Fresh and inventive sandwiches, salads and entrees sit on Gayot.com’s list of the 40-best inexpensive eats.
From authentic Cuban cuisine in Miami to homemade sausage in the Sonoma Valley, we've traveled the nation's highways and byways searching for the very best high-quality meals where prices hold steady. Our top spots keep the dollar signs in check at $$ or less. Some of these sweet spots sport chic interiors, communal tables and unique surroundings. Whether our picks are undiscovered finds or old family favorites, one thing remains the same: you'll get a square meal at a great deal with change to spare.
ATLANTA: Top FLR
This hipster hangout draws a youthful, slightly offbeat crowd with modest pockets and good taste. They don't mind the rather long flight of stairs that access the dining room. Downstairs there's a bar where you can get nibbles and which stays open to the wee hours (the kitchen closes at 11 p.m.). Read more at City Guides.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.: Inn of the Irish Pub (aka Feeley's)
This is a good place to lick your wounds after an unprofitable turn at the gaming tables. On a Monday night, dive into a shepherd's pie. Any other time enjoy a pile of fish 'n' chips and wash it down with a frothy pint of Guinness. This is one place in Atlantic City where you'll never lose your shirt. Read more at City Guides.
BALTIMORE: b
Don't let the lowercase fool you. The Bolton Hill bistro may be dubbed, simply, b, but its provenance -- its owners are the folks behind Helmand and Tapas Teatro -- is a clue that behind the cozy diminutive is some serious fine dining. Read more at City Guides.
BOSTON: Ten Tables
Boston's Ten Tables turns its downside into a virtue.
Jamaica Plain's Ten Tables keeps the same formula as its predecessor, Perdix, by turning its downside -- the name says it all -- into a virtue. There's nary a curtain, much less a wall, to divide the kitchen from the wee dining room; amidst the resulting bonhomie, customers get dinner and a show. Read more at City Guides.
CHICAGO: Urbanbelly
Don't let the strip mall setting deter you. Step inside and you'll find one of Chicago's most talented chefs, Bill Kim. His résumé reads like a culinary tome. He's cheffed at Charlie Trotter's and New York's Bouley. Kim consults for Chicago's Le Lan and Soul. But he's too humble to flaunt any of these credentials. Read more at City Guides.
CLEVELAND: Li Wah
Cleveland's Li Wah offers authentic Chinese fare.
Of the dozens of Chinese restaurants in the Cleveland area, this may be the most authentic. Located in Cleveland's vaguely defined Asiatown district, the spacious restaurant is decked out in red and gold and is always filled with in-the-know suburbanites and stylish young diners. Read more at City Guides.
