Cheap Eats in Austin: Five Budget Meal Stops

A cheeseburger at P. Terry’s, boiled pork dumplings at Chef Hong and a grilled-pork sandwich at NG Cafe give you three quite different ways to eat cheaply in Austin. Cabo Bob’s adds a fried-fish burrito, while Peace Bakery offers a chicken shawarma wrap. Choose the stop that fits where you already are: the south Austin, university-area and northern options are separate meal choices, not a food trail to work through.

A budget meal at a glance

Venue and branch	Area	What to order	Typical food cost per person
P. Terry’s, Barton Springs Road	South Austin	Cheeseburger with fries	US$6–9
Cabo Bob’s, Ben White Boulevard	South Austin	Fried-fish burrito, cilantro-tomatillo tortilla	US$10–13
Chef Hong, West 24th Street	West of UT campus	Boiled pork dumplings	US$10–15
Peace Bakery, North Lamar Boulevard	North Austin	Chicken shawarma wrap	US$9–13
NG Cafe, North Interstate 35	North Austin	Grilled-pork banh mi	US$9–13

Allow US$15 per person for food, before sales tax and any tip, with drinks additional. The ranges above are rounded estimates for the named orders, rather than a small snack or a promise that one order suits every appetite. Extra sides, a second order or a drink can change the bill substantially.

Treat these as flexible walk-up meal stops rather than reservation-led outings. Leave time to order and eat, and choose a nearby venue instead of spending the saving on a cross-city journey. For a larger appetite, decide on extras before ordering rather than assuming the cheapest item will make a full meal.

P. Terry’s on Barton Springs Road

Order a cheeseburger with fries at P. Terry’s original stand, which opened in 2005. The burger gives you the beef-and-cheese centre of the meal, and fries make it a more substantial order than the burger alone. It is a straightforward choice when you want familiar fast food rather than a meal built around several dishes.

Use this branch for a meal while spending time around Barton Springs Road. It is particularly useful when sightseeing runs late or you want to eat outside conventional lunch and dinner times. You do not need to turn a burger stop into a separate excursion.

Opening

24 hours, every day

Breakfast service

Until 11am daily

Fries alone

US$2.30

Cabo Bob’s on Ben White Boulevard

At Cabo Bob’s, choose the fried-fish burrito on a cilantro-tomatillo tortilla. Cilantro is coriander, so that is the herb to recognise when choosing the green tortilla. The crispy fish and flavoured tortilla make this a distinctive handheld meal.

The tortillas are pressed to order, which makes the wrapper part of the reason to eat here, not just a container for the filling. Choose the tortilla as well as the fish when placing your order so you get the combination intended.

Choose the Ben White Boulevard branch when your day already takes you through south Austin. It suits a lunch or dinner stop along that part of your visit, with the fish filling and freshly pressed tortilla at the centre of the order.

Food service

Monday–Saturday, 10:30am–9:05pm

Chef Hong near the university

At Chef Hong, look for the boiled pork dumplings, with chewy wrappers and juicy pork filling. Those textures are the reason to choose this order: the appeal lies in the dumplings themselves, rather than a collection of inexpensive side dishes.

Use the West 24th Street stop when you are already visiting the University of Texas area. It sits west of campus, making it a convenient meal choice during a university-area visit. The takeaway food-truck format calls for a simple order and a pause to eat. Choose it when dumplings are what you want for your meal, with room in your plans for ordering rather than a timed sit-down occasion.

Peace Bakery on North Lamar Boulevard

At Peace Bakery and Deli, order the chicken shawarma wrap for the individual budget meal. Shawarma is seasoned sliced meat, and the wrap keeps the order focused on a single handheld main. Freshly baked pita is a distinguishing part of the bakery’s meals and makes the bread worth attention alongside the chicken.

Be clear that you want the wrap rather than the chicken shawarma platter. The platter offers a choice of one, two or three sides, so it is a different meal format, not simply another name for the recommendation. Choose that only if you want the accompanying dishes as well.

This North Lamar Boulevard stop fits a day spent in north Austin. Choose the Palestinian and Mediterranean bakery and deli for an unhurried lunch or dinner when you want a chicken wrap and freshly baked bread in that part of the city.

Food service, Monday–Thursday and Sunday

10:30am–9pm

Food service, Friday–Saturday

10:30am–10pm

NG Cafe on North Interstate 35

At NG Cafe, choose the grilled-pork banh mi, a Vietnamese baguette sandwich. It comes with house mayonnaise, pickled carrots and daikon radish, coriander and jalapeño. Co-owner Nguyet Quach makes the baguettes every morning, giving the bread a central role in the order.

• Other meat fillings: grilled chicken, pork belly, ribeye, shredded chicken, pâté and ham, or the Classic Combo of pâté, Vietnamese-style ham and head cheese.
• Other choices: peppery shrimp, two eggs with pâté, or fried tofu, available vegan.

The pork-belly version uses hoisin and soy sauce without mayonnaise, so its accompaniments differ from the recommended pork sandwich. Use this North Interstate 35 stop when you are already in north Austin, and plan lunch or an evening meal rather than a mid-afternoon arrival.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: opening hours and key figures.

• NG Cafe — opening hours
• Order Online — NG Cafe 13000 N Interstate 35
• NG Cafe
• Peace Bakery and Deli — opening hours
• Peace Bakery – Food Menu
• Menu | Peace Bakery and Deli
• P. Terry’s — opening hours
• P. Terry’s — key figures
• Cabo Bob’s Burritos — opening hours
• Cabo Bob’s Burritos Ben White — key figures
• Cabo Bob’s Burritos — key figures