Best Cheap Eats in Fort Lauderdale

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Affordable food is often associated with less-than-fresh ingredients and disappointing taste, but there are several cheap restaurants in Fort Lauderdale that are challenging that status quo. The following cheap eats in Fort Lauderdale let you snack, savor, and sip while still saving money.

Cheap Eats in Fort Lauderdale

From tacos to tarts, good grub doesn’t have to come with a side of sticker shock. These cheap eats in Fort Lauderdale will fill you up for less.

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El Guanaco Taqueria y Antojitos

Approachable, tasty, and affordable: El Guanaco Taqueria y Antojitos hits the taco trifecta with aplomb. Everything here is fresh and homemade, including the tortillas, and portions are big enough to satisfy even the mightiest appetites. Grab breakfast to go in the form of a chorizo and egg burrito, or stuff your lunchbox with your choice of filling Salvadoran pupusas—you can snag two of them for less than you typically pay for your morning cappuccino.

Gou Lou Cheong BBQ Restaurant

You won’t find any white tablecloths at Gou Lou Cheong or any seating, either, but what the restaurant saves on real estate it passes on to customers in the form of Chinese barbecue that will blow your mind without breaking the bank. Step up to the register and ask for your choice of fatty or lean pork (sold by the pound for about $5 per), and if you’re really hungry, add some lotus-wrapped sticky rice, pork buns, or dumplings. Quick tip: You’ll need cash for these cheap eats in Fort Lauderdale.

Hammond’s Bakery

At Hammond’s Bakery, a small shop specializing in Jamaican patties that are a bright shade of sunshiny yellow thanks to the addition of egg yolks and/or turmeric. Hammond’s typically offers spicy beef, jerk chicken, and callaloo patties for less than $2 apiece. At those prices, you can afford to add some coco bread or a guava and cheese pastry to your order.

Noor Bakery

The decor at this small mom-and-pop shop isn’t anything to write home about, but poets could create odes to the flatbreads created by owner and dough-master Jamal Saleh. Your most difficult task will be deciding on just one topping. Luckily, most flatbreads are between $1.50 and $2.50 each, so you can stock up on breads slathered in zaatar and feta cheese, kishk, and labneh without an iota of guilt.

Hot Diggity Dogs & More

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Hot Diggity Dogs & More is a stellar example of how value-packed cheap eats in Fort Lauderdale can truly be. Grab a Chicago-style dog with all the fixings or a chili dog with cheese for just a few bucks. Even the hulking Italian beef with au jus is reasonably priced, and it’ll keep you full for most of the day—especially if you add a side of Diggity’s irresistible beer-battered onion rings.

Siciliano’s Frozen Custard

You can satisfy both your sweet tooth and your penchant for thrifty treats at Siciliano’s, a quaint custard stand in Hollywood, Florida. Load up a waffle cone with nuts, hot fudge, butterscotch, marshmallow, sprinkles, candy, fruit, and more.

Tastes of Europe

It’s not often you can take a tour of a foreign country just by eating in a strip mall, but this hidden gem helps hungry Russian expats do just that. The best buy is probably the buffet: blood sausage, stuffed peppers, and a delectable layered beet, egg, herring, and potato salad called shuba are just a few of the daily offerings. Kebabs are roasted outside and transported to the counter for sale, and there are countless options for pastries, including fist-sized rolls stuffed with farmer’s cheese.

St. Barts Coffee Company

St. Barts challenges the idea that beachside dining has to make your wallet cry. There are no tears here, just fresh, affordable coffee and chocolate cafe mocha. Anyone eschewing caffeine can grab a 16-ounce Tropical Tango or Strawberry Sunrise smoothie, or settle in with the Farmer’s Favorite, a bagel piled high with eggs, bacon, cheese, and chopped salad.

Beach Pizza

It’s not hard to find cheap pizza, but it can be nearly impossible to find cheap pizza worth eating. Beach bucks the trend with pies that are mouthwateringly good without the gourmet price tag to go with it. In addition to pizza, the menu also features subs and buffalo wings.

Primanti Brothers Pizza

Primanti is cash-only, but it’ll only take a tenner for you to walk out with an Italian sausage and cheese sandwich packed with fresh-cut french fries, coleslaw, tomatoes, and provolone cheese (onions by request). The famous Primanti sandwiches were imported from Pittsburgh, where they’ve been a hometown hit since 1933; pair one with a Cheezy Fry Boat.

925 Nuevo’s Cubanos

Cuban food is famously filling, and at 925 Nuevo’s it’s also famously affordable. Stock up on affordable ham and chicken croquettes, or try a sandwich like the Cuban hamburger and pepper steak. Even large plates like the carne con cebolla are both affordable and tasty.

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