Cheap Food Critic

14705 Aurora Ave N
Shoreline, WA 98133

Mon-Fri 9:30 am – 7:00 pm
Sat 10:30 am – 7:00 pm

Hidden in a strip mall on Aurora site a little Vietnamese deli/restaurant that has really redeemed itself. I first came here when they just opened and was so disappointed. But recently I came back here on a whim craving some banh mis but didn’t want to drive all the way to Edmonds or Chinatown. My initial gripe about this place was that they used way way too much onions in the sandwiches and not enough meat. But since coming back they seem to have perfected the ratio of meat to toppings (especially the onions).

I had their signature sandwich, the iSandwich for under $4.00. It came with all the normal banh mi fixings (jalapenos, pickled carrots and daikons, and cilantro) on a roll with curry chicken. That’s right…curry chicken. No complaints about this sandwich at all. Everything was perfect: the chicken was infused with the curry, the bread kept all the juicy goodness inside (similar bread as Yeh Yeh’s, and the fixings were all flavorful.

One other great thing these guys did was add other traditional Vietnamese dishes, like vermicelli bowls and a beef stews dish. I have not had the vermicelli dish yet but the beef stew (with bread) was awesome. I think it was actually better than the sit down restaurant next door’s, Pho Tic Tac’s. The beef stew was about $7.50 and came with carrots, pineapples, and beef along a french roll for dipping into the stew. The pineapples was something I was not expecting. I’ve had my fair share of Vietnamese beef stews but never have I had it with pineapple. Really, the only complaint I had was there was not enough beef.

The restaurant, although small is normally empty. Most people get their food to go so if you need to dine-in there’s five tables to chose from.

Note 1 – These guys make this stuff fresh so be prepared to really wait. If there’s a lunch rush it could take up to 20 mins. If you are really in a hurry make sure you call ahead to get your order in first.

Note 2 – you can add a fried egg for $1 more to your sandwich. A must try for next time. Also, there is also teriyaki here? Doesn’t seem to fit but I’ve been looking for a place that serves teriyaki on a Sunday. For some reason all the teriyaki places in North Seattle close on Sundays.

Yelp – 4.5/5.0 (34 Ratings)

4302 Fremont Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103

Mon-Sat 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sun 11:00 am – 8:00 pm

If you are looking for a monstrous burger and a beer for lunch or dinner this is the spot to go. Located in the North-end of the Fremont neighborhood it is also a great place to start off a night of drinking (they also serve local beers on tap here). Make sure during nice sunny days to take your burger and beer outside to their large patio. If you prefer to avoid the skin cancer there’s also plenty of seating inside.

I haven’t had anything here but the burgers so I can’t speak to the sandwiches salads, or soups. But with burgers this good why stray away from them? My favorite here is the BBQ Smash which comes with charred onions, bacon, cheddar, and bbq sauce all for about $9. The meat in the burger was cooked perfectly at a medium, leaving a juicy and tender consistency. However, when you reach the charred onions (fried onions) and you get a nice crunch to offset the tenderness of the meat and softness of the hamburger bun. And don’t forget about the bacon! It was probably my favorite part of this burger. There were about 3 thick strips of bacon that added the much needed saltiness to the burger.

Obviously this place does draw some comparisons to Red Mill Burger. However, I really don’t think it is fair to compare the two. I believe both places are serving up some of the best burgers in town and trying to compare them would like splitting hairs. Whichever is better is really up to personal opinion. So try them both for yourselves.

Note – There is a parking lot which is nice but it is pretty difficult to maneuver yourself out of the lot when it is filled up.

Yelp – 4.0/5.0 Stars (351 Ratings)

5105 Capitol Blvd SW, Ste C
Tumwater, WA 98501

Mon-Thu 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Fri-Sat 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sun 9:00 am – 7:00 pm

Hidden just south of downtown Olympia in Tumwater, this gem in a sea of fast food joints is serving up some of the best food in the South Sound. I remember when this family run business first opened I really didn’t give it too much thought until I started to get raving recommendations from co-workers that lived in the area. Everyone seemed to recommend the same thing, the wet burrito and the homemade tortillas chips (chips are free). So of course, that’s what I had to go with.

Oh man, I thought the burritos at Gordito’s (Greenwood-Seattle) were big but these here might be a good 20-30% larger. Although a little more expensive than Gordito’s at $10.32 but it really is at least 2 meals…especially if you take the leftover tortilla chips with you. Flavor-wise it did not disappoint. The sauce on the burrito was tangy which complemented the mound of cheese smothering every crevice of the plate. Inside the burrito is stuffed with chicken, avocado, pinto beans, green sauce, red tomatoes, lettuce, rice, and more cheese.

The FREE homemade tortilla chips have got to be the best I have ever had! So crunchy, flavorful, and of course free. My description really does not do them any justice…you really just have to try them for yourself.

Yelp – 4.5/5.0 Stars (81 Reviews)

SW 3rd & Ash St
Portland, OR 97204

Mon – Fri 11:00 am – When they sellout
Sat-Sun 12:00 pm – When the sellout

After hearing some pretty good reviews about Big Ass Sandwiches food truck I made it my very first stop in Portland. However, the lines were crazy long…rapping around the corner of the block. I decided to come back later in the day hoping the lines would have died down. That was a horrible idea. At 4:00 PM I came back and they were sold out of everything and were getting ready to close for the day. I was determined to get these damn Big Ass Sandwiches! Came back the next day and waited in a line with about 15 other people a good 15 minutes before the truck even opened. Once opened, it still took about 15 minutes to get to the cashier to put in the order and another 15 minutes for the food to be prepared.

I got the Gut Bomb for $9.50 which comes with roast beef, cheese sauce, bacon, and French fries all on a ciabatta roll. Don’t forget to ask for the Aardvark sauce (this stuff pretty much makes anything taste awesome). When unwrapped (see pictures below) it looks like there was an explosion of fries and meat in your sandwich. This is probably the messiest sandwich I have ever had. Grab as many napkins as you can, you will need them all. The sandwich, despite the gimmicky name and fries is in essence a very good roast beef sandwich.

So would I eat this sandwich again? Definitely yes! Would I wait in 45 minutes to get this sandwich again? Hell no! Despite being a very good sandwich the wait times are a little too crazy for me. I just don’t have the time to be waiting in line that long when there are so many other great places to eat in the area. I do recommend you at least try them out yourself if you have time.

Note – This place does accept credit cards. It seems the line of people here are mostly tourists hoping to try food they have seen on the Food Network.

Yelp – 4.0/5.0 Stars (129 Ratings)

8102 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103

Wed-Sun 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Fri-Sun 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Halleluiah! After years of searching for an awesome ramen place to call my own I have finally found it. Aloha Ramen has been around for a few years now but I never thought to go to Greenwood to get good Asian food. Shame on me for not giving them a try way back when. But now I know, I will be here every week.

So what’s so great about this place? It’s definitely not because it has plenty of seating, there are no lines, or they have awesome hours. There’s only six tables and counter with 6 more seats. Come here during dinner time and you WILL have to wait. But wait, these guys are only open for dinner most days. So just come here expecting to wait at least 10-30 minutes…guaranteed. But the wait is absolute worth it.

As for the food. It is simply the best ramen in Seattle. I got the Pork Katsu Tan Tan Ramen for about $9. The broth had a delicious salty-creamy-spicy flavor to it. The noodles were the perfect consistency…a little soft but not so much that they are mushy. The Katsu was also really crunchy even though it sat in the broth.

I also tried the Garlic fried rice here. The garlic flavor was not too overpowering and they loaded it up with your choice of meat (I chose chicken). The fried onions sprinkled on top was also a nice touch. It was delicious but definitely not the best fried rice I’ve had. It was really an afterthought compared to the ramen.

Note – Also, they give you sooooo much food.

Yelp – 4.0/5.0 Start (263 Reviews)

11020 8th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125

Mon-Sat 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Sun 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

With so many great gyro places in Seattle its been difficult to pull myself away from the proven good locations and try some of these other less know locations. Gyro Hut has been around for awhile now and I finally had a chance to give them a try. I got the beef and lamb gyro for $6.59 after tax. Once unwrapped the gyro was probably one of the most neatly prepared gyros I have ever had. The meat was cut exactly the same length and thickness and layered neatly on top of a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and tzatziki sauce all wrapped up in the pita bread. At most places they are in such a rush to make to gyros that they fall apart and are very messy. This was not the case here. Everything was contained in the pita bread and only little bits of lettuce dropped from the sandwich. Flavor-wise, it was good. There was not anything that really popped out at me but I would probably come back here again.

The restaurant had about 3 tables and four seats at the window bar. Being in a strip-mall there was plenty of parking.

Overall, very viable spot for a quick and cheap lunch in the Northgate-area without having to deal with the mall traffic.

Yelp – 4.0/5.0 (91 Ratings)

15015 Main St, Ste 107
Bellevue, WA 98007

Mon-Thu, Sun 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Fri-Sat 11:00 am – 9:30 pm

Szechuan Chef is another Asian restaurant in Bellevue making waves in the local food community. I was referred this place from a reader a few weeks back and had to see what all the fuss was about. Located in a strip mall with Walmart and LA Fitness, Szechuan Chef from the outside looks like any other Chinese restaurant. The inside was pretty nice, kind of like a modern take on Asian decor.

As for the food, these guys had a pretty extensive menu of Szechuan style Chinese food. I went with the Dan Dan noodles with the hand shaven noodles for about $9 after tax. When the food arrived it came in the biggest noodle bowl I have ever seen. The food was also filled to rim of the bowl with chunky strands of the hand shaven noodles (this was definitely a two person/meal serving).

I dug in immediately to the noodles and realized there was no bold spicy flavors like I’m used to from Szechuan food. I dug a little deeper into the noodles and realized I forgot to mix up the sauce and veggies that were on the bottom of the bowl (noob mistake). Once properly mixed you get all of the spiciness from the chilli oil and strong flavors form the crushed peanuts. The color of the sauce, a bright red-ish hue was a little deceiving. The dish was not overly spicy…probably a 2 or weak 3 star on a five star scale. There was also Chinese cabbage added in the mix which add a nice crunch to the soft noodles.

I also ordered the Ma Po Tofu to go and tried the Twice Cooked Pork my eating buddy had ordered (both from the lunch menu). As lunch menu items the orders also came with soup and rice (fried or white). Both the soup and fried rice was definitely nothing special. I will probably opt for the white rice next time but you really didn’t need the rice at all since the entrees were more than enough to make us full. For $8-$9 for either of the orders will be a viable option for lunch.

Although everything was pretty good the obvious star of the place was the hand shaven noodles. Make sure to try them out with the Dan Dan Noodle entree.

Yelp – 4.0/5.0 Stars (229 Reviews)

19915 64th Ave W, Ste 101
Lynnwood, WA 98036

Mon-Fri 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sat 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Hidden behind a little strip mall on Aurora you can find some truly unique and delicious Banh Mis. Located a little North of the city in Lynnwood, Yeh Yeh’s has created quite a following despite only being in business for a few years. I guess that’s what happens when you make great food…if you make it, they will come.

The first time I came here was before all the foodie hype about this place. I though I was just going to any old cheap Vietnamese deli. This was dispelled very quickly as I was surprised to find out how how much more in price the sandwiches were compared to other place in the Seattle area. I just assumed it was a premium for not being in the International District. However, after getting my food I realized the price difference was actually because you get a much larger sandwich filled to rim with meat and veggies. Although still cheap I can still remember the good old days when you could get banh mis for $1 each and if you bought 5 you would get one free.

As I stated, the banh mis themselves are a little different from other places in Seattle, don’t come here expecting the same sandwiches like Seattle Deli or Saigon Deli. Some of the the more noticeable differences include the use of a different bread than most of the other local Vietnamese delis, the much larger sandwiches, as well as a different ratio of fillers for their sandwiches. Overall its a nice little twist to the Vietnamese sandwich without sacrificing its authenticity.

My most recent trip here I ordered the Grilled Chicken and the Grilled Pork Sandwiches.
My order did take a little longer because of the lunch rush. Next time I will definitely call it in first. For both my sandwiches it was $8.42 after tax. The sandwiches were both filled with meat, cilantro, jalapenos (optional), onion, as well as pickled daikons and carrots. Also, the bread was fresh, soft in the inside, and crunchy on the outside if eaten right away. But the bread may get a little soggy if you wait a little bit to eat it.

If these guys were not unique enough they also have a Pastrami and Philly sandwich…I am intrigued. I can’t wait to come back and see what type of Vietnamese twist they added to these classic sandwiches.

Note – Parking maybe a little tight; the tiny parking lot is shared with the Asian grocery store next door.

Yelp – 4.5/5.0 Stars (166 Ratings)

232 SW Washington St
Portland, OR 97204

Mon-Fri 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Oh man, after a whole weekend of eating sandwiches in Portland I was excited to get some pasta on the menu. The service was friendly and very quick, especially compared to all of the sandwich places that seem to take at least 15 minutes. This is the place you want to come to if you are in a hurry for lunch.

I got the Penne alla Vodka with chicken for $7.50. It was really flavorful like a bowl of tomato bisque soup was poured on top of some penne pasta. The pasta was the perfect consistency (not too hard and not too soft). The pasta was also topped with a healthy amount of grilled chicken.

Overall the food kind of reminded me of a better, faster, and cheaper Macaroni Grill (don’t hate on the Mac G, it’s good stuff). But to be honest this is probably better pasta then most fancy place out there. Who knew you can get such awesome pasta from a street cart.

Yelp – 4.5/5.0 Stars (326Reviews)

722 Thompson Lane
Nashville, TN 37204

Mon-Sat 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

After a week in Nashville I was sick of eating steak, burgers, and fried food. I was recommended Baja Burrito by the hotel’s concierge staff for fresh Mexican food. The location was a little away from downtown Nashville but easily reached just off the 440 and the 65 freeways. The restaurant is also pretty easy to spot with the brightly painted Volkswagen Beetle up front. Once you get inside head to the counter and look up…that’s your menu. But I’ll save you the trouble. Get the three fish tacos or the brisket torta (not actually on the menus but was posted on a piece of paper on the side), either one will run you $6.83 after tax.

Both of my orders required a little more time than the normal Chipotle/Q’doba burritos that these guys also offer here. Understandable since the fish and the brisket needs to be cooked/warmed up as well as assembled in the taco and torta.

The fish taco was not the best that I’ve had but it was still very satisfying. My issue with the tacos were not the meat or the toppings but the tortilla/taco shell. It was super flimsy and pretty much broke once you pick it yup. The brisket torta on the other hand was absolutely amazing. The meat was so tender and juicy it pretty much fell apart as you are eating it. Add in avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, beans, onions, and cilantro and you have one of the best tortas I have ever eaten. Of course when you stuff a sandwich to capacity its going to be messy, so be prepared with extra napkins.

I also tried all of the salsa/sauces. Most were good but nothing special. The one that stuck out was the pineapple salsa. It added a nice sweetness to all of the food. I do wish there was a little more spice to that salsa but that’s just personal preference.

In summary, it was an amazing find in city full of burger and fried food spots. Unfortunately as I was looking for less oily food I ended up getting fish tacos with fried fish and a torta that dripped oil from the meat. But whatever…food was good.

Note – There’s plenty of parking all around the building. Seating was also plentiful indoors and outdoors.

Yelp – 4.5/5.0 Stars (126 Reviews)