Markets

Arguably the cheapest food in Melbourne is to be found at the markets around the city. The most accessible is the Queen Victoria Market, which has a large fresh fruit, vegetable and produce sections alongside a hall filled with specialist delicatessens. A bratwurst in a bun from the Bratwurst Shop in the Deli hall, a hot piece of burek (a Middle Eastern pastry) or a meat pie from one of the pastry stores are cheap local favorites. Prahran Market, while a little more upmarket than Queen Victoria Market is a lovely place to graze on fruit and delicatessen specialties. South Melbourne Market has great choice of bread for your lunch, fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables, fish, poultry and meat, and plenty of delicatessens to choose from. The market dim sims or freshyly shucked oysters (available to purchase by the oyster) are great value snacks.

For the cheapest market food, head to Preston Market, north of the city, or Footscray Market in the west. Footscray Market also houses a handful of market stalls that specialise in Vietnamese and Filipino specialties and snacks.

Pub Meals

On Mondays and Tuesdays, pubs (especially those focused on the backpacker trade) compete with $10 pizza and beer options or $12 steak and salad nights. Reliable suggestions include The Napier in Fitzroy, Windsor Castle in Windsor and the Metropolitan in North Melbourne, where $12.50 will buy you dinner on a Monday night. Hoo Haa every Wednesday and Thursday is worth a shot.

Vegetarian

The Moroccan Soup Kitchen carries serious kudos as one of the city's best 'cheap eats'. Other favourites include Shakahari, Carlton and the unique Lentil As Anything, at Abbotsford Convent or Barkly St, Footscray, where you pay what you think your meal was worth! Gopal's is a simple but hearty vegetarian and vegan option, where food is prepared according to Hare Krishna principles, and Soul Mama in the St Kilda Sea Baths complex is another reliable eatery, with a great view across Port Phillip Bay.

Pizza and pasta

Lygon Street, Carlton, is the heart of Melbourne's Italian food scene, and while the "authenticity" has all but disappeared, there is good eating to be had at Tiamo and Tiamo 2. Pellegrini's on Bourke Street also serves up hearty traditional Italian. Carusi in Brunswick and St Kilda serve reasonably-priced traditional, thin-crust pizza. Bimbo Deluxe in Brunswick Street does $4-$8 pizza depending on the night. Chapel Street is also home to great pizza and pasta, Hoo Haa Bar and Restaurant has $15 Wine and Pasta night on every Tuesday.

Asian

Shanghai Dumpling House in Tattersall Lane in the city has a legendary reputation for cheap dumplings and has spawned imitators in Swanston and Russell Streets. If you're out late in the city, head to Nam Loong on Russell St for cheap pork buns or the Supper Inn for Cantonese or a bowl of hearty congee. The Richmond end of Victoria Street and Barkly Street in Footscray are filled with cheap Vietnamese noodle and banh mi joints. Try Thy Thy 2 upstairs and Saigon Rose in Richmond, or Hung Vuong and Nhu Lan in Footscray.