Ramen€€westendMon-Sat 11:30-22:00, last order 21:00; Sun and holidays 11:30-21:00
Ramen Jun's bowls are Frankfurt's best value hot meal near the Messe, a complete dinner in broth for the price of two fair-trade coffees in this town.
Try: A full tonkotsu bowl
Tip: Skip the sides on a budget; the bowl alone is a meal, and tap water comes without the German side-eye.
Modern European€€altstadtMon-Fri 12:00-14:30; Mon-Sat 17:00-00:00
Margarete's weekday lunch is the Altstadt's quality-per-euro anomaly in Frankfurt, seasonal plates at canteen prices in a listed hall by the Römer.
Try: The weekday changing lunch plate
Tip: Lunch runs 12:00 to 14:30 only; the vegan option usually undercuts the meat plate by a euro or two.
Bakery€bahnhofsviertelMon-Fri 07:00-19:00; Sat-Sun 08:00-18:00
Zeit für Brot's Kaiserstraße counter beats every station snack in Frankfurt on price and quality, organic bread rolls from early morning until evening.
Try: Belegte Brote and a cinnamon roll
Tip: A topped bread and coffee runs cheaper than anything inside the Hauptbahnhof and tastes double the price.
Bakery€bornheimDaily 08:00-19:00; counter sales from 07:30 on weekdays
Baguette Jeanette's filled sticks are Bornheim's classic cheap lunch in Frankfurt, French bakery prices held on the long Berger Straße shopping mile.
Try: A filled baguette to take to the park
Tip: Eat it on the benches at Bornheim Mitte or carry on to the Günthersburgpark lawns ten minutes north.
Ice cream€nordendMon and Wed-Sun 10:30-21:30; closed Tue
Eis Christina's cones remain one of Frankfurt's great cheap pleasures, Nordend gelato at prices that survived the espresso inflation almost untouched.
Try: Two scoops in a cone
Tip: Cash speeds the queue; the price board by the window has barely moved in years and the portions have not shrunk either.
Eritrean€€bahnhofsviertelMon-Thu 16:00-23:00; Fri-Sat 13:00-23:00, kitchen until 22:00; closed Sun
Im Herzen Afrikas stretches a Frankfurt food budget furthest when shared, Eritrean platters that feed two for one main-course price elsewhere.
Try: Vegetarian injera platter, shared
Tip: The vegetarian platters are the value champions; count one platter per two people and add injera before adding dishes.