SITE PARTNER:

Best Budget Eats

In Brisbane

Exterior evening view of Hai Hai Ramen, Paddington

Updated: Feb 16, 2025

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 mains coming in at less than $25 and a majority $20 or less.

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

Latin Manna

This quirky colourful Colombian restaurant is located in an old West End cottage

Authentic Char Grill & Kebab

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

Bang Bang Fresh Noodle

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

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.

Taste of Saffron

Taste of Saffron is a Persian and Mediterranean restaurant serving authentic cuisine in Stones Corner

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!

Top Things To Do In Brisbane This Week

Frankenstein

A thrilling stage adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is now playing at QPAC

May 24 - Jun 8

Sustainable BNE Festival 2025

Brisbane’s favourite sustainable living festival is back

May 25

Festa Italiana

FESTA ITALIANA back at Howard Smith Wharves across two weekends.

May 29-Jun 1, Jun 5-8

TAXIRIDE ft TTSAR live

TAXIRIDE ft TTSAR live are coming to the Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct

May 30

Winter Fire Pit Experience

Warm up on chilly winter weekends at Sirromet

From May 31

Festival of Horsepower

Get revved up for the Festival of Horsepower

Jun 1-30

Dine BNE City

Dine BNE is back for another season of feasting

Jun 1-30

Make Music Month 2025

Make Music Month 2025 celebrates local talent across Moreton Bay this June

Jun 1-30

Education Fair

Queensland’s biggest Education Expo is coming to Nissan Arena

May 31

Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show 2025

Don't miss Australia’s boating event of the year! The four-day extravaganza returns to showcase the best in boating innovation, with over 760 boats

Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show

Sustainable BNE Festival

Formally known as Green Heart Fair, this free, family-and-dog-friendly event at Roma Street Parkland brings together Brisbane’s leading sustainability experts

Sustainable BNE Festival 25

MUST DO

Winter by the Water

With the summer crowds gone, enjoy the serene side of the Gold Coast with Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Gold Coast’s Winter By The Water package

Winter By the Water Sheraton

THIS WEEKEND

Top Things to Do May 23-25

From Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Frankenstein on stage, Brookfield Show & Farm Gate to City Door markets to a new Indian restaurant, the top things to do this weekend

This Weekend May 23-25

COMING UP

What's on in June in & around Brisbane

From Moreton Bay Pridefest, Comedy at The Butter Factory, a mega career & employment expo and a dedicated arts festival for children to a magical immersive Harry Potter Frobidden Forest experience

What's On in May 2025 around Brisbane