It’s rare to find a restaurant or cafe where you can order a meal and get change from a $10 note these days. But I’ve found a handful of some of the best eats for $10 or less, so you can still dine out if you’re on a budget or counting down until your next payday.
While your wallet might be empty, your stomach will be full after devouring some of Canberra’s best cheap eats.
Treat yourself to an $8.99 cheeseburger from Burger Hero
It’s hard to find a burger for less than $10 that doesn’t come from the golden arches. But, thankfully, Burger Hero has come to the rescue with their $8.99 cheeseburger special.
The deal is available on Mondays and Tuesdays, and for $8.99 you’ll be able to indulge in their epic cheeseburger that’s filled with two 100 g smashed beef patties, pickles, red onion, two pieces of cheese and Hero sauce.
If you have a little more cash to flash, you can create your own burger or order one of their freak burgers – try their Karaage Chicken burger if you haven’t already. They even have three different vegan burgers if you want to ditch the meat.
Burger Hero is located at 31 Mort St, Braddon and 43 Brookes St, Mitchell. Trading hours vary at each location.
A bowl of curry and a drink for $10
The Burmese Curry Place on London Circuit in the city is well known to many people who work nearby. It’s a popular lunch spot for office workers, but if you’re not in the area from Monday to Friday, you might not even know it exists.
This humble bowl of food is packed with flavour and for $10 you can choose from nine different options.
The interior is basic, and the food is cheap and flavoursome. You can eat it for lunch or get one to go and take it home for dinner.
The Burmese Curry Place is located at 111 London Circuit and is open Monday to Friday from 11:30 am until 7:00 pm.
Breakfast for $10 at As You Like It
Breakfast for $10 is unheard of these days, unless it’s a bacon and egg roll or some fruit toast – two options I happily eat for breakfast at home, but they’re not my first choice when I dine out for breakfast.
Visit As You Like It on Tuesday mornings and only pay $10 for any item off their breakfast menu before 11:30 am. Options include fluffy Japanese hotcakes, French toast, zucchini and corn fritters, smashed avo and more.
As You Like It is located in The Street Theatre, 15 Childers St at the ANU and is open from 7:30 am until 4:30 pm Monday to Friday.
$3 tacos from Beach Burrito
You can get your taco fix at Beach Burrito and only pay $9 for three tacos on Tuesdays. If you’re not super hungry, three tacos will hit the spot. With 10 options available, choose from flavours like Baja fish, shredded jackfruit (vegan) and pulled pork.
Beach Burrito is located at 181 City Walk, Civic and is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday.
Thai lunch at the markets
The food from Roy Lum Thai Street Food at the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets is fresh and flavoursome. They have a menu filled with tasty Thai dishes for breakfast and lunch, but if you’re counting your dollars, you can choose from two dishes for $10 or one option for $8. There’s usually a curry and a stir-fry option to choose from, and they’re served with rice. You can eat it in or order it to go.
Roy Lum Thai Street Food is located at the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets, 10 Lathlain St and is open from 8:30 am until 2:30 pm on Wednesday and Thursday and 8:30 am until 3:00 pm Friday to Sunday.
Seafood basket from The Fish Shack
Love seafood? Well, you can pick up a seafood basket for only $10 from The Fish Shack on Wednesdays. Two pieces of freshly cooked fish, prawns and calamari rings are served on a bed of crunchy chips sprinkled with their own homemade seasoning. It’s served with homemade tartare sauce and a wedge of lemon. There’s even a vegan option if you want to trade your seafood for a soy and konjac version. Can’t eat gluten? The folks at The Fish Shack tell me they can make everything gluten-free for their customers.
The Fish Shack is located at 87/105 Petrie Plaza, Civic and is open from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm for lunch and from 5:00 pm for dinner 7 days.
50 cent chicken wings
If you’re like me, the occasional bowl of finger-licking chicken wings for dinner is perfectly acceptable. A bowl of 20 wings at 50 cents each brings the total to $10, and 20 wings should hit the spot. You can find 50 cent wings at Bootleg (50 Bunda St, Civic) from 4:00 pm on Mondays; Young and Frisky (Marketplace Gungahlin) on Sundays; and Fricken (10 Lonsdale St, Braddon) from 5:00 pm on Wednesdays.
Choose from flavours like buffalo, BBQ, honey sesame, satay, honey mustard or more, depending on where you go. If you can’t tackle 20 wings, order 8 and you’ll have some left-over dollars for a side of fries or slaw for a total of $10.
Original Article published by Amelia Bidgood on The RiotACT.