Eat well in Baltimore for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.

Cheap eats worth seeking out

Tortilleria Sinaloa ★ 4.3

New American$fells-pointMon-Sun 07:00-18:00

Tortilleria Sinaloa in Upper Fells Point presses its own corn tortillas and fills cheap, excellent tacos, a counter half a block east of Broadway.

Try: Tacos on house tortillas

Tip: The tortillas are pressed in-house; a few tacos and an agua fresca run well under $15.

1716 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21231

Attman's Delicatessen ★ 4.4

New American$downtownSun 08:00-17:30, Sun 08:00-20:00

Attman's on Corned Beef Row piles a hand-cut corned beef sandwich high for not much, a cash-friendly lunch counter that has fed downtown since 1915.

Try: Corned beef sandwich

Tip: A sandwich and a knish make a filling, cheap lunch; eat it in the Kibbitz Room out back.

1019 East Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

Chaps Pit Beef ★ 4.3

New American$greektownMon-Sun 10:30-22:00

Chaps Pit Beef on Pulaski Highway delivers a hefty, cheap pit beef sandwich, charcoal-grilled rare top round on a kaiser with tiger sauce and onion.

Try: Pit beef sandwich

Tip: A pit beef sandwich is a meal on its own; order it rare with tiger sauce.

720 Mapleton Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205

Ekiben ★ 4.5

Street food$fells-pointMon-Thu 11:00-15:30, Mon-Thu 16:30-22:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-15:30, Fri-Sat 16:30-23:00

Ekiben in Fells Point feeds a citywide following on cheap, generous steamed bao like the Neighborhood Bird, a counter that grew from a food cart.

Try: Steamed bao bun

Tip: Two buns make a filling, cheap lunch; the Neighborhood Bird is the one to get.

1622 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21231

Connie's Chicken and Waffles ★ 4.1

New American$downtownMon-Sat 08:00-16:30

Connie's stall in Lexington Market fries hand-breaded chicken to order, with the half-and-half chicken box a cheap, classic Baltimore corner-store meal.

Try: Chicken box

Tip: The chicken box with western fries is the budget order; it is a Lexington Market institution.

112 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Lexington Market ★ 4.2

Chesapeake$downtown

Lexington Market gathers cheap counters under one roof, from Faidley's crab cake to lake trout and chicken boxes, the city's oldest market and its best value.

Try: Crab cake, lake trout, market stalls

Tip: Graze the stalls for lake trout, a chicken box or a crab cake; cash speeds the older counters.

112 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Matthew's Pizza ★ 4.1

Pizzeria$greektown{'Mon': '11:00-21:00', 'Tue': '11:00-21:00', 'Wed': '11:00-21:00', 'Thu': '11:00-21:00', 'Fri': '11:00-21:00', 'Sat': '11:00-21:00', 'Sun': '12:00-20:00'}

Matthew's Pizza in Highlandtown shares a cheap, filling thick-crust pie that has fed the East side since 1943, with a famous crab pie for a splurge.

Try: Thick-crust pizza

Tip: A plain thick-crust pie feeds a group cheaply; the crab pie is the worthwhile upgrade.

3131 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224

The Helmand ★ 4.3

Vegetarian$mount-vernon

The Helmand in Mount Vernon keeps its vegetarian Afghan plates and the kaddo borawni pumpkin gentle on the wallet, a cheap way into a celebrated kitchen.

Try: Vegetarian Afghan plates

Tip: The vegetarian dishes and the kaddo borawni are the value plays at this Mount Vernon room.

806 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
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