Songbird Coffee & Tea House
- ★ 4.8
- Café
- $
Drink Pour-over coffee and loose-leaf tea
Songbird Coffee & Tea House on 3rd Street is a downtown Phoenix coffee-and-tea room, pulling shots from Tempe roaster Infusion in a calm, plant-filled space.
30 cheap eats places in Phoenix, editor-picked. The best low-budget spots in Phoenix: the places editors actually return to. All Phoenix food.
The cheap eats list
30 places
Noble Bread
- ★ 4.6
- Bakery
- $
Order 36-hour naturally leavened country loaf
Noble Bread on North 24th Street is the Valley's reference sourdough bakery, ferments organic loaves over 36 hours and supplies the city's better restaurants.
Giant Coffee
- ★ 4.6
- Café
- $
Drink Locally roasted espresso
Giant Coffee on 1st Street is an arts-district coffee bar near Roosevelt Row, roasting its coffee locally each week in a bright daytime room.
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Nogales Hot Dogs
- ★ 4.6
- Street food
- $
Order The classic Sonoran dog, bacon-wrapped, with the full bean-and-salsa load.
Nogales Hot Dogs on Indian School Road is a Phoenix Sonoran-dog institution, wrapping franks in bacon on a bolillo bun with pinto beans, tomato and onion.
El Caprichoso Sonoran Hotdogs
- ★ 4.6
- Street food
- $
Order A Sonoran dog dressed with stewed pinto beans, tomato, guacamole, grilled onions and cotija cheese.
El Caprichoso on 35th Avenue grills bacon-wrapped Sonoran dogs from a parking-lot stand, named Phoenix New Times' Best Sonoran Hot Dog for 2025 and run.
Tacos Chiwas
Order A made-to-order gordita stuffed at the counter, plus a run at the salsa bar.
Tacos Chiwas on Indian School Road is a family-run Chihuahua-style room, plating gorditas and tacos from recipes carried up from northern Mexico.
Proof Bread
- ★ 4.5
- Bakery
- $
Order A croissant and a sourdough loaf milled from local grain.
Proof Bread on Main Street in Mesa bakes naturally leavened sourdough and croissants with locally grown and milled flours, the East Valley's destination loaf.
Lola Coffee
- ★ 4.5
- Café
- $
Drink Espresso and full breakfast
Lola Coffee on 3rd Avenue is a family-run downtown cafe of organic, fair-trade coffee, working with local dairies and bakeries on a full breakfast menu.
Asadero Norte de Sonora
Order Carne asada tacos on the giant house-made flour tortillas.
Asadero Norte de Sonora on 16th Street is a neighbourhood Sonoran grill, turning out mesquite carne asada wrapped in house-made flour tortillas.
The Original Carolina's Mexican Food
Order A bean-and-cheese burro on the tissue-thin house flour tortilla.
The Original Carolina's Mexican Food on Mohave Street has stretched its thin house flour tortillas since 1968, a Valenzuela family standard in Phoenix.
Where to stay in Phoenix
A sample of Phoenix hotels from our booking partner, who list 1,280 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Extend-a-Suites Phoenix
Located in Phoenix (Deer Valley), Extend-a-Suites Phoenix is within a 5-minute drive of University of Phoen...
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SpringHill Suites Phoenix North
Located in Phoenix (North Mountain), SpringHill Suites Phoenix North is within a 5-minute drive of Metrocen...
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Aloft Phoenix Airport
When you stay at Aloft Phoenix Airport in Phoenix, you'll be near the airport, within a 5-minute drive of C...
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Sheraton Phoenix Downtown
A stay at Sheraton Phoenix Downtown places you in the heart of Phoenix, within a 5-minute walk of Roosevelt...
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Marriott Phoenix Airport
Located in Phoenix (Camelback East), Marriott Phoenix Airport is within a 10-minute drive of Desert Botanic...
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GreenTree Hotel Phoenix West
Located in Phoenix (Estrella), GreenTree Hotel Phoenix West is within a 15-minute drive of Arizona State Ca...
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Courtyard Phoenix Downtown
With a stay at Courtyard Phoenix Downtown, you'll be centrally located in Phoenix, just a 3-minute walk fro...
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Renaissance Phoenix Downtown
A stay at Renaissance Phoenix Downtown places you in the heart of Phoenix, steps from Phoenix Symphony Hall...
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FOUNDRE Phoenix
FOUNDRE Phoenix is centrally located in Phoenix, a 3-minute walk from Burton Barr Central Library and 7 min...
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La Sonorense Tortilla Factory
- ★ 4.4
- Bakery
- $
Order Large hand-stretched Sonoran flour tortillas
La Sonorense Tortilla Factory on South Central stretches the giant tortillas de agua that define Sonoran cooking, sold warm by the dozen in South Phoenix.
El Sabroso Hot Dogs
- ★ 4.4
- Street food
- $
Order A Sonoran dog loaded with beans, tomato, onion and jalapeno salsa.
El Sabroso Hot Dogs on West Indian School has griddled the Valley's bacon-wrapped Sonoran dogs since 1997, open into the small hours on weekends.
The Fry Bread House
- ★ 4.4
- New American
- $
Order A savoury red-chile fry bread, then a sweet one dusted with sugar.
The Fry Bread House on 7th Avenue is a James Beard America's Classics winner, plating Tohono O'odham fry bread topped savoury or sweet at counter prices.
República Empanada
Order A flight of empanadas across the fillings, from beef to spinach.
República Empanada in downtown Mesa bakes Arizona's widest run of South American savory empanadas, a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives stop on 1st Avenue.
Tammie Coe Cakes & MJ Bread
- ★ 4.3
- Bakery
- $
Order Hand-decorated cakes and MJ Bread loaves
Tammie Coe Cakes & MJ Bread on Roosevelt Street pairs hand-decorated cakes with award-winning MJ Bread loaves, a downtown bakery and coffee bar since 2005.
La Purisima Bakery
- ★ 4.3
- Bakery
- $
Order Conchas and marranitos
La Purisima Bakery on Indian School Road is a family-run panaderia, racking conchas, marranitos and pan dulce that Phoenix families buy by the tray.
Jobot Coffee & Bar
- ★ 4.3
- Café
- $
Drink Espresso and crepes
Jobot Coffee & Bar on Roosevelt Street is a Roosevelt Row mainstay, pouring artisanal coffee and crepes with live music on Friday and Sunday nights.
TEG Torta Shop
- ★ 4.3
- Street food
- $
Order A milanesa or carne asada torta on the griddled telera roll.
TEG Torta Shop on 16th Street, formerly Tortas El Guero, has pressed overstuffed Mexican tortas since 2002, a counter staple for the bread-and-meat sandwich.
Los Reyes de la Torta
- ★ 4.3
- Mexican
- $
Order The Cubana torta, loaded with multiple meats and avocado.
Los Reyes de la Torta on North 7th Street stacks some of the biggest tortas in Phoenix, a family room of burros and tacos priced for a working lunch.
Tacos Huicho
Order Al pastor tacos carved off the trompo.
Tacos Huicho on Thunderbird Road is a Sinaloan-style taqueria known for vertical-spit al pastor, carne asada and tortas, with a busy north Phoenix taco line.
Royal Coffee Bar
- ★ 4.2
- Café
- $
Drink Espresso and in-house cold brew
Royal Coffee Bar on North 16th Street pulls specialty espresso and in-house cold brew from locally roasted Yellow Spruce beans, a tidy daytime cafe.
Tacos El Atoyac
- ★ 4.2
- Street food
- $
Order Street tacos straight off the plancha, dressed at the salsa table.
Tacos El Atoyac on West Buckeye is a nighttime taco stand, carving spit meats and griddling street tacos six nights a week from evening until midnight.
Restaurant Atoyac Estilo Oaxaca
- ★ 4.2
- Street food
- $
Order A Oaxacan tamale and a tlayuda-style quesadilla.
Restaurant Atoyac Estilo Oaxaca on Glendale Avenue plates Oaxacan tacos, tamales and quesadillas, a family room serving southern-Mexican food since 2010.
Taqueria El Fundador
- ★ 4.2
- Taqueria
- $
Order Birria tacos with a side of consome for dipping.
Taqueria El Fundador on West Van Buren is a Guadalajara-style taqueria known for some of the best birria tacos in Phoenix, a cheap west-side counter.
The Stand
- ★ 4.1
- Burgers
- $
- Arcadia and the Biltmore
Order A double smash burger with a side.
The Stand Arcadia Burger Shoppe on Indian School Road is a counter-service burger window, griddling smash patties with fries and shakes in the Arcadia strip.
Barb's Bakery
- ★ 4.1
- Bakery
- $
Order Old-school cakes and donuts
Barb's Bakery on North 24th Street is a long-running neighbourhood bakery, turning out cakes, donuts, cupcakes and cookies from a small storefront.
Micky's Hot Dogs
- ★ 4.1
- Street food
- $
Order The bacon-wrapped Sonoran dog with the works.
Micky's Hot Dogs on Broadway Road in Mesa is an East Valley Sonoran-dog stand, named among metro Phoenix's best bacon-wrapped dogs by Phoenix New Times.
Comedor Guadalajara
- ★ 4.1
- Mexican
- $
Order A combination plate off the lunch-special menu with rice and beans.
Comedor Guadalajara on South Central is a big sit-down Mexican room of regional staples, fast service and lunch specials that fill a plate without much spend.
Fillmore Coffee Co.
- ★ 4.0
- Café
- $
Drink Gourmet espresso and house baked goods
Fillmore Coffee Co. in downtown Phoenix pours Australian-style espresso from house-roasted beans, with breakfast burritos, acai bowls and house baked goods.
Filiberto's Mexican Food
- ★ 3.8
- Californian
- $
Order A carne asada burrito, the order that built the late-night chain.
Filiberto's on Indian School Road is a 24-hour Valley-born Mexican counter, slinging carne asada burritos, rolled tacos and California burritos all night.
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