With rents rapidly rising and artisanal avocado toasts getting pricier each week, LA is steadily becoming a more expensive city to live in. Thankfully, there are still several restaurants throughout the city that offer great food for shockingly low prices. From the NY style slices at Prime Pizza to the mesquite grilled tacos at Tire Shop Taqueria, here are our five affordable places to dine out without breaking the bank.
Prime Pizza
You would be hard-pressed to find a pizzeria in LA that does the New York style slice better than Prime Pizza. With deals like a cheese slice, salad, and drink for just $8, this is the spot to head when you’re looking to spend sparingly.
SideChick
At first glance, the poached chicken and rice at SideChick seems like a ridiculously simple dish. However, when you take into account the incredible attention chef Johnny Lee has paid to everything from product sourcing to finding the optimal poaching time for each chicken’s size, you’ll realize that any order is a true steal.
BäcoShop
Josef Centeno has built quite a restaurant empire with downtown heavy hitters like Orsa & Winston, Bar Ama, and Bäco Mercat. At BäcoShop, Centeno has adopted a more fast casual approach, slinging a variety of African, Mediterranean and Asian inspired flatbread sandwiches for just under $10.
Sapp Coffee Shop
Sapp is hardly an under the radar spot after receiving praise from the likes of Jonathan Gold and Anthony Bourdain. Thankfully the prices and crowds have stayed under control and the jade noodles remain as excellent as ever and just as affordable.
Tire Shop Taqueria
There will most likely be a line when you arrive at Tire Shop, but it’s well worth waiting a bit for the best Tijuana-style carne asada tacos you’ll ever have. Each taco, topped with onions, cilantro, salsa rojo, and guacamole will only run you $1.50, so order a few and enjoy one of LA’s true culinary treasures.
This review was written by In The Loup contributor Ash Narayan