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Best Budget Eats

In Brisbane

Exterior evening view of Hai Hai Ramen, Paddington

Updated: May 08, 2026

For a delicious lunch or dinner on a budget, check out this list of the most hip-pocket friendly eats that Brisbane has to offer, with a majority of mains coming in at less than $25 and a few $20 or less.

Authentic Char Grill & Kebab

The quaint hilltop eatery is serving up the best Turkish street food to be found in Brisbane

Biang Biang Fresh Noodle

This little noodle bar in the Valley dishes up the fattest and freshest, authentic Chinese biang biang noodles in town

Vietnam House

A sibling for the popular restaurant of the same name in the Valley has a second casual eatery tucked away in a Milton lane

Tapri

An authentic and delectable Indian street food diner, unlike anything to be found elsewhere in Brisbane

La Arepa Brava

A secret slice of Colombia, serving traditional dishes and drinks on a budget, tucked away in a European-style piazza

Arhibu Ethiopian Restaurant

An authentic Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant found in an arcade in the heart of Brisbane's Little Africa

La Bodega Taqueria

A bright and breezy terracotta-hued Mexican restaurant located in a tiny precinct of eateries off Lytton Rd

The Ukrainian Club

The Ukrainian Club Restaurant and Bar brings a traditional slice of The Ukraine to a quiet suburban street

Kafenio

Kafenio offers traditional Greek and Cypriot cuisine from its blue and white West End workers cottage

Momo Chicken

One of Brisbane's best Korean fried chicken restaurants, tucked away underneath Newmarket Village

Kathmandu Newa Chhe'n

This colourful flag-trimmed cottage in Paddington provides authentic Nepalese cuisine

El Torito

This lively West End restaurant dishes up some of the best Mexican food in Brisbane

Polish Club

Club Polonia is the place to go for traditional Polish cuisine, beers and vodka

Sing's Asian Kitchen

Sing’s Asian Kitchen at Rosalie is one of the inner west’s long-lasting gems

Hai Hai Ramen

Hai Hai Ramen is a tiny Japanese ramen bar found in a black worker’s cottage on Paddington’s Latrobe Tce

Taro's Ramen

One of Brisbane's best ramen bars serving big bowls of slurp-worthy soup

Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers

Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers, Australia’s very first dedicated Italian gnoccheria, can be found on Paddington’s Given Terrace

Still hungry for more suggestions on where to eat out in Brisbane, head to our comprehensive Eat & Drink section HERE! Happy grazing!

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