Beansie's Bus ★ 4.5
An $8 chili-dog-and-fries combo at Battery Park with a Lake Champlain view is cheaper than any sit-down room downtown. Seasonal April-September only;
Try: Michigan hot dog and fries combo
Eat well in Burlington for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Cheap eats worth seeking out
Zabby & Elf's Stone Soup ★ 4.5
Pay-by-weight buffet of salads, casseroles and stews; vegan and vegetarian heavy. A $12 plate is a full lunch with soup of the day included in combos.
Try: Self-serve hot and cold buffet by weight
Pho Hong ★ 4.5
A bowl of pho tai is the best $15 meal in Burlington; BYO beer (the room is BYOB) and a full dinner runs under $20. Cash and card both; closed Sun and Mon.
Try: Pho tai with rare beef
Mr. Mike's Pizza ★ 4.0
Two slices and a Switchback for $12 is the canonical UVM late-night plate. Kitchen runs till 01:00 weekdays and 02:30 Fri-Sat; arcade and pool in the back.
Try: Two thin-crust slices and a craft pint
The Skinny Pancake (waterfront) ★ 4.3
A $12 crepe with lake views from the Lake Street corner; weekend brunch is one of the better cheap meals on the waterfront. Local Vermont Fresh Network.
Try: Sweet or savoury crepe
Handy's Lunch ★ 4.3
An $8 Big Daddy (2 eggs, 2 pancakes, bacon, sausage, hash, toast) is the best breakfast value in Burlington. Corner diner since 1945; kitchen closes by 13:30.
Try: Big Daddy breakfast plate
Folino's Pizza Shelburne ★ 4.6
A pizza plus a Fiddlehead 4-pack from next door is the canonical Vermont-pizza-and-beer Friday for under $30 a head. BYOB across the hall from Fiddlehead.
Try: Sourdough pizza, BYO beer from Fiddlehead next door
Pingala Cafe ★ 4.5
Crunch Wrap, juice and coffee for $14 by the Winooski River; plant-based meals under $15 from Burlington's vegan flagship in the Chace Mill since 2014.
Try: Crunch Wrap vegan plate