Best Boston Cheap Eats

Boston insider's guide to inexpensive eateries

Q.  What are Boston Cheap Eats?

A.  They're inexpensive restaurants in Boston where the Boston Locals go for great food at great prices.  If you're looking for delicious food at cheap prices in Boston, seek out these bistros and cafes. 

Sure, you can find lots of expensive Boston restaurants as well - but when you don't want  to flatten your wallet for just one meal, check out my suggestions for affordable Boston dining. 

Fortunately, you can find delicious "cheap eats" destinations - Boston restaurants, cafes, bistros, and bars - for a quick bite or casual meal for under $10. 

In fact, your tab in many of these centrally located eateries may be well under $10.  You'll dine so well that you won't feel like you're on a budget.

I'm going to share my favorite spots for Boston cheap eats under $10.  Some are carryout places, although you may find tables nearby where you can sit and eat.  Others are restaurants, where you can sit and relax.  A few of them consistently rank as top Boston restaurants.

At a couple of these eateries, your tab may go a bit over $10 once you add in taxes, tips, and drinks, while in a few others, you'll leave happy for under $5.

Boston "cheap eats" restaurant guide - By neighborhood

Downtown - Boston Cheap Eats

Thanks to crowds of office workers, students, tourists, and neighborhood residents, you'll find numerous inexpensive eateries, affordable restaurants, and even food carts in Boston's Downtown neighborhoods.  What follows are just a few of the many options in specific locations, including my favorite place for maybe the cheapest and best lobster rolls in the city.

Chinatown

Almost all of Chinatown's terrific Chinese restaurants offer satisfying options for under $10.  Perhaps the biggest Boston cheap eats bargains can be found at the dim sum restaurants, where a delicious brunch of several small dishes easily stays under $10.

Dinner menu entrees may cost more, but Chinese food typically arrives in a large serving dish so that everyone at the table can share.  Unless you're enormously hungry, one dish will provide enough for more than one person. 

Here are a few places in Boston's Chinatown where you'll find some tasty Boston Cheap Eats (all are easily accessible from the Orange Line/Chinatown and Red and Orange Lines/Downtown Crossing T stations):

China Pearl is a local favorite for Dim Sum, the Chinese version of small plates.  

Servers bring around carts filled with Cantonese specialties such as black bean clams, steamed pork buns, dumplings, broccoli and other veggies, sesame balls, taro, shrimp dumplings, shumai, and much, much more. 

You choose what you want and pay by the dish. 

Of course, everyone's appetite varies, but normally the check will average out to less than $10 per person - making Dim Sum a top pick for Boston Cheap Eats.  If you come on weekends, especially Sundays, you should arrive before about 10am if you want to avoid waiting in line to get in.

Directions to China Pearl:  9 Tyler Street; 617-426-4338

Taiwan Cafe You'll find authentic Taiwanese food here.  Lunch specials are well under $10, and include dishes like steamed taro with pork, sauteed shrimp with edamame, and braised ribs in BBQ sauce with spinach, all served with soup and white rice. 

From the regular menu, you'll find all kinds of Best Boston Cheap Eats choices among the soups, vegetables, tofu, noodles, and fried rice dishes for under $10.  Or, go with a friend and share one of the "chef's specials" for under $20. 

If you love tofu, you'll find many different preparations on the menu, all of them delicious.  The Taiwanese dumplings are also terrific and well worth the 20 minute wait, especially since if you've ordered something else, you can be eating that while the dumplings are being prepared.  Steaming cups of tea are complimentary.

My experience here is that it's virtually impossible to spend more than an average of $10 per person - and that includes tax, tip, and usually a hefty amount of leftovers to bring home. If you're visiting Boston and don't want to bother with leftovers, just order a little less initially.  You can always order more dishes midway through your meal if you're still hungry - the perfect Boston Cheap Eats experience.

Accepts credit cards?  No
Directions to Taiwan Cafe:  34 Oxford Street; 617-426-8181
Hours:  Monday - Sunday, 11am - 1pm

163 Vietnamese Sandwich is my favorite place in Boston for boba (bubble tea).  In fact, it's one of my favorite Boston Cheap Eats in general because of the tasty, inexpensive food.

Milk tea boba, fruit shake bobas - mango, papaya, avocado, taro, and perhaps 20 other choices - they're all fabulous, and so filling that they're almost a meal in themselves.

But it would be a shame to miss the bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwiches), rice-flour rolls filled with onions, daikon, pickled carrots, cilantro, cucumber, and your choice of a grilled meat or tofu fake duck. 

Or the fresh spring rolls, with tofu and peanut sauce or shredded pork skin in rice-flour wrappers.  A few hot dishes such as beef rice plates and noodles are also available.

Almost everything on the menu is well under $5, so you can eat very well here for little money.

163 is tiny - only 3 small and 6 chairs - so unless you happen to be lucky enough to get one of them, you'll be like all of the other happy customers here, walking along the sidewalk enjoying these delicious treats. 

Want to sit down?  The Rose Kennedy Greenway, with plenty of benches and low walls for sitting, is nearby.

Accepts credit cards?  No
Directions to 163 Vietnamese Sandwich:  66 Harrison Avenue; 617-542-7903

The Juice Bar is easy to miss - or dismiss - if you're not specifically looking for it.   Also on Harrison Ave and just across Beach Street from 163 Vietnamese Sandwich, The Juice Bar is where you can find all the fabulous fruit juice, milk (choose from whole milk, soy milk, or coconut milk), and tea drinks, with or without "bubbles" (tapioca balls") that are so popular across southeastern Asia. 

The Juice Bar's menu has 100+ drinks to choose from . . . Thai iced tea, mango juice with pearl or tapioca bubbles, lychee juice with lychee jello, honey green tea, jackfruit shake, strawberry banana milkshakes, coconut milk with ice cream . . . the combinations and possibilities are endless. 

I'm crazy about their fruit drinks, which are so thick and filling that they double for lunch.  Many of the fruits, such as blueberry and pineapple, will be familiar - but others, such as longan and durian, may be a new adventure for you. 

Best of all, prices range from about $2.75 to $4.00, with most items priced at $3.50.  You can also buy a few inexpensive snacks here.

Accepts credit cards?  No
Directions to The Juice Bar:  40-44 Harrison Avenue; 617-542-7903

Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market

The Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market Place area, which includes the popular Faneuil Hall Freedom Trail site as well as 3 other buildings, is one of the city's most popular attractions for both tourists and locals. 

And one of everyone's favorites is the Food Hall in the Quincy Market building, where you'll find a fabulous and huge array of delicious things to eat, including one of the biggest assortments of Boston Cheap Eats under one roof.

True to the original market, food vendors occupy stalls lining a long corridor.  You'll find so many delicious things - Boston chowder, pizza, Greek specialties, pastries from the North End. 

You can easily put together a great repast for under $10.  But you may have trouble deciding what to get - too many delicous choices!

You'll see a large rotunda filled with tables at the end of the Hall.  Especially around lunch time, this area gets quite crowded, but you can also find plenty of benches outside.  Another option is to walk over to the nearby Rose Kennedy Greenway and enjoy a picnic.

Another popular option at the other end of Quincy Market is Wagamama, a noodle bar that fuses Japanese, Chinese, and Southeast Asian noodle dishes and serves them fried or in soup or curry.  Black-clad servers bring out the freshly made dishes as soon as they're done.  Most of the noodle dishes are around or just over $10 - and yes, with tax and tip, you'll spend over $10, but you'll still be close to Boston Cheap Eats territory.

To spend less at Wagamama without feeling the least bit deprived, order one of the other tempting options.  Try one of the delicious rice dishes, such as the Yasai Katsu Curry, featuring deep-fried slices of sweet potato, eggplant, and butternut squash served with a light curry sauce and rice.  Or for a light snack, order a small plate of gyoza dumplings, grilled chicken yakitori, or a bowl of miso soup and a small plate of tasty Ebi Katsu, deep-fried tiger shrimp with chili and garlic sauce.

To keep your costs low, just order water or ask for the free green tea (they don't bring it unless you ask).  Wagamama (617-742-9242) is part of a large chain with a big fan base in London and other places, so you'll often find an international crowd here ordering their favorite dishes.

Waterfront - Downtown Boston

Sel de la Terre is one of the best-loved French restaurants in Boston, specializing in cuisine inspired by Provençal and other regions in Southern France. 

You'll be inspired to enjoy an impromptu picnic after you stop by their Boulangerie near the New England Aquarium where you can buy the city's most fabulous breads, an array of sausages and pates, and freshly-made yummy sandwiches. 

This is a great way to enjoy the wonderful flavors of this top-rated restaurant at affordable prices - definitely one of the top Boston Cheap Eats spots on the Downtown Waterfront.

In the morning, you can even find mouth-watering affortments of hot-from-the-oven muffins and croissants, and of course, plenty of excellent coffee and tea.

Cruising out to the Boston Harbor Islands?  Sel de la Terre's Boulangerie is also the perfect place to stock up on provisions for your journey.

Directions: 255 State Street; Blue Line/Aquarium; 617-720-1300; website

James Hook fits squarely in the "Insider Secrets" category.  It's a busy wholesale seafood operation that ships 50,000+ pounds of lobsters daily to Boston's seafood restaurants and distributors around the country - but it offers carryout retail sales out of a trailer on Fort Point Channel near the Boston Children's Museum where you can get some of the best - and maybe the cheapest - lobster rolls in the city. 

I'm cheating a little by adding James Hook to the Boston Cheap Eats page because the lobster rolls are about $12 - but for lobster rolls this is cheap, especially since these are so delicious!  They come wrapped in aluminum foil, and are full of chunks of sweet, fresh lobster with just a tiny bit of mayonnaise and chopped celery.

If you want to stay under a $10 per person limit, you can opt for the lobster bisque or clam chowder instead.  Since this is carryout, head to one of the picnic tables outside the trailer, or find a park bench or low wall to sit on and enjoy your feast!

Directions: 15 Northern Avenue, South Boston Waterfront; Red Line/South Station, or take the Silverline from South Station to the Courthouse stop; 617-423-5500

Back Bay - Boston Cheap Eats

Some of the city's most fabulous - and priciest - restaurants are located in Back Bay, also home to some of the city's best shopping and most popular attractions.   Fortunately, you can also find a number of delicious and affordable eateries here.

Cafe 47 - A super Back Bay affordable bistro

This attractive neighborhood spot in Back Bay offers freshly made, delicious breakfast items for under $5, and salads, sandwiches, burgers, and small pizzas for well under $10.  You can add French fries or pasta salad to any sandwich or burger order for only $1.50. 

Cafe 47's offerings may be affordable, but they're also innovative and tasty.  For example, try the yummy Poached Pear Salad . . . wine-poached pears with candied walnuts and blue cheese dressing over crispy mixed greens. 

Dinner entrees are also quite nice but a bit more than our "Boston Cheap Eats" limit of $10.  But no problem - just stick with the other selections, or consider sharing a large pizza and salad. 

Add wine or the homemade Sangria, and you'll also be a bit over $10 - but you'll still have a great and affordable meal.  Cafe 47 is as attractive inside as it is outside . . . all in all, a lovely addition to Back Bay dining.

Directions to Cafe 47:  47 Massachusetts Ave.; 617-536-1577; Green Line/Hynes Convention center; website 

Davio's To Go - Enjoy this affordable "back door" into a top Boston restaurant

You don't usually equate one of the city's best restaurants with Boston Cheap Eats.

But tucked away in a pedestrian walk-through area in an office building, is a true "Boston insider" spot known mostly to locals who work in the neighborhood:  Davio's to Go.  The food at this popular To Go counter comes from famed Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse next door.  Davio's To Go's location in the southeastern corner of Back Bay means that it's convenient to the Theatre District, Bay Village, and Park Square, as well as the nearby Radisson Hotel Boston.

What will you find?  Starting at 7am, yummy breakfast items such as muffins and bagels.  Around lunch time, salads, soups, panini, pastas, and fabulous deep dish pizza by the slice appear at the counter.  The pizza is so filling that one slice (well under $5) makes a great lunch . . . add one of the homemade soups or crispy salads, and you have a feast.

Some seating is available at small tables and benches scattered around the lobby.  Otherwise, take your treats to the Public Garden, just a block away, for a picnic. 

Directions to Davio's To Go:  10 St. James, between Arlington and Berkeley; Green Line/Arlington. 
Hours:  Open Monday - Friday, 7am - 4:30pm (4pm on Fridays).

Prudential Center Food Court - So many choices for so few $s

I'm not usually a huge fan of shopping center food courts - but the one at Prudential Center is quite nice.  

Although you'll find many of the usual selections that you'll see in other places - Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, pizza, sandwiches, soup, a bakery, and so forth - the food always seems freshly made, perhaps due to the large number of people who eat here.  You'll find plenty of tables and a nice ambiance.   It's a great place to relax if you're shopping in Pru Center or nearby Copley Place.  

And with the money that you save while eating in the Pru Center Food Court, you can go up to the Top of the Hub on the 52nd floor for a drink in the bar (not a Boston Cheap Eats spot!) while enjoying the best views in the city.  Or, for a slightly cheaper view, skip the bar (where despite your best intentions, you may find yourself blowing your budget by ordering a second specialty martini), head up to the Prudential Skywalk on the 50th floor.

Piattini Wine Cafe - You'll love this affordable small plates restaurant!

If you want a nice meal in a nice Back Bay restaurant for under $10, you'll want to visit Piattini Wine Cafe.   Now I should mention that $10 for a great meal here doesn't include a glass of wine, but sadly, that's also true in most places.

Piattini features small plates, and unless you're totally starving, one is plenty for a nice meal. You'll find all kinds of delicious and creative salads, panini, and pasta. The menu expands somewhat for dinner and includes entrees that are over $10 (but mostly under $20) but you'll still find lots of great under $10 options.   More about Piattini Wine Cafe

Beacon Hill - Boston Cheap Eats

Pacificio - A divine bakery-bistro

This terrific neighborhood bistro / Italian bakery theme is right on Charles Street not far from Cambridge Street.

If I had to choose a favorite here, the deep-dish Sicilian pizza would win hands-down.  Scented with olive oil, herbs, and tomatoes, one slice makes a delicious lunch.   Order something to drink to go with it, and you're going to be around the $5 mark. 

You'll find lots of other good lunch items as well . . . salads, sandwiches, pastas.  Panificio also has delicious breakfast options  . . muffins, granola, French toast, eggs, fruit. Most of these run under $10.

Dinner entrees are closer to $20, but you can get salads, panini, and thin-crust pizza for $9-12, keeping Panificio's in the Boston Cheap Eats category even for dinner.

You order at the counter (where you can also pick up a loaf of freshly-baked bread to take with you).  Panificio's pleasant dining area has about 12 tables and another 10-12 tall stools perched next to long counters.  If you want to eat in, find a place to site and a server will bring your food. You can also take your items as carry out. 

Directions to Panificio:  144 Charles St., near Cambridge St; Red Line/Charles-MGH; 617-227-4340, website

Fenway - Boston Cheap Eats

Betty's Wok and Noodle Diner - Stylish eats near Symphony Hall

Betty's specializes in small plates of Asian-Latino fusion comfort food as well as sake cocktails and other specialty drinks.  It's a super place in this part of Fenway near Northeastern University, Symphony Hall, and Jordan Hall to get a quick bite without spending too much money. 

Betty's "all day" menu and lunch menus are where you'll find the best choices for under $10.  Vegetable egg rolls, spicy beef won-tons, and fried plantains with sweet tomatillo-lime mojo sauce will melt in your mouth.  Salads, including a plate of Thai-inspired soba noodles, and pressed sandwiches are also delicious.

Betty's chef understands that especially at lunch, people want delicious, innovative food at an affordable price - in otherwords, Boston Cheap Eats - and they want it fast.  He delivers delicious treats that more than meet these requirements.

Directions to Betty's Wok and Noodle Diner: 250 Huntington Ave; Green Line E/Symphony; 617-424-1950; website

Petit Robert Bistro - The best onion soup in the city - Boston Cheap Eats perfection!

Most lunch menu items at this favorite French bistro will run you under $10, and you can choose any of them and be very happy . . . but you should also know that this is where you'll find the very best French Onion Soup in the entire city.  (Of course, that's just my opinion - you'll have to do your own research!)

At just over $6 on both the lunch and dinner menus, it's one of the best Boston Cheap Eats bargains because one bowl makes a perfect meal.  The rich, beefy, not-too-sweet broth, the perfectly caramelized onions, the French bread croutons, and the perfectly gratineed Swiss and Muenster cheeses on top add up to a sublime experience. 

Petit Robert BIstro ranks high in my personal list of favorite Boston restaurants because of the excellent food, pleasant waitresses, and elegant white linens in the stylish dining room.  To enjoy this delicious cuisine at affordable prices is an added treat.

In addition to the location near Fenway Park, you'll find a second Petit Robert Bistro in the South End, as well as a suburban location in Needham.

More about Petit Robert Bistro

South End - Boston Cheap Eats

Aquitaine - An affordable fixe-prix brunch at a top French restaurant!

On weekends, head straight to Aquitaine, one of the South End's best French bistros.   Aquitaine is another top French restaurant that you might not expect to find on a list of Boston Cheap Eats. 

However, you can enjoy their fabulous fixe-prix brunch all day on Saturday and from 10-11am on Sundays for only $9.95/person.   Choices include omelettes or eggs served with yellow creamer potatoes, 7-grain toast, OJ, and coffee.

Aquitaine's lunch menu also has a few choices under $10.  One of the best is Soupe a L’Oignon with gruyère croutons & aged sherry.  The fried mussels with sancerre, crème fraiche, thyme and remoulade sauce are also terrific.

You'll also enjoy the experience of eating in this warm, stylish restaurant.  Filled with mellow wood, pale marble, and crisp white table linens, it brings Parisian bistro ambiance to Boston's South End.

Directions to Aquitaine:   569 Tremont St; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-424-8577; website