Cheap Food Critic

3103 Graham Rd, Ste C
Falls Church, VA 22044

Mon-Sun: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm

Well this place really isn’t in DC but in the NoVa (North Virginia) area. A little out of the way if you are in DC but if you are in this area it is definitely worth a try. I’ve had Vietnamese sandwiches all over the place and most of the good ones I’ve had so far are in the West coast. I was excited to find a spot in the East coast that lives up to my high standards for Banh Mis. I tried the Grilled Pork and the Combination. The pork was super juicy but the bread is what really won me over. The bread is baked fresh daily on location. The Combination sandwich was also really good. It comes with ham of mixed bits of pork along with the normal pickled veggies, pate, and cilantro. I grew up eating this weird ham but it definitely is not for everyone but if you are adventurous it is worth a try. I also had the Spring rolls. I’ve definitely had better but it will do if you are craving spring rolls.

Yelp – 4/5 Stars (133 Ratings)

210 NE 45th St
Seattle, WA 98105

Mon-Thu, Sun 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Fri-Sat 11:00 am – 2:30 am

The best BBQ in Seattle from a truck outside a gas station?  Yes sir.  This place is legit.  They have six different sauces and five different types of sliders (pulled pork, brisket, chicken, sloppy joe, and veggie sloppy joe). I’ve had the brisket slider and the pulled pork slider with the Pinky’s Hot and the chicken slider with Honey Tamrin sauce. All the meat was smokey and super juicy. The Pinky’s Hot sauce was tangy and the perfect amount of spiciness. This sauce would have probably been good on every sandwich but the guy behind the counter recommended the Honey Tamrin sauce on the Chicken. I’m so glad I listened. The sauce with chicken were a perfect pairing. You throw in the soft ciabatta bun and fried onion strings for a little crunch…YUM! Of the three sliders I’ve had so far I would say the brisket was my favorite.

For $10.35 I got sampling of three sliders but I probably only need two of them. They maybe called sliders but they really load up the meat and toppings.

Update – I came back here and found out they allow you to have more than one of the sauces on the sliders. The lady recommended trying the horseradish sauce with the Tamrin sauce. I loved this combo! Try it next time you are here.

Yelp – 4/5 Stars (51 Reviews)

1706 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98144

Mon-Sat 10:30 am – 9:00 pm

Teriyaki restaurants are like Starbucks in Seattle…they are fricking everywhere. But who is the king of teri? In south Seattle it’s Toshio’s Teriyaki. This place has been around forever and has built up a cult following that will eat there everyday. I can definitely understand why. Their chicken is always super moist and flavorful. My guess is they are able to keep the chicken moist by leaving the skin on. I haven seen any other places do this but then again the chicken at those places are normally pretty dry.

I normally go for the chicken teriyaki (the #1) with sauce on the rice. You can also get beef or pork for about the same price. Whatever the protein it comes with two scoops of rice, and a side salad. This will run you about $8 after tax. Add an extra $.50 if you are paying with debit or credit card.

Note – The parking lot is pretty small and can be difficult to get in/out. Park around the corner for easy access.

Yelp – 3.5/5.0 (84 Ratings)

There is a growing list of cheap food in Seattle but what if you do not have the time to get to all of them? How would you prioritize your meals in Seattle? Well, here is how I would rank the best cheap food in Seattle as of today.

1. Paseos
2. Marination
3. Green Village
4. Phnom Penh Noodle House
5. Tubs Gourmet Subs
6. Hallava Falafel
7. Rancho Bravo
8. Dick’s Drive-in
9. Seattle Deli and/or Saigon Deli
10. Mike’s Noodle House