I love a great fine dining experience as much as the next foodie. But, it’s not like I can go around dropping $200 or more at West or Vij’s on a regular basis. Indeed, one of the best things about this city is that we not only have access to such an incredible variety of cuisine, but a lot of this food can be had on the cheap. If you’ve got those hunger pangs and don’t want to go for broke, head over to any of these affordable Vancouver lunch options for a thoroughly satisfying meal.

Hawkers Delight Deli

Location: 4127 Main Street (at East King Edward Avenue)
Cuisine: Singaporean/Malaysian
Menu: Facebook page

Back when we still lived in the area, my dad would visit Hawkers Delight periodically to get the nasi goreng (fried rice) for us. To the best of my recollection, at the time, it was just $4.25. These days, it’s a few dollars more, but it’s still easily one of the best values in town. It’s not too often that you can present me with a vegetarian entree where I didn’t miss the meat.

The mee goreng (fried noodles, above) are just as good, as are the mee pok and mee siam (two other fried noodle dishes), and the lontong (compressed rice cakes). Truthfully, you can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu. The curry is good. The Hainanese chicken rice is good.

Seating is very limited, so you may need to take your meal to go. Whether you choose to eat there or take it home, though, be sure to pick up a couple vegetable fritters with the vinegary dipping sauce. Absolute perfection at a hawker’s price.

Fujiya Japanese Foods

Location: 912 Clark Drive (at Venables Street)
Cuisine: Japanese
Website: fujiya.ca

When it comes to some of the best Vancouver lunch spots, sometimes you’ve got to go a little unconventional. Technically speaking, Fujiya is a grocery store. And, as a rule, supermarket sushi isn’t going to be as good as sushi from a “real” Japanese restaurant. Fujiya is the biggest exception to that rule.

Again, there’s limited seating (right by the entrance), but you’ll find some of the best affordable sushi in town here. Choose from a variety of rolls and nigiri combinations, or pick up the mini bentos with chicken karaage and onigiri. Ten bucks will get you pretty far. While you’re there, you may as well pick up some Japanese staples and condiments and things for home too.

Duffin’s Donuts

Location: 1391 East 41st Avenue (at Knight Street)
Cuisine: Donuts, fried chicken and torta subs
Menu: duffins.ca

Portland might have Voodoo and Blue Star, but Vancouver has Duffin’s. Long before Tim Hortons rolled into town, well before trendy donuts from Lucky’s and Cartems became a thing, we had Duffin’s. And, we still do. You’ll want to click to read the caption to my Instagram post above for more on my history and experience with the place.

Long story short, Duffin’s is a Vancouver institution. It’s a perfect illustration of cultural blending, sticking Vietnamese lemon grass chicken in a Mexican torta sandwich, served alongside fried chicken, pupusas, spring rolls, breakfast specials, and plenty of donuts and apple fritters. It’s all super affordable and they’re even open 24 hours!

Banh Mi Saigon

Location: 5397 Victoria Drive (at East 38th Avenue)
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Menu: Zomato page

Okay, more sandwiches. And, well, I’m just going to come out and say it. Banh Mi Saigon offers the best banh mi sandwiches in Vancouver, beating out other favorites like Ba Le and Kingsway Deli. When it comes to these Vietnamese subs, Dot Com Pho original Ed Lau once said that the baguette should taste “like delicious glass.”

What he means is that the crispy exterior of the bread should practically explode when you bite into it, while the inner part of the bread is still soft and fluffy. Banh Mi Saigon bakes its own baguettes and it certainly satisfies that criteria. All the meats and fillings are great; I’m partial to the special, which gets you pretty much everything.

But yes, limited seating again. Are you starting to see a trend for what a great Vancouver lunch looks like? Cash and carry type places really are the best.

Sal y Limon

Location: 701 Kingsway #5 (at Fraser Street)
Cuisine: Mexican
Menu: salylimon.ca

Is a taco a sandwich? I’ve been going to Sal y Limon since it was about half the size, before the “nicer” renovation. What’s crazy is that in all my visits, I’ve only ever ordered the tacos. I’ve never ordered the tortas or huaraches, for example, even though I tell myself that I have to try the other things on the menu.

But alas, I usually end up with a platter of tacos. The lengua (beef tongue) and barbacoa de cordero (roast lamb) are among my favorites, as well as the al pastor (marinated pork with pineapple) and cochinita pibil (slow roasted spicy pork). And then there’s the glorious salsa bar.

While La Lupita in San Jose del Cabo (skip to about 6:13 of the video) likely remains as the best taco place I’ve ever tried personally, Sal y Limon is handily one of the best I’ve had in Vancouver. And they’re only about $3 each.

Cheap Vancouver Lunch Is Good Vancouver Lunch

Truth be told, there are so many restaurants and eateries that could have made this list. Vancouver lunch options abound, spanning a huge variety of international cuisines too. You don’t have to look far for weekly burger and a brew specials, for example, and all sorts of Asian noodle soup places have bowls for about ten bucks (or less).

What about you? Do you have a favorite lunch spot in Vancouver? You’ll notice that all five of the places on this list are in East Vancouver, but surely you can find a great lunch for $10 on the west side or in downtown, right?