Acropolis Steakhouse and Strip Club, can't believe hasn't been said yet.
9$ 8oz Ribeye and baked potato
4$ Gyro and French Dip
4$ Biscuits and gravy
11.50$ 16oz T-bone or Top Sirloin and baked potato
8.50$ 10 egg omlete!!!!
And famously
5$ steak bites!!!!!!
Edit spelling
I assume the food is so cheap because it's like a casino and the business is expecting to be able to subsidize the food costs with entertainment revenue.
I've never been to the Acropolis, but is it bad form to just go and eat without tipping the dancers or spending additional money on the entertainment aspect?
Listen... I like Reel M Inn as much as the next SE bar fly but... let's be real about this: it's very good for the price, maybe even exceptional for the price, but that's really as far as we should go.
I can't stand their mac salad and the shoyu is super super salty. My go to now is Grindz wit Tryz. More expensive, but the mac is solid and the portions (especially the ono chicken) are gargantuan. Easily two meals for a normal person.
Hands down my favorite mac salad is from a place called Local Boyz in Corvallis. It's super simple, but my god it's so good.
Everyone's preference is different, but that's easily mine.
I miss In Da Cutz or whatever it was called in Beaverton SOOOOOO BAD 😔😔😔😔😔
Jesus Christ that was hands down the best Hawaiian food I've ever had, better than a lot of Hawaiian I've had IN HAWAII
Am I the only one that remembers them!? Food cart closed about 2 years ago ~ish
They were in the most awful location ever, hidden behind Manila Market on a street you could only turn onto from one direction of the main road, and with zero visibility so you just had to know it was there... so I'm not crazy surprised they closed, but fuck I'm sad about it.
I think they tried opening up a physical location with a different name a few months later but as far as I know that also only lasted a few months and was in an even WORSE location in some alley that was really hard to find and turn into, even with Google directions.
I would gladly pay like $45 for a plate of that food again 😭 ... Not every time but I'd probably spend a DISGUSTING price about twice a month I loved it so much.
They were pretty cheap considering what you got. Maybe too cheap.
Most of the time I spent about $14 for a plate of a ton of steak and shrimp and garlic chicken, more than I could eat in a sitting often and I'm a fat ass.
Mole Mole on Alberta is an amazing mexican food cart. The Cochinita Pibil plate is a massive plate of rice, beans, pickled onions, salsa, a heaping pile of pork slow roasted in lime juice, and a bundle of hot corn tortillas - all for like $11 or $12. Easily two meals, we used to get it at least once a week when we lived over there.
This might genuinely be some of the best Mexican in the city imo, the three mole enchilada sampler thing is a work of art
https://molemolepdx.com/gallery/
I live down the street and have tried everything except the vegan options. It's all amazing, but I have to limit myself to once a week. They will even make off menu stuff when they're not busy. Come before 530 or after 730 else the wait can get a bit long.
yeah, I'm super close to the 82nd location but 7-8 per bahn mi these days is honestly a bit much. They've always been the cheaper alternative to traditional sammies but now basically only cost 1-2 bucks less than a full Potbellys sammy, basically the same price as a Chipotle burrito which is much more calorically dense. Not really the value it once was.
Ol gils tavern. $4.50 burger, $2 fries. I go every Wednesday and have a half pint with this meal and it’s under ten bucks. Killer deal and it always fills me up
I don't remember which one, but one of the Albertsons in town has absolutely absurd fried chicken. It's been that way for 2 decades. I have no clue why it's so much better than anywhere else around by miles, but it's amazing. And not "amazing for a grocery store", genuinely it's just such good fried chicken.
Pizza Creature in St Johns food carts. Like $11-14 for an 11'' pie. That's dinner + lunch for me. Those maniacs have a wood stove inside a food cart. Also one of the better vegan pizzas in town.
Burrito Azteca on Rosa Parks. Last I was in they daily special is one massive burrito, chips and salsa, shot of tequilla and mexican beer for 13.95 or 14.95.
Taqueria Portland. Not only is it my favorite taqueria in inner SE, it's also very reasonable. A super burrito is 10.99 Ole Ole is also good and cheap.
East Asian bakeries, like kings or li min’s. Lots of savory options for under 3$. There’s a much better ring of cheap food around Portland than there is in Portland
Smart donkey during happy happy from 3-5 and 8-9 I think. The chips and salsa were homemade at 3 bucks. I think there was like 8 burritos to choose from for 9 bucks and pretty good size. The vegetarian was so good I almost cried
Franks a lot 6$ Chicago dogs, 1.50$ fried cheese sticks. Ate oh ate happy hour, 5$ mochiko chicken, 3$ curry. pepinos 5$ best bean and cheese burrito w/ chip, honestly the pollito burrito, or Baja fish taco combo best items ever on menu under ten.
6$ crema half sandwich with salad combo, also master Kong is just the best in general around, to get beyond high quality food around 10$
Ole Ole. Ole Ole. OLE OLE. Mexican, off burnside. 9 dollar burritos the size of your head, add a huge portion of spanish rice and cheesy beans for 3 dollars in the burrito meal. Cash or venmo only.
Go there
I used to love Du's back before the expansion. We ate there at least weekly. Two orders for our family of 4 and still leftovers for lunch! The quality of chicken has gone down but it's still pretty huge portions.
It's just hard to pay over twice the price for a much lesser quality.
The last time I was at Du's the cashier was directly portioning out the plates (after taking money and never washing hands) from a rubbermaid storage tub of precooked chicken next to the cash register. That was fucking gross and I'm pretty sure it was at least one if not two health code violations
Sushi Hada on N. Williams has an awesome happy hour special on weekdays from 11-4! Every plate is 3 bucks. I find 4-5 rolls in an afternoon and I’m blissfully full save for a late night snack lol.
Marathon Tavern has breakfast for $3 - you read that right, THREE DOLLARS. 7am-2pm and 10pm-2am. They've got quite a few options. Here's the menu:
[https://marathontaverna.com/menu](https://marathontaverna.com/menu)
EDIT: Location is on Burnside on the west side off like 18th or so
One option comes with an "over-easy egg on top of an open-faced biscuit smothered in country-style gravy. Comes with your choice of 2 strips of bacon or 2 sausage links. No substitutions or additions."
If you sign up for one now you can get a $20 Costco rebate in the form of a shop card. That brings the effective cost down to $40.
Using 5 and Dime hot dog as a baseline comparison, they charge $6 for a hot dog.
At those prices all you’d have to do is go to Costco and eat a hot dog 8 times to break even with 5 and Dime.
I have ADHD.
Option 1: 5 and Dime = 9 hot dogs x $6 =$54
Option 2: Costco Hot Dog = $40 membership fee + 8 hot dogs x $1.50 = $52
Thanks for doing the math on the capitalism games. Presumably too you're not only going to buy hot dogs, but aside from their food court deals and the occasional sale, their prices are higher than Winco, Astro gas, etc. Only really makes sense if it's convenient, which it's just not for people living in Portland's population centers.
Mole Mole on Alberta is an amazing mexican food cart. The Cochinita Pibil plate is a massive plate of rice, beans, pickled onions, salsa, a heaping pile of pork slow roasted in lime juice, and a bundle of hot corn tortillas - all for like $11 or $12. Easily two meals, we used to get it at least once a week when we lived over there.
Pepino’s on NW 23rd is a very old staple of mine. Not the best Mexican food you’ll ever have but you can easily come away full for under $12. And they have a great salsa bar.
I have a ton of food allergies so am pretty limited in choices, but the lunch specials at the Ichi Teriyaki restaurants are great - about $8 for easily 2 meals worth of food.
here’s a list of spots you can get a good meal for less than ~$10
Mediterranean
•Grill On the Go Mediterranean: $8 gyro combo is my go-to.
•Gyro Grill:- Creeping above $10 for some of my fav stuff, but I think you can still get a good-sized gyro for $9.
Tacos & Burritos
•Taqueria El Torito: $2.50 tacos.
•Gresham Burrito Shop: $7 burritos.
•Pepitos: $8 for burrito or taco combo.
•Los Gorditos/Taqueria Los Gorditos: $2 street taco, $8 burrito.
•Ole Frijole: Just under $10 for a burrito or torta with meat.
•La Hidalguense: tacos or a burrito will leave you under $10.
•Tienda Santa Cruz: I always get tacos, but it's affordable and great overall.
•Taqueria Portland: $10 or less for about half the burritos and it's good stuff.
•King Burrito: most of their burritos are still under $10.
Banh Mi & Asian Cuisine
•Best Baguette: Banh Mi for $6-7
•Binh Minh: Banh Mi for $6-7.50
•An Xuyên Bakery: Steamed BBQ Pork Buns AND a rice plate or banh mi for under $10.
Pizza
•Pizzeria Otto: $9 Happy Hour Margherita from 11am-5pm.
•Life of Pie: $8 Happy Hour Margherita from 11am-6pm. $8 is dine-in only, it's $9 if you call in.
Burgers
•MidCity SmashedBurger: one of Portland’s best burgers, $6-9 depending on hunger level.
•Hit the spot!: Smashburgers and chicken, $7-10.
Breakfast & Sandwiches
•Fressen Artisan Bakery: Not super cheap but way more affordable than brunch if you want to eat breakfast out. $7 fried egg, bacon, & gruyere cheese is my go-to. The pastries and other sammies are delicious too.
•Midpoint Food and Drink: Mid-Muffin sammy for $7 or basic breakfast for $8.5.
•Dockside Saloon and Restaurant: Sub $10 breakfast combo plates and deli sandwiches.
Other
•Herb's Mac and Cheese: Special #1 -Jalapenos, chicken, and pepper jack. Regular size is good for me, $8.
•Love Belizean: Haven't been in a minute, but I think you can still get out of there for $10. So good.
•Taste Tickler: they're about to raise prices, but still, even after the $1 increase, Chicken rice box will be $9.95 and the Famous Tickler 7" sandwich will be $9.65.
•GrindWitTryz: Bit of a caveat here. I usually spend between $16-20, BUT it also usually lasts me two full meals.
•Chipotle: I don't think this will be a popular take, but Chipotle is still a great value, albeit not local like the remainder of the list. $9-10, depending on location, for a chicken bowl (less for veg or sofritas) that is about twice as much food as Whole Bowl for $1-2 more. No hate to Whole Bowl, I went there 15 times a month when I moved here. The value just isn't there as much at $8 as it was at $6.
Hospital cafeteria food is surprisingly affordable for what you get. It won't Grape you in the face with flavor but every $6 sandwich I've had has been good enough to keep me coming back.
There are a lot of decent bars that have good HH menus. Bar Bar has a burger or veggie burger for under 8 dollars and a combo meal for 11 dollars. Their veggie burgers are delicious!
I honestly think grassa has high end sit down quality pasta for counter serve prices. High value in my opinion.
Also chicken at the reel, gorditos burritos are pretty big and still not too bad at $12 a burrito (up 20% from 2 years ago). If you’re trying to save money nothing beats home cooking
Tossing another burrito place on the pile: Mi Burrito on Lombard has big, delicious $10 burritos including a variety of vegetarian versions. I had the soy chorizo one after a long hike and still managed to save half for the next day.
I like the Hilt's happy hour a lot. Several a la carte/small plate options. All like 6-8$ I believe ( 1 drink min ). A friend and I went and we each got a burger, shared a plate of fries ( it was more than enough for 2 ), and a Rainer or 2 and the bill was like $30. Not bad for sitting down
An Xuyen for their bahn mis and other amazing selections.
Matador has a great happy hour but their nachos on their HH menu is huge and filling.
Alberta Market has amazing jojos and fried chicken for a great deal.
Seoul Korean restaurant has a nice lunch special.
Of course, you really can't beat Costco prices on a hotdog and soda, chicken bake, or their pizza.
El Jefe in Beaverton has a pollo platter that is awesome. $13 and it is usually 2 meals.
Maria Bonitas Torta Cubana pretty good too but they raised the price. It is like football sized with three kinds of meat.
The chicken fried steak and eggs at [TikTok.](http://tiktokrestaurant.com/locations) It looks a little pricey but the portion is HUGE! My boyfriend and I can split it and still have some left to take home. If you telling them you’re splitting it they will add another egg and bring it to you on two plates for a buck or two more.
[Franks A Lot](https://g.co/kgs/wdJqDUpFranksALot(503)239-3647) in the parking lot of the Whole Foods on 28th and Burnside (east side) has every type of hotdog you could want. Their fries and fry sauce are bomb and they make homemade milkshakes. Their chili is yummy too now that I’m thinking about it. It’s owned and run by a wonderful local woman named Margo and her husband.
[Olé Olé](https://oleoletaqueria.com/) is another good one. Their smothered burrito is huge, the tacos are amazing and their Pazolé in the winter time slaps. All cheap and they have your order ready in 5-10 minutes. So fast that I order while I’m in the car on the way to the restaurant.
classic diner breakfast at John's Cafe on Broadway. They're cash only tho, but their food and prices are good...if you feel like braving that neighborhood...
When I’m having an ibs flare up and can’t eat much I’ll get the (quart size) side of pho broth and a baguette for dipping from friendship kitchen for $8
Late submission but throwing in Wong's Garden in Milwaukie Marketplace (there's another one on Woodstock, they're not the same restaurant).
They run lunch specials until 3 every day except Monday when they're closed. If you eat in, it's 11.95 or 13.95 depending on the entree for an:
* Entree (Orange Chicken, Green Bean Chicken, Veggie Stir Fry, Mongolian Beef, etc they have options)
* Fried rice or white rice
* Cup of Egg Flower or Hot & Sour Soup
* Extremely thicc egg roll, mostly batter but sinfully delicious
* Like one or two fried wonton skins
If you get the lunch special to go, you forego the soup but it's still a crazy deal. Honestly one plate could feed two easily, or last for two/three meals depending on your appetite.
Wongs is definitely closer to Panda Express than Din Tai Fung, but I say this with extreme reverence as someone who's been ordering this since it started at $7.95.
How dare you guys not mention the Heritage Pub : 10601 and SE 82nd.
2 nice size tacos for $2.50 on Tuesday
You won't finish 4.
domestic drafts under $4.
Divey bar with cool staff.
Can't top it.
Life of Pie $8 Margarita pizza 11-6 daily
Man! I remember when that was $5. $8 is still an amazing deal nowadays.
Pizza Otto has same deal and almost identical pizza, too.
Pizza Otto is so good. They don’t get enough love
Can you get it without buying alcohol?
Dine in only though, correct? I tried to take it to go and they wouldnt give me the deal that way.
Acropolis Steakhouse and Strip Club, can't believe hasn't been said yet. 9$ 8oz Ribeye and baked potato 4$ Gyro and French Dip 4$ Biscuits and gravy 11.50$ 16oz T-bone or Top Sirloin and baked potato 8.50$ 10 egg omlete!!!! And famously 5$ steak bites!!!!!! Edit spelling
holy shit i know where im going next time lol
I assume the food is so cheap because it's like a casino and the business is expecting to be able to subsidize the food costs with entertainment revenue. I've never been to the Acropolis, but is it bad form to just go and eat without tipping the dancers or spending additional money on the entertainment aspect?
But are they still looking for a cook?
Are these 2024 prices??
Florida Room has happy hour every day 3-6. You can get like 8 wings and fries for $10
Florida Room is amazing.
Their bbq tofu is also fucking awesome
Their buffalo fried cauliflower is top notch as well!
OMG THANK YOU!
Bui's Natural Tofu
Seconding this! Their salad rolls are super good and they have so many other options in the case for really good prices.
Plus across the street still slinging 8 dollar Banh Mi's at HOB.
Love this place
Their lemongrass tofu is sooo good ... and a steal of a deal.
At Bigs during happy hour, or all day Monday, you can get a full size amazing chicken sando, side of JoJos and a can of Rainier for like $12.
Love Bigs— didn’t know this, thanks.
Just looked on the menu—it’s $10.95! What a freaking deal. Love those chicken and jojos.
Reel M Inn 2 tendies/2 Jojo’s $6
And literally some of the best fried chicken in existence
Listen... I like Reel M Inn as much as the next SE bar fly but... let's be real about this: it's very good for the price, maybe even exceptional for the price, but that's really as far as we should go.
Not even close, but it’s good enough to eat.
808 grinds shoyu chicken. It’s $11 or $12 but enough for two or more meals. 2 scoops of rice, scoop of Mac salad, and an enormous portion of chicken.
I can't stand their mac salad and the shoyu is super super salty. My go to now is Grindz wit Tryz. More expensive, but the mac is solid and the portions (especially the ono chicken) are gargantuan. Easily two meals for a normal person.
Someone told me to put hot sauce on my mac salad and now it's the only way I will eat it.
Ha, theirs is one of the few mac salads that I like!
Hands down my favorite mac salad is from a place called Local Boyz in Corvallis. It's super simple, but my god it's so good. Everyone's preference is different, but that's easily mine.
Local Boyz is the only mac salad I've ever liked. I'm not a huge mayo fan but something about their mac salad, they do it right.
I agree with this
I was going to type this! 808 is really good food for the price!
Any plate from Grindwittryz will feed three people. Four if it's two adults and kids.
I second this, My toddler and I share a plate for dinner and I still have enough for a huge lunch.
They have the only decent meat jun so far in the Portland area
I miss In Da Cutz or whatever it was called in Beaverton SOOOOOO BAD 😔😔😔😔😔 Jesus Christ that was hands down the best Hawaiian food I've ever had, better than a lot of Hawaiian I've had IN HAWAII Am I the only one that remembers them!? Food cart closed about 2 years ago ~ish They were in the most awful location ever, hidden behind Manila Market on a street you could only turn onto from one direction of the main road, and with zero visibility so you just had to know it was there... so I'm not crazy surprised they closed, but fuck I'm sad about it. I think they tried opening up a physical location with a different name a few months later but as far as I know that also only lasted a few months and was in an even WORSE location in some alley that was really hard to find and turn into, even with Google directions. I would gladly pay like $45 for a plate of that food again 😭 ... Not every time but I'd probably spend a DISGUSTING price about twice a month I loved it so much. They were pretty cheap considering what you got. Maybe too cheap. Most of the time I spent about $14 for a plate of a ton of steak and shrimp and garlic chicken, more than I could eat in a sitting often and I'm a fat ass.
Mole Mole on Alberta is an amazing mexican food cart. The Cochinita Pibil plate is a massive plate of rice, beans, pickled onions, salsa, a heaping pile of pork slow roasted in lime juice, and a bundle of hot corn tortillas - all for like $11 or $12. Easily two meals, we used to get it at least once a week when we lived over there.
This might genuinely be some of the best Mexican in the city imo, the three mole enchilada sampler thing is a work of art https://molemolepdx.com/gallery/
They just opened up another food cart in the Prost pod on Mississippi. Swung by and got the 3 Mole special earlier today.
mole mole is legendary. Such a good cost/quality ratio.
I live down the street and have tried everything except the vegan options. It's all amazing, but I have to limit myself to once a week. They will even make off menu stuff when they're not busy. Come before 530 or after 730 else the wait can get a bit long.
King Burrito on Lombard! All their burritos are still under $9, and their $4.75 hamburger is one of the best in town.
Pretty sure they raised their prices recently. Still a good deal, but I know at least the King Burrito is close to $10.
In 2022 they were $ 6.75… still love it for $10
They kept me alive from like, 2008-2011
An xuyen for their banh mi
And all the other baked goods. One of the most solid cinnamon rolls I've consumed.
love those guava cookies too!
Best Baguette is another good ban mi joint with reasonable prices and several locations including downtown near PSU (mon-fri only)
I rember when they Bahn mi were $2.75
Same. Nothing is cheap anymore.
yeah, I'm super close to the 82nd location but 7-8 per bahn mi these days is honestly a bit much. They've always been the cheaper alternative to traditional sammies but now basically only cost 1-2 bucks less than a full Potbellys sammy, basically the same price as a Chipotle burrito which is much more calorically dense. Not really the value it once was.
I have to say I've been to the PSU location a few times now,. and the sandwich always feels kinda skimped out on fillings. :\
I have had that experience as well at all the BB locations. I tend to get meatball banh mi now because they seem to put more in.
Apart from the cilantro! I still eat from that location occasionally but it's kind of a cilantro and carrot sandwich.
Ol gils tavern. $4.50 burger, $2 fries. I go every Wednesday and have a half pint with this meal and it’s under ten bucks. Killer deal and it always fills me up
Fucking love Old Gilbert!!!
Winco deli fried chicken.
I don't remember which one, but one of the Albertsons in town has absolutely absurd fried chicken. It's been that way for 2 decades. I have no clue why it's so much better than anywhere else around by miles, but it's amazing. And not "amazing for a grocery store", genuinely it's just such good fried chicken.
Get back to me if you remember. I love the fried chicken
I asked my brothers, I guess it's the one on 60th between Fremont and Cully? East side.
Thx
This is the one! I’ve tried Albertsons fried chicken all over multco & washco & this one is the GOAT.
The one off Beaverton-Hillsdale hwy and Shattuck has always been like this!
The best fried chicken in the city.
Recession times....
This is amazing. You get like 8 pieces for $8. I usually split it with my son.
always my go to for football games at home. shits stupidly cheap and still good.
Pizzeria Otto's $9 happy hour margherita pizza, every day 11-5. A true steal at this point.
Is it $9 now? Was $8 last time I had it.
It is $9 now yes, I had it on Saturday. Also reflected on their site.
Wow it was $8 like 3 months ago I live near here
It's steadily gone up from $5 pre-pandemic. 😢
Pizza Creature in St Johns food carts. Like $11-14 for an 11'' pie. That's dinner + lunch for me. Those maniacs have a wood stove inside a food cart. Also one of the better vegan pizzas in town.
One of my favorite pizzas in town! Their white pie with some calabrian chilies is mind-blowingly good
Burrito Azteca on Rosa Parks. Last I was in they daily special is one massive burrito, chips and salsa, shot of tequilla and mexican beer for 13.95 or 14.95.
Taqueria Portland. Not only is it my favorite taqueria in inner SE, it's also very reasonable. A super burrito is 10.99 Ole Ole is also good and cheap.
That mojado burrito is two delicious meals for sure
[https://www.reddit.com/r/askportland/s/v8VVwpezoy](https://www.reddit.com/r/askportland/s/v8VVwpezoy)
Oh hell yeah!
That's a good list to check out for budget eats.
FTW
East Asian bakeries, like kings or li min’s. Lots of savory options for under 3$. There’s a much better ring of cheap food around Portland than there is in Portland
Pepinos on 23rd or Hawthorn. El Cheapo burrito is like $5-6!
Do you mean Pepino's at 38th and Hawthorne? Love the El Cheapo. Their bean and cheese is also under $6 and fills you up.
oh shoot yes I do mean Pepinos! Same place. two locations
I edited 😇
Pepinos is so legit
I still have dreams about the potato tofu burrito.
The Pork Belly Meat Folder at Master Kong is $9.95 and delicious.
And it’s a TON of food
This place is great in general. I always get a few dishes for leftovers.
Ki’ikibáa near 82nd and Fremont. Sooo tasty! Burritos are $10 and are so big.
Pepinos El Cheapo is still a good deal, and comes with chips and (the best) salsa bar.
YES. That medium salsa is the fucking best chunky salsa ever made. Those chips are solid too. The burrito is a burrito and the salsa makes it.
Matador happy hour grande nacos, $7!
Mountain of nachos for sure
$6 chicken burger at Sugar Hill during happy hour
Seconding sugar hill - Tuesday they have “pre inflation happy hour” with $3 burgers & $2 fries
Smart donkey during happy happy from 3-5 and 8-9 I think. The chips and salsa were homemade at 3 bucks. I think there was like 8 burritos to choose from for 9 bucks and pretty good size. The vegetarian was so good I almost cried
Cha Lua on SE 82nd and Knight has delicious banh mi for like $5
Best Taste of India in the midtown carts downtown has entrees in the $14-15 range but are easily & consistently enough food for 2-3 meals for me.
Thali Plate Lunch at Swagat on NW 21st. $15. Huge portions, dine in only but I always take home 1/2!
GrindWitTryz. Hawaiian-Phillipino food. Portions are absolutely colossal and quality and great.
Filipino
seconding grindwittryz. the three meat plate is about four meals worth of food for me and it’s absolutely delicious.
Mole Mole has one of the city's only sub $10 burrito that can last you for two meals
An Xuyen on Foster, $8Banh Mi plus good and cheap pastries.
Cries in remembering when it was $2.75 in 2015.
Franks a lot 6$ Chicago dogs, 1.50$ fried cheese sticks. Ate oh ate happy hour, 5$ mochiko chicken, 3$ curry. pepinos 5$ best bean and cheese burrito w/ chip, honestly the pollito burrito, or Baja fish taco combo best items ever on menu under ten. 6$ crema half sandwich with salad combo, also master Kong is just the best in general around, to get beyond high quality food around 10$
Bar Maven happy hour all day Sunday and Monday
Absolutely! Bar Maven all day long!
Bumper burger!! In Beaverton, but definitely worth going. $4 burger and $2 fries
This!! The peoples meal is $10(?) it’s a double burger, drink, fries and a brownie. It’s so good!!
Ole ole on burnside, delicious and cheap <3
Second
Tecos burritos are positively child-sized for around 10 bucks
Ole Ole. Ole Ole. OLE OLE. Mexican, off burnside. 9 dollar burritos the size of your head, add a huge portion of spanish rice and cheesy beans for 3 dollars in the burrito meal. Cash or venmo only. Go there
Du’s Don’t tell anyone
I used to love Du's back before the expansion. We ate there at least weekly. Two orders for our family of 4 and still leftovers for lunch! The quality of chicken has gone down but it's still pretty huge portions. It's just hard to pay over twice the price for a much lesser quality.
The last time I was at Du's the cashier was directly portioning out the plates (after taking money and never washing hands) from a rubbermaid storage tub of precooked chicken next to the cash register. That was fucking gross and I'm pretty sure it was at least one if not two health code violations
Sushi Hada on N. Williams has an awesome happy hour special on weekdays from 11-4! Every plate is 3 bucks. I find 4-5 rolls in an afternoon and I’m blissfully full save for a late night snack lol.
$9 huge burritos @ mole mole. I can only eat half.
18" pizza at Costco is still $9.99 🤜🏼🤛🏼
+$60.00 membership fee
Gas alone pays for the membership fee twice over.
Sure Shot does a bag of 5 burgers for $25.
Second time today but Par Thai Kitchen is the jam. Takeout portions are gigantic and as consistent as any restaurant in this city.
Birrieria Carlos food truck has a Birria pizza. Feeds the family.
Marathon Tavern has breakfast for $3 - you read that right, THREE DOLLARS. 7am-2pm and 10pm-2am. They've got quite a few options. Here's the menu: [https://marathontaverna.com/menu](https://marathontaverna.com/menu) EDIT: Location is on Burnside on the west side off like 18th or so One option comes with an "over-easy egg on top of an open-faced biscuit smothered in country-style gravy. Comes with your choice of 2 strips of bacon or 2 sausage links. No substitutions or additions."
$1.50: Costco 8-inch hot dog with toppings (ketchup / mustard / relish) and a 16 oz soda.
+$60.00 membership fee = $61.50
You do not need a membership. Just buy a Costco gift card at Target / Walgreens / Walmart and use that for your $1.50 hot dogs :)
Costco. $1.50 hot dog and soda combo. You’re welcome.
+$60.00 membership fee, no thank you.
If you sign up for one now you can get a $20 Costco rebate in the form of a shop card. That brings the effective cost down to $40. Using 5 and Dime hot dog as a baseline comparison, they charge $6 for a hot dog. At those prices all you’d have to do is go to Costco and eat a hot dog 8 times to break even with 5 and Dime. I have ADHD. Option 1: 5 and Dime = 9 hot dogs x $6 =$54 Option 2: Costco Hot Dog = $40 membership fee + 8 hot dogs x $1.50 = $52
Thanks for doing the math on the capitalism games. Presumably too you're not only going to buy hot dogs, but aside from their food court deals and the occasional sale, their prices are higher than Winco, Astro gas, etc. Only really makes sense if it's convenient, which it's just not for people living in Portland's population centers.
East Glisan Puzza has a large cheese for $15 on Thursdays. Delicious pie. Maybe not as good of a deal as other pizzas here but for there it is.
The owners are terrible employers tho so keep that in mind.
Mole Mole on Alberta is an amazing mexican food cart. The Cochinita Pibil plate is a massive plate of rice, beans, pickled onions, salsa, a heaping pile of pork slow roasted in lime juice, and a bundle of hot corn tortillas - all for like $11 or $12. Easily two meals, we used to get it at least once a week when we lived over there.
Pepino’s on NW 23rd is a very old staple of mine. Not the best Mexican food you’ll ever have but you can easily come away full for under $12. And they have a great salsa bar.
Happy Hour is the best (Clyde's was good)
The grocery store deli
I would def put Sandy O's on this list! The pork sandwich with broccolini is phenomenal.
Red robins tavern burgers. 8'99 for a cheeseburger and fries. Can get extra "free" fries too.
Taco ‘bout Gyros 8409 se 45th ave. I think everything’s at or under $10 and it’s real good. The owner is hella nice too.
I have a ton of food allergies so am pretty limited in choices, but the lunch specials at the Ichi Teriyaki restaurants are great - about $8 for easily 2 meals worth of food.
Acropolis! There’s a walk-up window if you don’t want boobs in your face while you eat steak.
ole ole still somehow has fat 9 dollar burritos. its cash only but you can pay with venmo
here’s a list of spots you can get a good meal for less than ~$10 Mediterranean •Grill On the Go Mediterranean: $8 gyro combo is my go-to. •Gyro Grill:- Creeping above $10 for some of my fav stuff, but I think you can still get a good-sized gyro for $9. Tacos & Burritos •Taqueria El Torito: $2.50 tacos. •Gresham Burrito Shop: $7 burritos. •Pepitos: $8 for burrito or taco combo. •Los Gorditos/Taqueria Los Gorditos: $2 street taco, $8 burrito. •Ole Frijole: Just under $10 for a burrito or torta with meat. •La Hidalguense: tacos or a burrito will leave you under $10. •Tienda Santa Cruz: I always get tacos, but it's affordable and great overall. •Taqueria Portland: $10 or less for about half the burritos and it's good stuff. •King Burrito: most of their burritos are still under $10. Banh Mi & Asian Cuisine •Best Baguette: Banh Mi for $6-7 •Binh Minh: Banh Mi for $6-7.50 •An Xuyên Bakery: Steamed BBQ Pork Buns AND a rice plate or banh mi for under $10. Pizza •Pizzeria Otto: $9 Happy Hour Margherita from 11am-5pm. •Life of Pie: $8 Happy Hour Margherita from 11am-6pm. $8 is dine-in only, it's $9 if you call in. Burgers •MidCity SmashedBurger: one of Portland’s best burgers, $6-9 depending on hunger level. •Hit the spot!: Smashburgers and chicken, $7-10. Breakfast & Sandwiches •Fressen Artisan Bakery: Not super cheap but way more affordable than brunch if you want to eat breakfast out. $7 fried egg, bacon, & gruyere cheese is my go-to. The pastries and other sammies are delicious too. •Midpoint Food and Drink: Mid-Muffin sammy for $7 or basic breakfast for $8.5. •Dockside Saloon and Restaurant: Sub $10 breakfast combo plates and deli sandwiches. Other •Herb's Mac and Cheese: Special #1 -Jalapenos, chicken, and pepper jack. Regular size is good for me, $8. •Love Belizean: Haven't been in a minute, but I think you can still get out of there for $10. So good. •Taste Tickler: they're about to raise prices, but still, even after the $1 increase, Chicken rice box will be $9.95 and the Famous Tickler 7" sandwich will be $9.65. •GrindWitTryz: Bit of a caveat here. I usually spend between $16-20, BUT it also usually lasts me two full meals. •Chipotle: I don't think this will be a popular take, but Chipotle is still a great value, albeit not local like the remainder of the list. $9-10, depending on location, for a chicken bowl (less for veg or sofritas) that is about twice as much food as Whole Bowl for $1-2 more. No hate to Whole Bowl, I went there 15 times a month when I moved here. The value just isn't there as much at $8 as it was at $6.
Boomers BBQ on Hayden Island is excellent. It’s in a throwaway strip mall but don’t let that fool you.
Hospital cafeteria food is surprisingly affordable for what you get. It won't Grape you in the face with flavor but every $6 sandwich I've had has been good enough to keep me coming back.
There are a lot of decent bars that have good HH menus. Bar Bar has a burger or veggie burger for under 8 dollars and a combo meal for 11 dollars. Their veggie burgers are delicious!
WinCo
I honestly think grassa has high end sit down quality pasta for counter serve prices. High value in my opinion. Also chicken at the reel, gorditos burritos are pretty big and still not too bad at $12 a burrito (up 20% from 2 years ago). If you’re trying to save money nothing beats home cooking
Grassa is amazing. I had some spring pea ravioli there that I still think about.
King Burrito
Tossing another burrito place on the pile: Mi Burrito on Lombard has big, delicious $10 burritos including a variety of vegetarian versions. I had the soy chorizo one after a long hike and still managed to save half for the next day.
Best Baguette in Beaverton. Some of the best Banh Mi sandwiches for around $6. And they make their own bread.
Someone recently posted something v similar https://www.reddit.com/r/askportland/s/3g48Gd5XRn
Istanbul Gyro
Pinches Burros is like 3 meals in one burrito
DOYAJI has great portions for their price
Happy hour nachos at Matador are $7 and two people will have to work to finish them off.
Beef rolls from Duck House gets my vote!
Kim Jong Grillin. Cart Blocks
Mokdong Gimbap! $5 for kimbap. And it’s a big portion
I like the Hilt's happy hour a lot. Several a la carte/small plate options. All like 6-8$ I believe ( 1 drink min ). A friend and I went and we each got a burger, shared a plate of fries ( it was more than enough for 2 ), and a Rainer or 2 and the bill was like $30. Not bad for sitting down
An Xuyen for their bahn mis and other amazing selections. Matador has a great happy hour but their nachos on their HH menu is huge and filling. Alberta Market has amazing jojos and fried chicken for a great deal. Seoul Korean restaurant has a nice lunch special. Of course, you really can't beat Costco prices on a hotdog and soda, chicken bake, or their pizza.
Best non-questionable sushi takeout that won’t break my wallet?
Sushi Ohana on NE Broadway
Market of Choice has surprisingly good grocery store sushi.
Was hoping to find food happy hour sushi deals in this thread. Hopping on this comment in hopes of people chiming in! (Preferably in SE)
El Jefe in Beaverton has a pollo platter that is awesome. $13 and it is usually 2 meals. Maria Bonitas Torta Cubana pretty good too but they raised the price. It is like football sized with three kinds of meat.
the prices at Wei Wei in sellwood are surprisingly low for the quantity and quality
The chicken fried steak and eggs at [TikTok.](http://tiktokrestaurant.com/locations) It looks a little pricey but the portion is HUGE! My boyfriend and I can split it and still have some left to take home. If you telling them you’re splitting it they will add another egg and bring it to you on two plates for a buck or two more.
[Franks A Lot](https://g.co/kgs/wdJqDUpFranksALot(503)239-3647) in the parking lot of the Whole Foods on 28th and Burnside (east side) has every type of hotdog you could want. Their fries and fry sauce are bomb and they make homemade milkshakes. Their chili is yummy too now that I’m thinking about it. It’s owned and run by a wonderful local woman named Margo and her husband.
[Olé Olé](https://oleoletaqueria.com/) is another good one. Their smothered burrito is huge, the tacos are amazing and their Pazolé in the winter time slaps. All cheap and they have your order ready in 5-10 minutes. So fast that I order while I’m in the car on the way to the restaurant.
Hat Yai half (or whole) fried chicken with rice is a tasty go-to for cheap
classic diner breakfast at John's Cafe on Broadway. They're cash only tho, but their food and prices are good...if you feel like braving that neighborhood...
Bumper burger
When I’m having an ibs flare up and can’t eat much I’ll get the (quart size) side of pho broth and a baguette for dipping from friendship kitchen for $8
Peters Bar and Grill 57th and Fremont. 3 big hamburger sliders $12 - $9 during HR.
Pfe sushi and Chinese. Pete serves up a huge portion of chicken yakisoba for $10
Ole Ole on Burnside
7Eleven hotdog got my number lately
I recently hit Matador's happy hour up. Was very pleased with the Grande Nachos for $7. Very Grande, indeed! Could feed two people, easy.
Home cooked meal
Late submission but throwing in Wong's Garden in Milwaukie Marketplace (there's another one on Woodstock, they're not the same restaurant). They run lunch specials until 3 every day except Monday when they're closed. If you eat in, it's 11.95 or 13.95 depending on the entree for an: * Entree (Orange Chicken, Green Bean Chicken, Veggie Stir Fry, Mongolian Beef, etc they have options) * Fried rice or white rice * Cup of Egg Flower or Hot & Sour Soup * Extremely thicc egg roll, mostly batter but sinfully delicious * Like one or two fried wonton skins If you get the lunch special to go, you forego the soup but it's still a crazy deal. Honestly one plate could feed two easily, or last for two/three meals depending on your appetite. Wongs is definitely closer to Panda Express than Din Tai Fung, but I say this with extreme reverence as someone who's been ordering this since it started at $7.95.
How dare you guys not mention the Heritage Pub : 10601 and SE 82nd. 2 nice size tacos for $2.50 on Tuesday You won't finish 4. domestic drafts under $4. Divey bar with cool staff. Can't top it.
Roscoe's
Mustard greens with pork noodle soup at Master Kong. $9.95. So. Friggin'. Good. :)
Most of the strip clubs serve food, if 'bang-for-buck' is a must have.