Hollywood may look expensive, tacos are not!! Ok, let me be honest. Hollywood is what brought me to Los Angeles. I wanted to get a glimpse of some of the great megastars here, but I ended up loving this city for the long coastlines, cultural diversity, mountains, and budget-friendly restaurants in Los Angeles.
You may feel Los Angeles is an expensive city to dine in, but if you are a pro, finding cheap places to kill your hunger is not a big game. In every neighborhood of Los Angeles, you will find a long array of eateries that offer food at a very cheap price.
Cheap Eats in Los Angeles
I have been traveling solo for the past five years, and now I know how to travel within a limited budget. I have listed some cheap restaurants I visited here that offer good food, and you do not have to break your bank.
Cheap Eateries
El Taco Loco
Rumor has it that Los Angeles has the best tacos in America. I tried the tacos at El Taco Loco and found out that the hype wasn’t a myth. What surprised me even more, was the price. It cost me only 1$ for a taco, so if you are also traveling within a limited budget like mine, El Taco Loco is a good place to visit and is indeed one of the best budget-friendly restaurants in Los Angeles.
Apart from the tacos, I tried their burrito, meat pastries, and bread with chicken, and all of them cost me less than 10 USD.
- Phone
+1 818-985-9060 - Location
5424 Laurel Canyon Blvd Unit I, LA - Price
1 USD – 12 USD
Leo’s Taco Truck
Eating at a cheap restaurant doesn’t mean you have to compromise your hygiene and health.
While exploring the city, I came across this little food truck called Leo’s Taco Truck. They maintain proper hygiene and serve only clean, cheap, and fresh food to their customers.
Since street food carts are inexpensive, I showed up. They have a vast menu, and it was difficult for me to decide what to order. But the price was cheaper, and the food was sufficient to fill my stomach.
I visited them twice during my stay in LA, and I would suggest you to eat their Burrito and Torta Hawaiaan. During my visits, I had noticed that its regular customers were ordering tacos and Quesadilla Hawaiaan more, so you can give these two cuisines a chance.
- Phone
(323) 346-2001 - Location
1515 South LA Brea Ave, LA - Price
1.25 USD – 10 USD
Dino’s Chicken & Burgers
Dino’s Chicken & Burgers was my another favorite food joint. This small eatery offers some of the best meals at a very cheap rate. The portion of the food is enough to fill your stomach.
Special attention should be paid to their red char-grilled chicken. The luscious flavour of their famous Chicken A La Carte is just 7$. If you are backpacking in LA, a visit to Dino’s Chicken & Burgers will cost you around 1$ to 10$, depending on what you order.
- Phone
(213) 380-3554 - Location
2575 W Pico Blvd, LA - Price
1.99 USD – 10 USD
Bee Taqueria
What amazed me about this place more than the food was the decor. The place has outdoor picnic tables and chairs, a firepit, and walls are covered with spray paintings of angels and lions.
The place is budget-friendly and serves a wide variety of tacos with homemade tortillas. But what entices me is its crispy and spicy sea bass ceviche and jamon sanguche with smoked ham and red onion.
- Phone
(323) 452-9575 - Location
5754 W Adams Blvd, LA - Price
3 USD – 10 USD
Zam Zam Market
Being a foodie, I love to try different cuisines from different places. I have already tried many local cuisines of different regions during my trip, and I enjoyed the different tastes. But at the end of the day, my soul craves for the familiar food I have been eating since I was born.
Los Angeles has some of the best Indian restaurants that offer authentic Indian cuisine, but they were out of my budget. So, I decided to visit Zam Zam Market, which is a Pakistani restaurant. Being neighbors, the two countries share the same taste in food.
On the budget side, this place is a bit expensive. But the restaurant has a vast menu that offers naan at 1.63 dollars and biryani at 14$.
You can try their lamb korma and tandoori chicken for that char-grilled, smokey, and juicy flavour of the chicken.
- Phone
(310) 978-1927 - Location
13649 South Inglewood Ave, Hawthorne - Price
1.63 USD – 15 USD
Ricky’s Fish Taco
Popular among college students, Ricky’s Fish Taco popped up in my google search as one of the most affordable food joints in LA. Located at 3061 Riverside Dr, Ricky’s Fish Tacos has limited dishes on the menu. But that doesn’t stop the visitors from coming to this food truck.
I was a bit disappointed when I saw the menu first. They included only five dishes on their menu. Since I wanted to save some bucks, I ordered one fish taco and one shrimp taco. Believe me, I have never been so impressed by the amazing taste of fish tacos. In less than 5$, you can enjoy a portion of great and delicious food here.
- Phone
(323) 395-6233 - Location
3061 Riverside Dr, LA - Price
1.5 USD – 4 USD
Tabula Rasa Bar
LA has the knack to turn a humble drinking session into an adventurous ride where you won’t mind raising one toast after another. If you think that would be a bad idea as it may cost you a fortune to drink in a bar in LA, then let me remind you about happy hours (wink!).
LA has some cheap bars where they run happy hours daily. Tabula Rasa Bar is one such cozy wine and beer bar in the neighborhood. The 4 pm-6 pm happy hour menu will get you 2$ off on any glass of wine and beer.
I visited this place with some of my local friends and enjoyed their fine wine and crafted beers. Lastly, I can say that Tabula Rasa Bar is one of the budget-friendly restaurants in Los Angeles.
- Phone
(213) 290-6309 - Location
5125 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles - Price
4 USD – 68 USD
Final Thoughts
Being one of the popular tourist destinations, Los Angeles has an excellent dining scene in the country. From expensive star-studded restaurants with star chefs to inexpensive food trucks, one can easily integrate LA’s culinary scene to their itinerary.
Now go and treat your taste buds with LA’s drool-worthy dishes.
