Cheap Eats

City

ATL Maranatha

Shop 96, 732 Harris St, Ultimo

Imagine how much easier things would be if you could eat fried chicken, bones and all. Guess what, folks: you can. The fried soft-bone chicken ($8.00) at ATL Marantha is put through a pressure cooker before it hits the deep-fryer, resulting in brittle bones you can munch down on without a care in the world. Read more

Malacca Straits

66 Mountain St, Broadway, Ultimo

Malacca Straits isn’t easy to find, but look for the signboard on the street and duck into the sunny residential courtyard that hides this popular restaurant. The menu includes a selection of Thai dishes like green curry chicken ($13) and pad thai prawns ($11.50), but you’re better off sticking with their Malaysian specialties, like the delicately steamed Hainanese chicken ($9.50). Read more

Daily Noodle Fastfood

8 Quay St, Haymarket

A penny pincher’s paradise. There’s not much in the way of decor, and seating is a bit of a squeeze, but when everything on the menu costs $8.50 or less, who’s complaining? This narrow slip of an eatery is a huge hit with local university students, happily crowding around poky tables for one of the cheapest feeds you can find in Chinatown. Read more

West

Al Aseel

4/173 Waterloo Rd, Bankstown

It’s hard to say no to a place where eating with your fingers is not just allowed, but actively encouraged. Because who wants cutlery when you’re ripping apart fresh rounds of Lebanese bread and scooping up smoky baba ghanoush eggplant dip or the fluffy garlic sauce, toum? Al Aseel is always heaving with diners but you rarely have to wait long. Read more

Pho Hai Duong

308 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville

You don’t need a doctorate to know why punters come here. It’s all about the kickass pho. Bright red walls and smart wooden chairs and tables herald an upward shift from the formerly down-and-daggy Pho Hai Duong, but their signature pho remains unchanged. This Vietnamese noodle soup hits the spot at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Read more

La Banette

18 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe

Step into La Banette and you could swear you’ve landed in a bakery in downtown Paris. It’s all in the decor  – distressed wooden shelves holding crusty baguettes, wicker trays filled with flaky pastries and even a striped shop awning out the front. The gleaming window display out the front holds an orgy of sweets: from thin elegant chocolate éclairs to glazed fruit tarts. Read more

East and South

Kingsford Chinese Restaurant

426 Anzac Pde, Kingsford

Admit it. Sometimes you really do want to order sweet and sour pork ($8.80), Mongolian beef ($9.80) and the so-sweet-it-may-as-well-be-a-dessert honey king prawns ($14.50). There’s no judgement at Kingsford Chinese, where university students flock for budget-friendly low prices and legendarily large portions without any frills. Read more

Sabbaba

82 Hall Street, Bondi Beach

Sabbaba means “no worries” in Hebrew, and that pretty much sums up the vibe at this Israeli eatery famous for their falafel. The humble chickpea is bashed up with fresh herbs and spices and moulded into patties that are deep fried to a golden crunch. There are now several Sabbaba outlets around Sydney, but the Hall Street branch is where it all started. Read more

North

Ben Bry Burgers

5 Sydney Rd, Manly

You’ll need to throw a towel over your shoulder if you want to blend into the beachgoer queue at Ben Bry Burgers. It’s backpacker central here, with tanned sandy bodies clad in bikinis and board shorts spilling out the door. The burgers are the real deal, cooked-to-order behind the glass windows of the open kitchen. Read more

Hukuya

25 Railway Pde, Eastwood

The best seat in the house at Hukya is at the sushi bar, a chance to watch the chefs behind the counter slicing sashimi with quiet precision and making little pillows of sushi rice with casual aplomb. This modest eatery is always buzzing, its proximity to the train station making it an easy dinner stop for local commuters. There’s a casual, friendly and relaxed vibe to the place. Read more