Cheap eats: How one Vancouverite had 10 restaurant meals for just $137
Eating out in Vancouver is expensive, especially when you factor tax and tipping into the final bill. But, one Vancouverite managed to eat out on a modest budget.
Weiwen Leung went on a Vancouver food adventure and ate out ten times with a final bill of only $137. That price includes a 5% tax and tipping 15%. That’s almost unheard of in this city.
Leung hopes to show people that eating out in Vancouver, without breaking the bank, is achievable. Also, he’s hoping that seeing how he manages to be frugal and live well will inspire others to do the same and support the smaller businesses that provide cheap meals.
Here is Leung’s mouthwatering journey through the Vancouver food scene that didn’t cost him an arm and a leg.
Pholicious
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The first of Leung’s ten cheap meals was a bowl of pho from Pholicious that only cost him $9.75. What a steal. This restaurant is located in Downtown Vancouver and is the perfect place to eat on a cold, rainy day, according to Leung.
Cazba
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His next stop was Cazba, a restaurant serving a range of Persian delicacies. Leung ordered Ghormeh Sabzi for just $11.99, a rich beef stew served with saffron rice. He went with friends who ordered Tachin (the dish pictured above) for $12.95, a crispy saffron rice cake with chicken, yogurt and eggs in the middle of it. Tasty!
Chinatown BBQ
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Chinatown BBQ was Leung’s last downtown stop for a bite. He ordered the BBQ Pork Fried Rice for just $15 and found the portion to be very generous. On his blog, he notes how good the restaurant is as it’s been featured by seven different newspapers for its cuisine.
Healthy Noodle House
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Stop number four was Healthy Noodle House. As the name suggests, you can get healthy noodles here for a cheap price. Leung’s meal cost him a total of $13.30, and it included homemade soup, noodles, tofu, and a variety of vegetables. Healthy food for such a low price is a rarity.
Hawker’s Delight Deli
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Hawker’s Delight Deli is a fan-favourite spot for Malaysian food in Vancouver. The hole-in-the-wall restaurant is located along Main Street and is as cheap as it is delicious. Leung ordered Char Kway Teow, a stir-fried rice noodle dish, for $12.95. The meals here truly are a delight!
Klasik Inasal
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Situated in the heart of Mount Pleasant, Klasik Inasal was Leung’s pitstop for authentic and affordable Filipino food. Each meal is mouth-wateringly good, and the portions are enormous. They’re so big that Leung shared rice noodles with a friend, which only cost them $8.50 each.
Commercial Sushi
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Vancouver has no shortage of good sushi places. But cheap sushi places are slightly harder to come by. Not anymore! Leung’s seventh meal was at Commercial Sushi, where he got a gigantic chicken teriyaki bento box for a grand total of $11.95. Not only is it cheap, but it’s also filling, as Leung found that he didn’t need dinner after having lunch here.
Thai Basil
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Lunch specials are a great way to save money when eating out, and Thai Basil might have one of the best lunchtime deals. Leung visited here with a friend and ordered the pineapple fried rice for $8.95. That’s an incredible price for such good food, and even the total price of $12.50 is still a very affordable meal nowadays. The restaurant has four locations throughout Vancouver, so there are plenty of opportunities to eat here.
Shiok Singapore Cuisine
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Leung’s penultimate stop was Shiok Singapore Cuisine, a quaint restaurant along Kingsway. He ordered the Hainanese Chicken Rice, a classic Singaporean dish of chicken and rice that has been cooked in ginger. On the menu, this dish is listed as $13.95, and there are plenty of other meals that are even cheaper.
Congee Noodle King
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Last but not least on Leung’s cheap culinary journey was Congee Noodle King. Leung described this spot as the perfect place for comfort food, with the restaurant serving big bowls of congee and noodles. Leung had the mushrooms and mixed vegetables for $7.75 but noted that upgrading to a meat dish costs a little extra, with BBQ pork noodles costing $8.75.
What a journey he went on. We’re grateful Leung isn’t gatekeeping where we can go to have such affordable and delicious meals out.
Will you be trying any of the following restaurants? Let us know in the comments below.