Eat well in Washington DC without overpaying: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in Washington DC for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington DC is the U Street half-smoke counter since 1958, the city's defining cheap-eat with the chili half-smoke at $7.95.
TryChili half-smoke ($7.95)
TipPair a chili half-smoke with the chili cheese fries to share; $20 covers two people including drinks.
Pho 14 Columbia Heights in Washington DC is the Park Road Vietnamese counter with pho served from a 14-hour broth, a six-item menu and bowls under $16.
TryPho bowl ($12-16)
TipThe pho dac biet (special) at $14 feeds two if you order extra noodles; the spring rolls are the value side.
Julia's Empanadas in Washington DC is the Adams Morgan 18th Street empanada counter since 1993, open until 03:00 on Friday and Saturday nights.
TryTwo-empanada combo ($9-11)
TipTwo empanadas plus a side of plantains stays under $12; Friday and Saturday counter runs until 03:00 for the late-night crowd.
Tortilla Cafe Eastern Market in Washington DC is the Capitol Hill 7th Street Salvadoran-Mexican counter with three-pupusa plates under $12 and Salvadoran.
TryThree pupusas plate ($11)
TipThe combo platter of three pupusas with rice and beans is $11 and feeds one large appetite; share for $7.
Toki Underground in Washington DC is the H Street NE upstairs ramen and dumpling room from Erik Bruner-Yang, the city's anchor ramen shop with bowls.
TryRamen bowl ($14-17)
TipLunch on weekdays is the quickest seat; the dumpling combo with a half-bowl of ramen is the value play.
Florida Avenue Grill in Washington DC is the LeDroit Park 1944 diner with breakfast all day, the city's cheapest soul food sit-down with eggs-grits-biscuit.
TryBreakfast plate with eggs, grits, biscuit ($13)
TipBreakfast runs all day; the half-smoke breakfast plate at $13 is the editorial value meal of the menu.
Bindaas Bowls and Rolls in Washington DC is the Penn Quarter fast-casual Indian counter from the Rasika team of Ashok Bajaj and chef Vikram Sunderam.
TryChicken tikka masala kathi roll ($12-14)
TipThe chicken tikka masala kathi roll is the bestseller; pair it with the chili-cheese curry puff for the editorial value plate.
Purple Patch in Washington DC is Patrice Cleary's Mount Pleasant Street Filipino dining room since 2014, with lumpia, pancit and an adobo plate that all run.
TryFilipino lumpia and pancit ($14)
TipThe lunch combo of lumpia, half a pancit and an adobo is the editorial value at under $16; the brunch tocino at weekends is similar.
HipCityVeg Chinatown in Washington DC is the Philadelphia-born plant-based chain's 7th Street counter, a fast-casual fully vegan room with crispy chick'n.
TryCrispy HipCity chick'n sandwich ($10-12)
TipLate-night service runs to 02:00 Thursday to Saturday; the chick'n sandwich plus a side of fries holds the meal under $14 with no plant-based-tax surcharge.
Dukem in Washington DC runs a $16 vegetarian combination platter at the U Street Ethiopian dining room, a round of injera with misir, shiro.
TryVegetarian combination ($16)
TipThe veg combo for two with extra injera at $4 is the city's best Ethiopian value at under $25 for the table.
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