Food

Cheap Eats Critics’ Picks

These dishes stood out among the many we sampled for the 100 Best Bargain Restaurants issue. Check back Monday for the full Cheap Eats guide.

See All Cheap Eats Restaurants

What is a Cheap Eat?

The Best Cheap Eats Dishes

Cheap Eats Photo Slideshow

Incoming and Outgoing Restaurants

The codwich at Eamonn’s in Old Town Alexandria gets our vote.

Best . . .

Use of a breakfast staple: Home-style bacon with peppers, onions, and salty black beans at Hong Kong Palace.

Reason to order a salad at a pizza place: Chickpeas with lemon and kaffir lime at Comet Ping Pong.

Bar snack: Tandoori chicken wings at Spice Xing.

Chili high: Karahi, a stir-fry of ginger, garlic, chilies, and tomatoes with chicken or beef at Ravi Kabob House and Ravi Kabob House II.

For fiery-food-phobes: Creamy, gently spiced green curry with shrimp at Amina Thai.

Nod to the West Coast: Shrimp tacos with pineapple salsa, lime sour cream, and yellow rice at Surfside.

Lamb dish: Lamb fateh, tender meat smothered in yogurt and sprinkled with pita chips at Lebanese Butcher & Restaurant.

Southern-inspired sweet: Lemon chess pie at the General Store.

Near-the-Beltway barbecue: Smoky, char-crusted pork ribs smothered in sweet sauce at KBQ Real Barbecue.

 

 

 

Two meals in one: Chilaquiles with rojo sauce, fried egg, and fried-chicken cutlet at La Sirenita.

Spring rolls: Silken Shawl Imperial Autumn Rolls—with pork, prawns, and a lacy, handmade wrapper—at Present.

Upscale Filet-O-Fish: The Codwich—just-fried cod, lettuce, and freshly made tartar sauce on a warm, crusty roll—at Eamonn’s.

Authentic Chinese cooking that will please timid palates: Sizzling beef with black pepper in hot pot at Full Key.

Bargain charcuterie: Cevapcici—small, garlicky Bosnian sausages with hot, house-made bread and sour cream—at Cosmopolitan Grill.

Drinkable dessert: Toasted-marshmallow milkshake, the sweetness tempered by Greek yogurt, at Good Stuff Eatery.

Rice dish: Lamb kebabs over shirin polo—rice with sugared orange peel, almonds, and pistachios, topped with shallot yogurt—at Shamshiry.

Dumplings: Mantu—delicate meat-filled dumplings with yogurt—at Faryab.

Way to satisfy a steak craving on the cheap: Au poivre burger with blue cheese and sautéed mushrooms at Ray’s Hell-Burger.

Fun-to-share dish that’s not pizza:Seafood pancake at Gom Ba Woo.

Picnic fare: Perfectly seasoned fried chicken at Flavors Soul Food.

Fish for less: Seafood ceviche at La Limena.

Most elegant dish for less than $10: Roasted quail with lime dip at Four Sisters.

Fatty indulgence: Pork belly with bright-green long beans, ginger, and bamboo at Sichuan Village.

Savory pastries: Salteñas at La Caraqueña.

Meal on the go: Pete’s Original tomato-and-cheese slice at Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza.

More>> Best Bites Blog | Food & Dining | Restaurant Finder | Follow Best Bites on Twitter

Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.