You might think restaurant critics live on a steady diet of bone marrow, Reblochon cheese, and Manjari chocolate, but what do our food writers eat when they’re pinching pennies and nobody’s looking? (Except where noted, eateries have multiple area locations.)
Todd Kliman
Smothered enchiladas and bean-and-cheese burrito at Tippy’s Taco House
Glazed doughnut at Krispy Kreme
Steak and eggs at Silver Diner
Bourbon chicken at Big Easy Cajun
5-Way Chili Mac at Hard Times Cafe
Ann Limpert
Chicken sandwich, plain or with Buffalo sauce, at Chick-fil-A
Chicago-style pizza with extra sauce at Armand’s
Pretzel with sweet mustard at Auntie Anne’s
Avocado egg rolls at the Cheesecake Factory
Spicy dark-meat chicken at Popeyes
Kate Nerenberg
Chocolate-glazed doughnut at Dunkin’ Donuts
Cheese pupusas at El Rinconcito Cafe (1129 11th St., NW; 202-789-4110)
Gingerbread cookie at Firehook Bakery and Coffee House
Bacon cheeseburger with everything—except green peppers, A1, and barbecue sauce—and fries at Five Guys
Carnitas burrito at Chipotle
Rina Rapuano
Cherry-dipped cone of vanilla ice cream at Dairy Queen
Chicken McNuggets with hot mustard sauce and fries at McDonald’s
Chocolate Frosty at Wendy’s
Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger at Wendy’s
Chips and queso at California Tortilla
This appears as part of the Dirt Cheap Eats section of The Washingtonian's November issue.
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