quick and free process – you can get a dandy keyring which gets you half price frozen margaritas on Mondays, from 7-8pm. Stinginess win!

Zushi

Where: Shop 2A, 285A Crown Street, Surry Hills

Judging by the queues that spill out onto the street and the arms-full of accolades that it’s swept up, Zushi is not much of a well-kept secret. And for good reason; it offers a full Japanese dining experience at an affordable price. Of the two restaurants in Darlinghurst and Surry Hills, the Crown Street joint is larger in capacity, with a more extensive menu, and – this is what you’ve been waiting for – daily dinner specials.

Tip: Hit up Zushi Darlinghurst, and expect to pay no more than ten dollars for eight pieces of sushi between 6 and 7pm. This isn’t that dried-out, pitiful stuff that you get on campus, either; this is sushi from Australia’s Favourite Restaurant, as awarded by Lifestyle Food Channel in 2009.

Pub Life Kitchen

Where: 42 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills

With weekly experiments in burger-building, Pub Life give you something to look forward to every hump day. Checking out their gallery of burgers past, you’ll find yourself wondering if this is real life or some post-modern movement in which impossibly tasty burgers are dreamed up. Eight cheese sauce? Pork and cider patties? Purple mayo? The Pub Life kitchen is the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory of burgers, and they’re yours for only $14, although you’ll want to line up – they’re made in strictly limited quantities of 15 servings per week.

Miss out on the crazy burgers? Don’t fret. Most items on the menu are under $15, some are vegetarian-friendly, and all are served in more-than-generous portions. And, as to be expected from Jovan Curic, whose father has been the chef at the original Bill and Toni’s since 1985, the food is delicious.

Tip: Catch happy hour at the bar downstairs between 5 and 7pm, and expect to leave the Macquarie Hotel with bellies content and wallets still full.

Gumshara

Where: Eating World, 205/25-29 Dixon Street, Haymarket

Uttering ‘Gumshara’ strikes fear into the hearts of even competitive eaters. That’s because the portions are huge in this ramen eatery tucked away in Chinatown’s Eating World. Add to that the fact that the collagen-rich pork broth is produced by boiling over 100kg of pork bones on a daily basis, and you have yourself a bowl of ramen quite unlike any you’ve had before, with a thick and salty broth that goes down surprisingly well.

The menu is simple, with two of the dishes being rice-based and the rest being soup-based. The ingredients mingle well with each other and result in a flavour which is unique yet classic; combined with the low prices and generous portions, there’s more than enough reasons for Gumshara to be a staple in the diets of many a penny-pincher.

Tip: Try the Special Rice ($9) for a combination of spicy cabbage, soft-boiled eggs, and specially marinated pork mixed throughout the half-basketball-sized bowl of rice, or the tonkotsu ramen ($13.50), served with slices of pork and seaweed in the aforementioned broth, which is so thick, it’s practically gravy.

Laurie’s Vegetarian

Where: 236 Bondi Road, Bondi Beach

We all have a vegan friend who needs cheering up when you go out – vegan cuisine is rarely delicious if it is not expensive. Laurie’s, then, is the perfect solution. There’s a choice of six hot dishes which cost, at most, eight dollars. For simple, delicious, and homely food, you can’t look past Laurie’s.

Tip: The highlight is the tempeh burger which starts at six dollars, and can have cheese, sour cream, and guacamole added. Nothing can compare to it in price or taste.

The Dip

Where: 55 Liverpool Street, Sydney

With a love of food inspired by a trip to Memphis, head chef Andrew Levis brings you all the best that the United States has to offer, with a rotating menu of creative and delicious varieties of hot dogs, burgers, and desserts.

Items on the menu sound like a Masterchef judge’s dream induced by a food coma: the Big Windy ($12) is a hot dog that pays tribute to Chicago, being topped with sliced tomatoes, sports peppers, pickle relish, white onion, mustard, celery salt, and a dill pickle spear; the pulled pork nachos ($15) are topped with pinto beans, tomato salsa, cheese, jalapeno cream, The Dip’s famous sweet’n’strong barbeque sauce, and 12 hour smoked pork; and, for dessert, the Ice Cold Guac ($10) is two scoops of sweet avocado ice cream with strawberry salsa and waffle chips.

Tip: Nothing on the menu is over fifteen dollars. Make sure you get in on Saturday to taste-test experiments in hot dog design and deliciousness.

Mamak

Where: 15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket

You can’t ignore the line that stretches down the street: Mamak is the best place to get Malaysian hawker food at authentic prices. Try the Maggi Goreng, which is Mee Goreng made with Maggi noodles, or the Nasi Lemak for the best balance of taste and value.

Tip: Visit outside of main meal times to avoid the queues.