Cheap eats in Chicago
 

I'm a poor college student visiting a friend of mine for the weekend in Chicago. Can you please recommend to me some good cheap eats for lunch and/or dinner?

If you like great Chicago pizza, I would recommend Giordano's on Rush Street.

Try www.metromix.com. You can search by average price of entree and by neighborhood.

Chicago has a lot of great options for pizza, hot dogs and Italian beef are two other Chicago favorite (but don't ask for ketchup!), Chinatown has great dim sum restaurants where you can eat for cheap.

Generally, but not always, the further away you get from the Michigan Avenue tourist district, the cheaper the food is. There are a lot of great neighborhood ethnic places that won't break the bank.

Depends on what you like and where you'll be-pizza is always relatively cheap-I personally don't like Giordanos, try Lou Malnatis or Pizzaria Uno or Due. Italian beef (Als or Portillos)is great for lunch or CHicago dogs too. As for something other than typical Chicago fare, Pennys Noodles (all over Lincoln Park, Lakeview and Wrigleyville) is good for Thai type food. Pompeii in Lakeview and in Little Italy is good for cheap Italian.

I second Penny's noodles! Great food for under $ 10.00 an entree..The best one is on Diversy and Sheffield in Lincoln Park.

I know this is not true to chicago, but Panera bread is very reasonable for a nice lunch/dinner..there is a panera bread on Diversy as well..

Hope this helps!

Another vote for Lou Malnati and against Giordano's for pizza. Lou Malnati is so much better. Penny's Noodles is a great idea too. And Kristi is 100% right-- for good food deals, get thee hence away verily from the Magnificent Mile/Water Tower area!

Kens on the SOUTH Side at 107th & Western is one of the best places to eat in the country. Everthing is good and the prices cant be beat.

Frances' Deli or Weiner's Circle, both on Clark Street north of Fullerton. OK, they're not cutting edge, but you'll be full! And you'll see why they've been around for years.

If you are looking for something besides pizza or fast food, a fun place that is pretty reasonable is Cafe Iberico. It is a Spanish/Tapas restaurant - you order tapas which are appetizers and if you are not drinking it can be pretty cheap and by sharing you get to try several dishes. Also, the restaurants in Greektown can be pretty reasonable. As far as pizza, I like Giordano's but think Lou Malnati's is much better - it is Chicago deep dish whereas Giordano's is a stuffed pizza. I guess it depends on what you prefer.

Are you kidding? Where the jinx started; Billy Goat Tavern!

Pepsi! Pepsi! No Coke! Cheezboyger! Cheezboyger!

By all means, go to Pompei on Taylor Street. Great Italian food at a very affordable price. Great salads, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, soups. You walk down a counter, point to what you like, and they bring it to oyur table. Very afrordable.
--a strong second for Cafe Iberico. Also, you'll be surprised at how good the food is at the Water Tower Place fooc ourt, called Food Life. Great selections of everythihng under the sun.

Parthenon in Greektown on Halsted. You can get a family style, 6 course meal for $15 per person. Go for lunch...you'll be so full you might not want dinner!

Excellent dumpster on the 400 block of East Wacker Drive

Just got back from Chicago and have will agree with the others--Cafe Iberico!!! It was fantastic! Have the potatoes in garlic mayonaise--so good. We were not drinking and spent $51 including 20% tip for five of us.

Glad you liked it. I knew you could find good, reasonable food without having to have pizza or hot dogs (even though Chicago's are the best).