Travel for Food Hub The Food Blog for Travel Lovers
Last Updated on November 23, 2023
Finding inexpensive yet exotic, cheap restaurants in Australia can help you save a chunk of your money, especially for students. An average student in Australia lives on a diet of jacket potatoes, pizzas, spag bol, stir-fry dishes, and beans on toast. While others prefer curry, pesto pasta, lasagna, spaghetti carbonara, microwave ready meals, and noodles. These meals are easy, affordable and quick to cook; however, don’t you think your diet should include more?
TAKEAWAY: In terms of education and standard of living, Australia is a pretty expensive country. In fact, according to The Telegraph, Australia is the 13th most expensive country in the world (2017), while Sydney is the 10th most expensive city (2018).
So if you are craving a big bowl of steaming Asian noodles or a good old traditional Aussie meat pie, there’s a plethora of cheap restaurants in Australia you can consider walking in. These are some of our proposals:
Hanoi Hannah Express Lane, Melbourne
Avoid the queues at Hanoi Hannah and head to its no-frills eatery next door. The lively eatery has been serving delicious, fashionable and fresh Vietnamese food since 2012. From the old favorites Pho, Banh mi and Rice paper rolls to crowd-pleasing vermicelli salad with char-grilled chicken, every dish is prepared to hit the right taste buds. Moreover, you can also consider something different such as pork belly banh mi or lemongrass beef stir-fry. Best bid? You can get it all for less than 20 AUD.
Mr. Crackles, Melbourne and Sydney
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There are plenty of places serving budget bites in multiple locations in Australia, and Mr. Crackles is one of those places. Founded by two chefs on a mission to create the perfect crispy skin on meat, Mr. Crackles is famous for its tasty pork belly, which is cooked over three days. They also offer rolls that are cheap eat for lunch.
Lao City Thai, Sydney
Lao City Thai, on the western end of Chinatown, looks like any other restaurant. But the fine smell of food through the kitchen attracts every passer-by. Popular servings are Asian dishes like beef salad (Yum Nua) with fresh mint and medium hot chili chicken basil (pad Kha prao gai) which is so well cooked and tastes divine with a mild chili sauce. The menu at Lao City Thai also features an extensive range of seafood dishes, which could get a bit expensive. Most of the dishes are priced between 10 and 12 AUD.
Delhi Streets, Melbourne
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Indian food is famous across the length and breadth of the world, and thankfully, you can try some of it while staying in Melbourne. Delhi Streets is an affordable restaurant that celebrates the traditional concept of going out to eat. From old school classic pani puri (9 AUD), and papri chaat (9 AUD) to chicken tikka (10 AUD), masala dosa (12 AUD) and overloaded thali, Delhi Streets has so much to offer to Melburnians.
Big Bite on Pitt, Sydney
If you are craving sandwiches after completing a grueling assignment, then make sure you walk into Big Bite. Here you can have daily specials and humongous sandwiches stuffed with chicken schnitzel or roasted fillet of beef and vegetables. Sandwiches are incredibly delicious and will cost you less than 10 AUD every time.
Toastface Grillah, Perth
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A place that looks like an abandoned doss house serves great toasties you can have to kick-start your day. There are eight varieties of grilled cheese toasties on the menu (scribbled on the front door) like Danny Zuccho (9 AUD), Ham & Cheese (7 AUD), Brie & Jam (8 AUD), etc. The toasties when severed will please your eyes before pleasing your taste buds. Moreover, you can buy a biscuit to dunk into your cuppa, milk arrowroots and Gingernuts for 20 cents each and Monte Carlos for 40 cents.
Bagus Cafe, Cairns
Bagus Café is one of the best cafes in Australia, known for its reasonably priced and exceptionally delicious Indonesian dishes. The place, set in a cool outdoor area, is small but there are some super friendly people who serve breakfast, lunch and a wide array of Indonesian dishes. Nasi Goreng, Bebek Goreng and Rendang Ayam count among the popular servings. ‘Bagus’ in Indonesia means nice, and trust me, they ain’t lying.
Mamak, Melbourne and Sydney
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This place is named after a roadside stall of Kuala Lumpur that serves Indian Malay street food. Mamak is known for its traditional flavors and has branches in both Sydney and Melbourne. You’ll have to wait for a while in a queue to get a chance to dine but the quality of the food served is worth the wait. The roti served with two curry dips and spicy sambal sauce, is one of the best around, but with all the other dishes equally good, making choices becomes a difficult task.
Warung Ade Indonesian, Mandurah
Warung Ade is a local family business ran and managed by an Indonesian family who serves authentic Indonesian cuisine using the finest local and imported ingredients. The owners Eddy and his wife, together with their staff, will welcome you with warm greetings. From traditional dishes like Beef rendang and rice (15.90 AUD) or chicken spring rolls (7.90 AUD) to chefs specialty dishes like seafood curry (27.90 AUD), you will love them all.
Have you ever been to any of these cheap restaurants in Australia before? Or do you have any better suggestions for Australian students? Go ahead if you do. The comment box is all yours.
