Tacos El Gordo ★ 4.7
Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista, San Diego, the open-until-4am Tijuana-style trompo carving adobada tacos for around three dollars and California burritos.
Try: Vertical-trompo adobada tacos under $4
Eat well in San Diego for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Cheap eats worth seeking out
Lolita's Mexican Food ★ 4.4
Lolita's Mexican Food on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard in Kearny Mesa, San Diego, the California-burrito counter selling the canonical version for under twelve.
Try: California burrito under $12, breakfast burrito $8-10
Oscar's Mexican Seafood ★ 4.5
Oscar's Mexican Seafood on Emerald Street in Pacific Beach, San Diego, the local-vote fish taco champion with battered fish for under five and ceviche.
Try: Fish tacos under $5, ceviche tostadas $7
Filippi's Pizza Grotto Little Italy ★ 4.1
Filippi's Pizza Grotto on India Street in San Diego's Little Italy, the 1950 family-Italian counter behind a market storefront pouring red-sauce pasta.
Try: Pizza by the slice, hero sandwiches, family-style pasta
Hob Nob Hill ★ 4.3
Hob Nob Hill on First Avenue in Bankers Hill, San Diego, the eighty-year-old all-day diner with old-fashioned pancakes, daily blue-plate specials and full.
Try: Pancakes, biscuits and gravy, daily blue-plate specials
Pokez Mexican Restaurant ★ 4.0
Pokez in San Diego's East Village, the punk-rock Mexican counter near City College where the vegan burrito runs nine dollars and the carne asada lands.
Try: Vegan burrito, carne asada burrito, breakfast burritos
Hodad's ★ 4.4
Hodad's on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, San Diego, the 1969 surf-shack burger counter where the single Hodad runs under twelve and the bacon cheeseburger.
Try: Bacon cheeseburger, single Hodad burger under $12
Rubicon Deli Mission Hills ★ 4.3
Rubicon Deli on India Street in Mission Hills, San Diego, the Dutch Crunch sandwich counter where the half Rubicon Special runs under seven and the whole.
Try: Dutch Crunch sandwiches, half or whole
Phil's BBQ ★ 4.2
Phil's BBQ on Sports Arena Boulevard in Point Loma, San Diego, the long-queue mesquite-grill counter selling sandwiches under fourteen and a half-rack.
Try: Ribs, pulled pork sandwich, BBQ chicken
Pho Hoa ★ 4.3
Pho Hoa on El Cajon Boulevard in City Heights, San Diego, the long-running Vietnamese soup counter selling large bowls of beef pho for under seven dollars.
Try: Pho dac biet (special beef pho), small or large bowl
Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop ★ 4.2
Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop in Mission Hills, San Diego, the take-out wrestling-themed counter slinging four-dollar tacos and the Surfin' California.
Try: Surfin' California burrito, $4 tacos, Lucha-style adobada
Bread and Cie Cafe ★ 4.2
Bread and Cie's cafe counter on University Avenue in Hillcrest, San Diego, the in-house bakery serving sandwiches on its own stone-hearth loaves.
Try: Sandwiches on house bread, soups, scones