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Austin has plenty of good food to go around, yet sometimes we want the best meal without spending too much. Instead of cooking from home, try these affordable restaurants around town.
Here are 21 Austin restaurants for the best cheap eats in town.
Kebabalicious, 1311 E. 7th St.
Big eats for a small price. Kebabalicious offers Turkish style wraps with all organic ingredients. Lamb and beef lovers, vegetarians and sauce fanatics can get their kick for under $10 by ordering a kebab, hummus and so much more.
You can find the Kebablicious menu here and order online here.
P. Terrys, multiple locations
The beloved Austin restaurant has more to offer than just local pride. What started as a burger stand on South Lamar and Barton Springs has ventured out to multiple locations around the greater Austin area still offering great burgers for low prices. With beef, chicken and vegetarian burgers, P. Terrys is the spot to hit for a cheap and quick pick me up.
You can find the P. Terry's menu here and order online here.
Tyson's Tacos, 4905 Airport Blvd.
Austinites know finding the perfect taco stand is a big deal in a town full of options. Tyson's Tacos offers unique tacos for a cheap and delicious meal. For under $10, you can explore the menu and find any taco calling your name and fuel your taco dreams.
You can find the Tyson's Tacos menu here and order online here.
Teji's Indian Restaurant, multiple locations
Spice up your evening meal by trying affordable indian cuisine from Teji's Indian Restaurant. With different locations and menus around town, the restaurants offer single entrees for $10.99 and appetizers, drinks, desserts and more all under $10.
You can find the Tej's Indian Restaurant menu here and order online here.
Thundercloud subs, multiple locations
Another Austin classic, Thundercloud Subs offers fresh subs and salads for a quick, cheap and refreshing meal for any time of day. With signature subs, salads, sides, and more, you can find yourself indulging in a full meal for less than $10.
You can find the Thundercloud Subs menu here and order online here.
Veracruz All Natural, multiple locations
For an authentic, homemade Mexican food experience, Veracruz All Natural is the place to hit. The local taco stand has taken Austin by storm with fresh ingredients and delicious tacos, salsas and juices. Make everyday taco Tuesday for less than $10 at this Austin joint.
You can find the Veracruz All Natural menu and order online here.
Snarf's sandwiches, multiple locations
What started in Boulder, Colorado as a sandwich shack is now bringing Austin fresh and delicious oven toasted sandwiches for an affordable price. The family-owned business offers made-to-order sandwiches, salads, soups and so much more, all under $10.
You can find the Snarf's Sandwiches menu here and order online here
Gourdough’s Big Fat Donuts, 1503 S. 1st St.
Gordough's Big Fat Donuts offers an incredibly unique Austin menu of donuts for anyone looking to give into their sweet cravings. With different toppings and types of donuts, the food truck is your place to hit if you're looking for a delicious sweet snack under $10. You can also find donut sandwiches, burgers and so much more at Gourdough's Public House at 2700 S. Lamar Blvd.
You can find the Gourdough's menu here and order online through a third-party app such as Grubhub and Doordash.
Amy’s Ice Cream, multiple locations
Although not technically a restaurant, Amy's Ice Cream is an Austin favorite offering a delicious treat for all ice cream lovers. With over 350 flavors in rotation, the ice cream shop has all the flavors you can imagine for under $10, plus milkshakes, ice cream cakes and more.
You can find Amy's Ice Cream menu here and order online here.
Koriente, 621 E. 7th St.
Koriente offers healthy Asian inspired dishes at a low cost for a healthy, quick meal. With fresh ingredients, seafood, meat vegan and gluten-free options, this restaurant is the perfect takeout option under $10.
You can find the Koriente menu here.
Cenote, multiple locations
Not sure what you want to eat? Cenote has it all. From breakfast tacos and coffee to salads, sandwiches, burgers and drinks, the restaurant offers a great deal and even better food for a reasonable price.
You can find the Cenote menu and order online here.
East Side King, multiple locations
Japanese street food From Chefs Paul Qui and Moto Utsunomiya created East Side King during their time at beloved Uchi and Uchiko to create affordable Japanese street food for Austinites. The menu offers Asian inspired classics at an affordable cost and delicious meals for all food lovers.
You can find the menu and order online here.
Chi’lantro, multiple locations
With so many Asian inspired restaurants in Austin, it's hard to find our favorite. Chi'lantro, home of the Kimchi fries, is definitely at the top of the list. With rice, salads, noodles and rice bowls, wraps and fries for under $10, who can avoid the delicious temptation of this Korean barbecue inspired restaurant?
You can find the Chi'lantro menu and order online here
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El Primo, 2011 S. 1st St.
Mexican food trucks aren't hard to find in Austin but if you haven't tried El Primo yet, add it to your list of places to try. With options of tacos, burritos and tortas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, El Primo offers a delicious meal for under $10.
Xian Sushi and Noodle, multiple locations
Lovers of food and cheap eats can appreciate Xian Sushi and Noodle for traditional, fresh Japanese and Chinese cuisine. With hand-pulled noodles, a long list of sushi rolls and so much more for under $10, this restaurant has it all for all foodies.
You can find the Xian Sushi and Noodle menu and order online here.
Biscuits + Groovy, multiple locations
Breakfast lovers can get their morning fix at Biscuits + Groovy for all under $10. With freshly baked buttermilk biscuits and different types of toppings, no morning will feel the same without these biscuit sandwiches.
You can find the biscuits + Groovy menu here and order online here.
Dirty Martin's Place, 2808 Guadalupe St.
These award winning burgers from Dirty Martin's Place have been giving Austinites their burger fix since 1926. The burger joint has extremely affordable options and shouldn't be mistaken for anything but delicious.
You can find the Dirty Martin's Place menu here and order online here.
Bao’d Up, multiple locations
Bao'd Up offers authentic Chinese cuisine with a Texas twist for an ultimate food experience unlike any other. Offering signature baozi, oodles, boba tea and more, the steamed buns are a delicious pick me up for under $10.
You can find the Bao'd Up menu here and order online through their app here.
Delray Cafe, 1133 E. 11th St.
This Austin food truck offers Detroit style coneys, sliders, wings and more that fit the $10 budget. From original style coney dogs to Texas-inspired ones, Delray Cafe has all types of delicious hot dogs for an affordable price located outside of Nickel City.
You can find the Delray Cafe menu here.
Jewboy Burgers, 511 Airport Blvd.
Jewboy Burgers offers Austinites burgers unlike any other. With a mixture of U.S, Mexico and Jewish inspired dishes, the killer menu options from Jewboy Burgers features burgers, burritos and latkes for a unique food experience.
You can find the Jewboy Burgers menu here and order online here.
La Tunita 512, 2400 Burleson Road
If you've never tried birria tacos, La Tunita 512 is the place to hit. With fried tortillas and covered in a traditional slow cooked Mexican beef stew, birria tacos have taken the food world by storm. The food truck offers birria and queso tacos, mulitas, consome and birria tortas.
You can find more information on the La Tunita 512 menu on their Facebook or Instagram and order online here.
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(Shutterstock)
For years Austin has been one of the top 5 places to live in the U.S., according to an annual ranking from U.S. News and World Report. But this year, Austin dropped out of the top 10.
The publication ranked Austin at No. 13, down from No. 5 last year, No. 3 in 2020 and No. 1 in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Cities ranking in the top this year were No. 1 Huntsville, Alabama, No. 2 Colorado Springs and No. 3 Green Bay, Wisconsin.
So why did it rank lower this year?
The hot housing market is part of the reason. The report states "Austin offers a lower value than similarly sized metro areas when you compare housing costs to median household income."
Still, Austin was the highest-ranked Texas city on the list. Adding to its desirability are its live music capital roots and the growing tech scene. The next Texas area on the list was Dallas-Fort Worth coming in at No. 32.
U.S. News says it analyzed 150 metro areas in the U.S. to make the list based on the quality of life, the job market, the value of living there and people's desire to live there.
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(Pexels)
Austin parents and grocery store shelves are feeling the effects of a nationwide baby formula shortage.
Caused mostly by a February recall due to contamination issues, followed by the Abbott Nutrition factory closure in Michigan, the shortage has left Austin shelves barren. However, earlier this week, U.S. officials announced a plan with the facility to restart production.
In the meantime, local parents in crisis have turned toward the Mother’s Milk Bank to keep their babies fed.
HEB on East 7th has been picked clean of formula and is limiting purchases. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
The milk bank—which takes donations from lactating mothers and dispenses milk to babies in the NICU—has been helping feed upwards of 30 families in need as the formula supply tightens.
According to the bank’s executive director Kim Updegrove, Mother’s Milk Bank has seen an uptick in calls from parents with healthy babies in need of help since the shortage began.
“We aren't used to hearing from families with healthy infants,” Updegrove said. “They're typically very upset, angry, frustrated, sobbing—it's scary to not be able to feed your infants. So in the past few weeks, those calls have been significantly increasing.”
Mothers are only able to donate if they are within a year postpartum, so Updegrove said they are constantly bringing on and retiring donors. While donors had been on a 30% decline leftover from 2021 when the shortage began, Updegrove said the shortage has led to mass community interest and more than 90 prospective donors in just the past few days.
“We and other milk banks are experiencing significant interest from the community—becoming milk donors and helping to turn around this crisis,” Updegrove said. “Every infant needs to be fed, every one of us can relate to that need, and we need to make sure as a community that it happens.”
Whole Foods downtown was also cleaned out of typical formula. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
While you may still be able to find formula at places like Whole Foods—which currently has goat milk, soy and plant-based formula in stock—Updegrove said it might not be what a baby needs.
Updegrove said it is best to buy types that say “infant formula,” as they are FDA approved and will provide the nutrients, vitamins and minerals a baby needs. Plant-based, homemade, non-cow's milk or diluting formula may not provide the same nutritional value.
As the community navigates the shortage, Updegrove said the most important way to help out is to not panic buy or stockpile.
“This is a crisis for families,” Updegrove said. “This is the time for the community to gather together and figure out what everyone can do to help families with young infants.”