Portuguese$$plateauTue-Sun 11:00-21:00
Ma Poule Mouillee delivers a big plate of charcoal Portuguese chicken and fries for cheap on Rue Rachel in Montreal, a filling Plateau meal on a small budget.
Try: Portuguese chicken
Tip: A half chicken feeds one generously; the chicken poutine is the indulgent-but-still-cheap upgrade.
Deli$mile-endTue-Sat 10:00-16:00
Wilensky's Special is one of Montreal's great cheap eats, a griddled bologna-and-salami sandwich from a 1932 Mile End counter for the price of a coffee.
Try: Fried bologna special
Tip: Add a hand-mixed cherry or lime soda from the fountain; the whole lunch still comes in under ten dollars.
Portuguese$$plateauMon-Sun 10:00-21:00
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.
Bakery$mile-endDaily 00:00-24:00
A hot St-Viateur bagel with cream cheese is Montreal's cheapest iconic bite, sold around the clock in Mile End for the price of pocket change.
Try: Bagel with cream cheese
Tip: Buy a dozen to take home; per bagel it is far cheaper than any cafe breakfast in the city.
Rotisserie$$ndgMon-Sun 11:00-22:00
Chalet BBQ serves a hardwood-charcoal quarter chicken with gravy fries for a modest sum in NDG, Montreal, a filling retro-diner meal that has held its value.
Try: Quarter chicken and fries
Tip: The quarter-chicken combo is the value order; dine in for the full 1960s room at no extra cost.
Middle Eastern$downtownMon-Sun 11:00-24:00
Boustan is a downtown Montreal institution for cheap, garlicky shawarma, its Rue Crescent counter feeding students and night owls well past midnight.
Try: Shawarma pita
Tip: The Aladin potato pita is the cult order and barely dents a tenner; extra toum is free and essential.