Cheap Eats Boston: 20 Meals for About $15

Short answer: you can still eat well in Boston for about $15. The trick is leaving downtown's pricey grain bowls behind and heading to Chinatown, East Boston, Dorchester and Allston, where a burrito, a banh mi or a plate of roast duck over rice still comes in under or near that line. Below are 20 places we checked as open in fall 2026, with addresses, the nearest T stop, and prices taken from each spot's current menu or ordering page wherever we could find one.

A few ground rules. "About $15" means one person, one solid meal, before tax and tip. Prices come from posted menus and online ordering pages as of early October 2026, and delivery-app prices usually run higher than the counter. Where we couldn't find a current price, we say so instead of guessing.

Quick plan

Cheapest full meal: pupusas at Mi Pueblito in East Boston, $3.99 each on its menu.
Best breakfast deal: the weekday special at Mike's City Diner, $11.95 with coffee, before 11:30 a.m.
Best for a group: split a $16 cheese pie at Santarpio's.
Best near the T: Chinatown (Orange Line) has three picks within a few blocks.
Bring cash for: Galleria Umberto and Gene's.
Seasonal: Sullivan's on Castle Island usually closes for the winter in late fall.

Chinatown and Downtown

The densest cheap-eats block in the city, and the easiest to reach: Chinatown and Downtown Crossing stops on the Orange Line put you within a few minutes of all four. Our Chinatown walk covers the neighborhood if you want to earn your lunch.

1. Hong Kong Eatery

Roast meat in the window, rice on the plate, done. The restaurant's ordering site lists a single-meat rice plate at $15.75, fried rice at $14.75, and a quarter roasted duck at $15. Fine, the rice plate is 75 cents over. You'll live.

79 Harrison Ave. · Chinatown (Orange Line) · Open 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. per its site

2. Dumpling Cafe

A Taiwanese spot on Washington Street that's good for soup dumplings and late nights. Its online menu lists six mini juicy pork buns for $12.95 and most noodle soups at $14.95.

695 Washington St. · Chinatown (Orange Line) · Its site says open daily until 2 a.m.; other listings show earlier closings, so check

3. Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe

Hand-pulled noodles in a tiny room off Downtown Crossing. Go for the cumin lamb noodles or the namesake flatbread sandwiches. It's cash only for in-person orders, and most people take food to go because seating is tight. Posted menus put the noodle dishes at roughly $12 to $15.

86 Bedford St. · Downtown Crossing (Orange/Red) · Weekday lunch through early evening; Saturday hours vary by listing

4. Mike & Patty's

Breakfast sandwiches that ruined other breakfast sandwiches for a lot of people. The original shop is in Bay Village, and there's a counter at High Street Place downtown. On the High Street ordering page, the Classic egg-and-cheese is $6.50, the McLustin is $10, and the Fancy is $12.

100 High St. (High Street Place) and 12 Church St. (Bay Village) · Near South Station (Red Line) and Arlington (Green Line), respectively

North End

Yes, the North End has cheap food. You just have to skip the white-tablecloth places on Hanover with the guy out front saying "best pasta in Boston." Haymarket on the Orange and Green Lines is the closest stop to all three. Our North End walk starts in North Square.

5. Galleria Umberto

Sicilian-style square pizza, arancini and calzones, lunch only, cash only, and closed the moment the food runs out. Yelp's posted menu lists the arancini at $3, and the whole menu is built for a cheap lunch. The James Beard Foundation named it an America's Classic in 2018.

289 Hanover St. · Haymarket (Orange/Green) · Lunch only, closed Sundays; go early

6. Ernesto's

Ernesto's sells famously huge slices. Order one slice and you'll get what looks like two, because each one is a quarter of an 18-inch pie. Its listing on the Slice ordering app shows a whole cheese pizza at $19.95, so one quarter-pie slice is well under $15.

69 Salem St. · Haymarket (Orange/Green)

7. Bova's Bakery

Open 24 hours, which makes it the North End's answer to "it's 1 a.m. and I need an arancino." Bova's turned 100 this year and celebrated with free cannoli, per Boston.com. Online ordering menus list arancini around $10 to $11. If you came for cannoli, settle the Mike's vs. Modern argument first.

134 Salem St. · Haymarket (Orange/Green) · Open 24 hours

Dorchester

Dot Ave between Savin Hill and Fields Corner is one of the best cheap-eating corridors in Boston, especially for Vietnamese food. Savin Hill and Fields Corner stations on the Red Line bookend it.

8. Ba Le (Banh Mi Ba Le)

A Vietnamese bakery and sandwich shop that's been a Dot Ave staple for years. Even on Uber Eats, where prices usually run higher, the banh mi are listed at $9.29 to $10.29.

1052 Dorchester Ave. · Savin Hill (Red Line)

9. Pho Hoa

A big, busy room near Fields Corner with a long menu. On its Toast ordering page, noodle soups like bun rieu (crab, shrimp, pork and tofu) are $14.95.

1370 Dorchester Ave. · Fields Corner (Red Line)

10. Singh's Roti Shop

Trinidadian roti, doubles and curries, mostly takeout. The shop's ordering page lists hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Wednesdays. Online ordering menus put doubles around $10.

554 Columbia Rd. · Uphams Corner area · Closed Wednesdays

East Boston

Eastie might be the best cheap-food neighborhood in the city right now, and it's one Blue Line stop from downtown. Our East Boston walk starts at Maverick.

11. Mi Pueblito

Salvadoran and Mexican food. Its website lists pupusas at $3.99 each and a Spanish/Mexican-style breakfast from $10.99. Three pupusas and you're full and still under $15. That's the best math on this list.

333 Border St. · Maverick (Blue Line), a short walk

12. Taqueria Jalisco

Known for birria. The birria tacos are $17.99 on its ordering page, which breaks our rule. But the Jalisco burrito is $12.99 and a gordita is $8.50, so you can still eat here and keep your dignity.

291 Bennington St. (Toast lists 293) · Central Square, East Boston

13. Santarpio's Pizza

An old-school Eastie pizza bar with a grill out front. On its Toast page, a cheese pie is $16 and a sausage skewer is $10. Bring a friend, split a pie, and you're both under budget. Go alone and get the sausage.

111 Chelsea St. · Walkable from Maverick (Blue Line)

Allston

Allston has fed broke students for decades, so it knows the assignment. The Green Line B branch runs along Comm Ave.

14. Lone Star Taco Bar

Tex-Mex with a bar attached. The food menu lists El Cruncho Supremo (think a homemade Crunchwrap) at $13.50, the Juarez burrito at $14 and Frito pie at $6.95.

477 Cambridge St. · Allston's Union Square

15. OliToki

Korean-Mexican fusion that leans hard into kimchi. Its Toast menu lists the OliToki burrito (kimchi fried rice inside a 12-inch tortilla) at $10.95 and the Kalifornia burrito, with ramen fries, at $12.95. Its site says it's open late, until 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

76 Brighton Ave. · Near Harvard Ave. (Green Line B)

Jamaica Plain

JP's Centre Street and the area around Forest Hills have counter-service spots that don't charge for "the experience." See our Jamaica Plain walk.

16. Achilito's Taqueria

Burritos with lots of options for vegetarians, vegans and gluten-free eaters. On its ordering page, a build-your-own burrito starts at $9.75, fish and shrimp burritos are $12.25, and the birria burrito is $14.50.

38 Hyde Park Ave. · Forest Hills (Orange Line) · Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

17. The Purple Cactus

A burrito and wrap counter on Centre Street since 1993. Its Toast menu lists the combo burrito at $10.95 and the grilled steak burrito at $12.95.

674 Centre St. · Mon–Sat 10 a.m.–9 p.m., closed Sundays

South End and South Boston

18. Mike's City Diner

A South End diner since 1995 that's as good as its reputation. The menu has a weekday special for $11.95 (three eggs, bacon or sausage, home fries or grits, toast and coffee), served Monday through Friday until 11:30 a.m. The Mike's Special is $14.95.

1714 Washington St. · Silver Line (Washington St.) · Daily 7 a.m.–2 p.m.

19. Sullivan's Castle Island

The Southie landmark stand, open since 1951, that the James Beard Foundation named an America's Classic in 2025. Its menu page lists a hot dog at $3.60, a hamburger at $5.25 and regular fries at $3.95. Sullivan's reopened Feb. 28 for its 2026 season, per Boston.com, and it has usually closed for the winter in late November or early December. Go soon.

Castle Island, at the end of Day Boulevard · South Boston

20. Anna's Taqueria, South Boston

The local burrito chain that half of Boston grew up on opened its West Broadway shop in May, per Boston.com. Delivery-app listings put a super burrito at about $11. Prices vary by location.

457 W. Broadway · Broadway (Red Line), a walk up the street

How to eat cheap in Boston, in general

Follow the Orange and Blue lines. Chinatown, Forest Hills and Maverick get you more food per dollar than Back Bay.
Eat lunch, not dinner. Some of the best deals here, like Galleria Umberto and Mike's City Diner, are daytime only.
Carry a little cash. A few classics still don't take cards.
Order at the counter. Delivery-app prices on several of these menus run higher than the restaurant's own ordering page.
Split the big stuff. Whole pies and roast duck work out cheaper per person.

Pair a cheap dinner with something free from our free things to do in Boston list, or turn it into a cheap date night. And if you're near Long Wharf, grab lunch first and catch the boat in our Boston Harbor Islands guide.

Places we left off (and why)

Boston's cheap-eats map changed a lot this year. A few spots that still show up on older lists are closed. Gourmet Dumpling House closed its Beach Street location, and Bao Bao Bakery on Harrison Avenue is gone too. We also skipped a few beloved places whose current prices or hours we couldn't confirm. If your favorite is missing and still open, let us know.

FAQ

What's the best Boston neighborhood for cheap eats?

Chinatown is the easiest, with several picks within a few blocks of the Chinatown stop on the Orange Line. East Boston and Dorchester's Dot Ave give you the most food for the money.

Can you eat in Boston for under $10?

Yes. Pupusas at Mi Pueblito ($3.99 each), a hot dog and fries at Sullivan's, and a Classic breakfast sandwich at Mike & Patty's ($6.50) all come in under $10.

Where can I get cheap food late at night in Boston?

Bova's Bakery in the North End is open 24 hours. Dumpling Cafe in Chinatown says it's open until 2 a.m., and OliToki in Allston stays open until 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Do I need cash?

Sometimes. Galleria Umberto is cash only, and Gene's is cash only for in-person orders. Most of the others take cards.

How current are these prices?

We took them from each restaurant's menu or online ordering page in early October 2026. Menus change, and delivery apps charge more, so check before you go.

Sources

Prices, hours and schedules change. Tap through to the official source before you go, and if we got something wrong, tell us. We log every fix on our corrections page.