Pho Momma ★ 4.8
Pho Momma on Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento serves a Michelin Bib Gourmand pho under $18, the best-value Vietnamese counter with house pork wontons.
Try: Pho with house pork wontons
Eat well in Sacramento for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Cheap eats worth seeking out
Mother ★ 4.7
Mother on K Street, midtown Sacramento, is the city's defining vegetarian counter under $20, daily-changing California farm-to-fork bowls and sandwiches.
Try: Seasonal vegetable bowls and farm sandwiches
Selland's Market-Cafe ★ 4.5
Selland's H Street counter in East Sacramento serves rotisserie chicken under $17, a walk-in family room from the team behind Ella Dining Room and OBO'.
Try: Rotisserie chicken and seasonal sides
Squeeze Burger K Street ★ 4.4
Squeeze Burger on K Street, downtown Sacramento, serves the signature third-pound patty with a fried cheese skirt under $12, the local institution.
Try: Squeezeburger with cheese skirt
Chando's Tacos Arden Way ★ 4.4
Chando's Tacos on Arden Way is the family street-taco counter under $12, the relaunched Sacramento chain with stone-ground tortillas since 2010.
Try: Street tacos and NorCal burrito
Petra Greek Midtown ★ 4.3
Petra Greek on 16th Street, midtown Sacramento, serves chicken and lamb gyros under $16, the family-run Greek counter on the 16th Street strip.
Try: Gyro plate and lamb wrap
Pho Bac Hoa Viet South Sac ★ 4.6
Pho Bac Hoa Viet on Stockton Boulevard serves family-run beef pho and bun bowls under $15, a Vietnamese commercial corridor counter, open daily.
Try: Beef pho and bun rice noodle bowls
Tres Hermanas ★ 4.2
Tres Hermanas on K Street, midtown Sacramento, serves Northern Mexico plates under $16, the sister-run family room since 1996 with chile rellenos.
Try: Chile relleno and pork burrito
Pho Saigon Stockton Boulevard ★ 4.1
Pho Saigon on Stockton Boulevard in Sacramento Vietnamese corridor serves long-simmered beef pho under $15, the neighborhood counter open daily.
Try: Beef pho and Vietnamese coffee
Vampire Penguin Old Sacramento ★ 4.0
Vampire Penguin in Old Sacramento at 2nd Street serves the signature shaved snow bowl under $10, the original 2013 storefront of the now-national chain.
Try: Shaved snow bowl with toppings