Search 
Marina Martinez-Bateman
Marina Martinez-Bateman (they/them) is an equity and communications consultant and ghost tour guide who moved to Portland in 2014. Read More
Cheap Eats in Portland
Marina Martinez-Bateman
Marina Martinez-Bateman (they/them) is an equity and communications consultant and ghost tour guide who moved to Portland in 2014. Read More
Cheap eats in Portland run the gamut, from food cart lunches to sit-down restaurants to Portlanders’ propensity for snacking over full meals. Mexican, Thai, and Vietnamese food are some of the most affordable and popular in the city. Well-known spots like KO Sisters Seoul Food, MidCity SmashedBurger, and Love Belizean have dedicated followings for good reason: They’re delectable, not-to-be-missed and budget-friendly. Whatever your taste, our guide to cheap eats in Portland has lots of options for meals, snacks and drinks.
Editor’s note: Prices change, but our goal was to find meals for $15 or less and snacks and drinks that cost $10 or less each.
Meals
Tamale Boy
For those who grew up eating tamales norteños, it’s time to meet their Oaxacan cousins. Tamales oaxaqueños are much larger than tamales norteños and wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks. Tamale Boy steams them to perfection — comfortingly soft yet hearty and an excellent complement to the filling. Naturally gluten-free, they offer both meat and veggie fillings (as well as a few norteño-style options). For a few dollars more, add two sides to your tamale: beans, rice or Tamale Boy’s roasted corn take on esquites. Tamale Boy has three locations, including their flagship shop in the Woodlawn neighborhood, or hit up their Instagram and find them on the move.
Fried Egg I’m In Love
Fried Egg I’m In Love , with a food cart in downtown’s Pioneer Courthouse Square and two dine-in locations, has one of the cheapest menus in the city. This quaint breakfast chain offers hearty egg sandwiches (with gluten-free options), wraps and bowls — all with musically punny names. Pro tip: Get the Free Range Against the Machine sandwich and add a hash-bite inside for a flavor and texture explosion.
Otto’s Sausage Kitchen
Family-owned since the 1920s and located in the Woodstock neighborhood, Otto’s Sausage Kitchen is one of the only meat smokers in the Portland metro area. Famously, the deli doesn’t allow local chefs to buy their products for resale, so you won’t find these links at neighboring restaurants. Get to the shop around lunchtime, and you’ll be rewarded with a flame-broiled Otto dog, complete with a bag of chips, a can of soda, and condiments of your choice, all under $10 (including several kinds of house mustard and sauerkraut)!
Bao Bao
Half trendy Portland steamed bun shop, half lunch counter in someone’s front room, Bao Bao is the cozy Southeast neighborhood spot you’ve been looking for. While the baos are delicious and come out steaming from the bustling kitchen, for me, the real star of the show is their congee. This hearty, aromatic chicken and rice porridge mixed swirled with sriracha is the perfect antidote to the Portland rain. Add a bao to round out your meal, and you’re still under $15, including tip.
An Xuyen Bakery
Sandwich makers and chefs fall to their knees at the unobtrusive Vietnamese bakery An Xuyen. Little does the average passerby realize that almost every good French roll they’ve eaten in the city comes from within these tinted glass doors in the Foster-Powell neighborhood. The small bakery counter inside becomes crowded at lunch, frequently with a line snaking out the door. Busy professionals and savvy gourmands vie for space with kitchen staff, buying dozens of fluffy rolls in clear 50-gallon bags. The mind-bogglingly affordable and delicious bahn mi is worth the wait, as is everything else they make.
Fuller’s Coffee Shop
One of the oldest operating restaurants in Portland, Fuller’s Coffee Shop in Old Town Chinatown opened its doors in 1947. While they’ve reluctantly updated their prices since then, most of their menu is refreshingly affordable. For just under $15, you can get a cheeseburger and classic crinkle-cut fries, leaving room for generous gratuity. After you tip your waitstaff, be sure to tip your hat as you go, or they might start to realize it hasn’t been 1947 for a really long time.
Grassa
This Portland artisan pasta palace with working-class vibes has been on local cheap eats lists since its founding in 2013. Despite expanding to multiple locations, some dishes on the Grassa menu — including spaghetti aglio olio and Caesar salad — are still $10 or under. That’s the kind of hustle we can respect.
Bing Mi
Have you ever eaten a crepe and wondered how much better it could taste? Welcome to the world of jianbing: savory, crunchy, spicy, hearty Chinese street food folded into a deliciously eggy crepe and made hot to order in Bing Mi’s Old Town Chinatown and Nob Hill locations. While the loaded jianbings are the most popular, the classic version is the most affordable, and you can add tofu, bacon or spam for $2 if you need the protein.
La Jarochita
This local favorite Mexican restaurant and food cart in downtown serves fresh, affordable fare from lunch to dinner every day. Die-hard La Jarochita fans will tell you that their variety of hot sauce is the big-league closer, each meal comes with two sauces, and trust us, you’ll want to make sure you get extra.
Snacks
Lauretta Jean’s
There’s nothing like a warm, fluffy biscuit with butter and jam; Lauretta Jean’s knows this. Beloved for their delectable pies, this bustling spot on Division also sells buttermilk biscuits, individually warmed up with the aforementioned condiments and by the 3-pack for heating and devouring in the comfort of your hotel when the munchies strike. A selection of cookies, brownies and other irresistible goods are also on offer.
Bodega PDX
A labor of love and community, where you can buy the owner’s mom’s cookies at check-out, Bodega PDX offers sandwiches and subs generously stacked with deli meats and cheeses. Inspired by the Sopranos, try the Gabagool or the Carmela — just remember to breathe when you’re wolfing down that capicola. Savvy snackers on a budget should bypass the bread and head straight for the pasta salad. Al dente pasta is tossed in mayo with carrots, cabbage, green onions and eggs for protein, plus a secret selection of savory spices that give the salad its edge.
Li Min Bakery & Bistro
A favorite in the Portland Chinese community, this tucked-away gem near Mount Tabor serves some of the best egg tarts in Portland. The egg tarts at Li Min Bakery & Bistro are never overcooked or runny, always soft, fluffy and delicious. If you like egg tarts, this is the place to go. If you don’t, they have an entire display case of sweet, savory, Asian and European-style baked goods to choose from.
Drinks
Xocotl Juice & Smoothie Bar
Named after the Aztec god of fire and the word for plums, this cold-pressed, locally sourced, and family-owned juice stop on Division hits the spot. I recommend Xocotl Juice & Smoothie Bar’s take on a traditional mangonada, featuring their house-made chamoy: the chamoyada. Do they really have jalapeño shots? Yes, when they’re in season.
Portland Cà Phê
This Vietnamese hot spot could have gone in the snacks or meal category because they sell both (and they almost always sell out), but the real draw of Portland Cà Phê is their rotating schedule of amazing seasonal drinks. Seek out the fan-favorite Pandan Latte in the summer; you won’t be disappointed.
Harlow
The Super Greens Lemonade at Harlow tastes like a perfect bill of health had a baby with a lowrider cruising along the beach on the first hot day of summer, and I don’t know how to describe this feeling any clearer. It is probably the most expensive item for the fewest calories on this list, and it will make you feel like you’ve transcended physical needs…for about 15 minutes, and then you’re going to want another one.
Fun and Affordable
Explore more of Portland's delicious and cheap snacks, drinks and fun.
Free and Cheap Things to Do in Portland
Some of the best things to do in Portland are totally free. Connect with nature, discover local artists or learn something new.
Portland Snacks and Where to Find Them
From small cheese plates to conveyer-belt sushi to spring rolls, find your next favorite craving at these Portland, Oregon snack spots.
Celebrating the Dive Bars of Portland
Local dive bars are a part of the culture in Portland. We take you inside some of the city’s best-loved, dimly lit dives — from Reel M Inn and its famous fried chicken to century-old legends like Kelly’s Olympian.
Was this page helpful?