Vegetarian$mount-vernon
The Helmand in Mount Vernon keeps its vegetarian Afghan plates and the kaddo borawni pumpkin gentle on the wallet, a cheap way into a celebrated kitchen.
Try: Vegetarian Afghan plates
Tip: The vegetarian dishes and the kaddo borawni are the value plays at this Mount Vernon room.
New American$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 $15.
New American$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.
New American$greektownMon-Sun 10:30-22:00
Chaps Pit Beef on Pulaski Highway delivers a hefty, cheap pit beef sandwich, charcoal-grilled rare top round on a kaiser with tiger sauce and onion.
Try: Pit beef sandwich
Tip: A pit beef sandwich is a meal on its own; order it rare with tiger sauce.
Street food$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.
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.