The best and cheapest food in Houston – Houston

Some people say cheap is relative. We disagree. Especially when inflation is high, fast-food restaurants raise their prices and bulk shopping doesn’t bring the same joy it once did. And while we don’t mind breaking a fancy night out into four easy credit card payments, nothing tastes as good as grilled pork belly, hearty beef noodles or sumptuous brisket fries for under $15.

The spots

This Chinatown joint serves the best bánh mì in town for just five dollars. Alpha Bakery & Cafe in Hong Kong City Mall sells a handful of sandwiches and hundreds of pre-packaged Vietnamese snacks. The folks behind the counter smear so much butter, mayonnaise and pâté on the bánh mì that it’s a religious experience. And that’s before you add chả lụa, pork belly, giò thủ, pickled daikon and fresh herbs. You’ll want more than one, so bring cash in the form of a crisp $20 piece.

Cochinita & Co. in the East End may not have the cheapest dishes on this list—the most expensive dish is a cochinita pibil, which costs $14.75. But quantity is key here, because we’ve never seen anyone finish an entire bowl of corn and chicken. At just $12.50, this dish puts another giant burrito chain to shame. Packed with hearty rice, black beans, crunchy veggies, and tender fried chicken, that’s two meals in one. It’s just clever math.

Most dishes at Asia Market Thai Lao cost between $11 and $12, and almost all of them are enough for two people. The Heights restaurant, which also doubles as a Thai grocery store, serves everything fast, hot, and flavorful, even if you order “mild” seasoning. And whether you order crispy spring rolls or curry, each dish is coated with a healthy dose of flavor, spice, and acidity that we can’t get enough of, especially for the price.

Midtown Chinese barbecue restaurant Siu Lap City has a simple formula: Choose rice, meat and vegetables — all for $8.95 for a small plate with one type of meat or $11.95 for a large plate with two types of meat. As soon as you walk in, the sight from the tiny counter immediately grabs your attention. Whole crispy-skinned ducks, chunks of pork belly and braised beef tendons dangle behind a fogged-up service window and are noisily chopped up with a giant cleaver. The result of this effort is juicy brisket or grilled pork with crispy skin. Just come early, because the line is usually long and the duck sells out quickly.

House Of Fries in Inwood exists in a transitional era before smartphones. When we were all full of hope and fast food was actually affordable. Feel that pre-millennial joy all over again, because nothing on House Of Fries’ menu costs more than $9. Order your choice of Loaded Fries – breaded and seasoned, curly, waffle or house fries – with toppings like thin strips of grilled beef fajita, smoked cheese and fresh pico do gallo, a burger with four whole strips of bacon and huge milkshakes with so much whipped cream it would make a robber baron blush.

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 spicy akkawi cheese and parsley. The casual Mid-West neighborhood shop makes the best manooshe in town, baked in a wood-fired oven with toppings like spiced beef, za’atar and olive oil or a simple dollop of labneh, all for under $7.

If you and two of your best friends only have eight dollars each, head to San Dong Noodles. You can share a hot bowl of hearty roast beef noodle soup and a plate of 20 fried dumplings for under $20 and still have money left over for a generous tip. This Chinatown takeout restaurant may be utilitarian—plastic seating and a rack of self-serve meals so diners don’t disturb the staff—but it’s cozy and filling, so ignore the plastic cutlery and enjoy the noodles.

The sandwiches at Las Tortas Perronas in Spring Branch defy the laws of physics—or at least the laws of how many ingredients a sandwich should contain. The chilanga torta is loaded with six kinds of meat, cheese, and six other condiments, all squashed into soft bolillo bread, and it’s only $7.99. Each bite tastes rich, slightly spicy, and fresh, especially when you pour the extra salsa on top. With all that jamón, salchicha, and breaded flank steak on the torta, it’s a wonder you don’t dislocate your jaw.

The most expensive burger on Champ Burger’s menu – double the meat and double the cheese – costs just $9.59. This is about cheap and good. The East End counter has been selling burgers and orange creamsicle shakes since 1963, and prices have only risen moderately. The burgers here are juicy but not greasy, and the thinly breaded and crispy “Texas-size” steak sandwich will put you in a food-induced stupor for the rest of the day.

A large portion of pasta at Paulie’s, a casual Italian restaurant in Montrose, costs about $23. That’s more than $15, but the portion is enough for two meals. Unless you’ve just hiked through the desert without food or need a carb load before a marathon, you won’t be able to eat an entire large portion of pasta on your own. So for that $23, you, your kids, and your kids’ kids can enjoy homemade rigatoni Bolognese or hearty canestri in a mushroom cream sauce. The portion-to-price ratio also applies to the main dishes and the salads, including a crisp Caesar salad with a generous layer of Parmesan.

Ekko’s Greek American Deli proves that there are only a few things near the Galleria that require a second mortgage to afford. The small counter in the back of the gas station serves $9 gyros, $9.50 burgers, and double portions of souvlaki with potatoes and pita warmed to order for $14, which requires a to-go box. Ekko’s also has a tiny dining room painted a deep blue. Staring at that color long enough is like a mini-vacation, and they don’t even charge extra for it.

Teenagers with part-time jobs can afford to eat at the Nickel Sandwich Grill in the Fifth Ward, which may be why the menu looks like it belongs at a high school football game. For $10 you can get a grilled cheeseburger or a BBQ glazed beef sandwich on sauce-stained slices of white bread. With the change in your car’s cup holder, you can buy chips and a soda, then eat the bits of meat that got stuck in the sandwich’s aluminum wrapper.