Qing Hua Dumpling is a chinese budget eat in Downtown, Montreal.
Qing Hua is a bargain in Montreal's Chinatown, a dozen hand-folded soup dumplings landing well under fifteen dollars and easily enough for a full lunch.
Editorially verified July 1, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: A single dozen is a filling meal; split two orders across the table to try more fillings for less.
Address: 1019 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2Z 1J4
Bombay Mahal is Parc-Extension's cheapest serious feast in Montreal, a BYOB canteen where fiery curries and thalis stay well under twenty dollars a head.
Try: Indian thali
Tip: Bring your own beer from the depanneur and split several curries; the bill stays tiny even when you overorder.
Pho Tay Ho ladles deeply spiced beef pho for under fifteen dollars in Petite-Patrie, Montreal, a warming, filling bowl that locals rate among the city's best.
Try: Pho
Tip: A large tai bowl plus a Vietnamese coffee is a complete meal for the price of a downtown lunch.
Tacos Frida keeps its Mexico City-style tacos cheap in Saint-Henri, Montreal, with house corn tortillas and grilled fillings at a few dollars apiece.
Try: Street tacos
Tip: Three or four tacos makes a filling, low-cost meal; load up at the free salsa bar to stretch it further.
Ma Poule Mouillee delivers a big plate of charcoal Portuguese chicken and fries for cheap on Rue Rachel in Montreal, a filling Plateau meal on a small budget.
Try: Portuguese chicken
Tip: A half chicken feeds one generously; the chicken poutine is the indulgent-but-still-cheap upgrade.
Wilensky's Special is one of Montreal's great cheap eats, a griddled bologna-and-salami sandwich from a 1932 Mile End counter for the price of a coffee.
Try: Fried bologna special
Tip: Add a hand-mixed cherry or lime soda from the fountain; the whole lunch still comes in under ten dollars.
Romados serves a big plate of charcoal Portuguese chicken and fries for cheap on Rue Rachel in Montreal, one of the Plateau's best-value filling meals.
Try: Portuguese charcoal chicken
Tip: A half chicken with fries feeds one generously; the custard tarts are a cheap sweet finish.
