Top Cheap Food and Large Portions at Chicago Restaurants

Finding great cheap restaurants in Chicago has become a mission of mine in the past few weeks. Finding, tracking down, and actually locating a good cheap restaurant is a great way to know different neighborhoods in a city as large as Chicago. Finding good cheap restaurants in a city as expensive as Chicago is also a great way to get a little more bang for your consumer dollar. Here are my three favorite cheap restuarnats in Chicago. One was recommended by a co-worker, the other two were recommendations of the doorman. All three have great food perfect for any budget!

Perry’s is located at 174 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60606. Over the past two decades Perry’s has become a local favorite in the city of Chicago. I knew I was in the right place for some good cheap food when I saw a line about a mile long coming out of this place. Ok, so a mile is an exaggeration, but it did take me about 20 minutes to get to the front to place my order. The atmosphere is fun though and people don’t seem to mind waiting. There is a lot to look at while you are waiting for your sandwich. Sandwiches make up the menu for the most part. You can find the usual suspects like egg salad, roast beef stacked delights, and turkey. Share a sandwich with a friend or come hungry though cause they are large! Every sandwich is served with a side of macaroni salad or coleslaw. I had the mac salad and it was tasty. I think I would come back for another Frenchy Fantasy before the macaroni salad though. For $7.50 I had enough sandwich meet for three meals! Perry’s can be reached at (312) 372-7557. Go online and check out their menu at http://www.perrysdeli.com/slaw.html.

I was so happy when I stumbled across Thai Bowl. Students from the nearby college were packed in here, so I knew I found somewhere cheap to eat. Thai food is my favorite and it is almost always affordable. The crab rangoons at Thai Bowl were crunchy on the outside, soft and sweet in the middle and best of all cheap! They were more what I would expect from a Chinese restaurant, but I was happy to find them here. Orders of their pad Thai dishes are large and under $10, so you can easily make a meal out of the leftovers or share with a friend. Thai Bowl is located at 1049 West Taylor Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60607. This is another one of that place that does not accept credit cards, so make sure you have cash on you. Thai Bowl can be reached at (312) 226-5865.

Pompei Bakery is one of those great melting pot restaurants where you can find someone from every walk of life. I guess everyone loves Italian and everyone in Chicago really loves affordable Italian. I saw students, police officers families and couples out for a big cheap Italian meal. Prices are kept low with the cafeteria style dining. I ordered fresh baked pizza with sausage and pepperoni at the counter and it was brought to my table piping hot and fresh. The salad was also very fresh and tasty. Pompei Bakery is located at 1531 West Taylor Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60607. They have two dining rooms. Both dining rooms can get a little packed in this super affordable Italian cafeteria, so be prepared for a crowds. Pompei Bakery can be reached at (312) 421-5179. They are open daily pretty much from 10am to 10pm. I saw really large desserts here for less than $5, so if you are in the mood for a hot cup of coffee and a big cheap dessert check Pompei Bakery out.