We’re broke college students with enormous appetites. We wish we knew how to cook more than spaghetti and ramen, but most of our attempts result in failure. So, we often eat out and cry as we spend $10 or more on a decent meal.
To console our wallets and our stomachs, here are 9 delicious, cheap eats around UC Berkeley.
1. All-American Burger at Pappy’s Grill and Sports Bar
UC Berkeley students can order an all-American burger combo for just $5. For an extra $2, you can upgrade your medium soda to a pint of Rolling Rock. Just be sure to bring your Cal ID to show the cashier. If you’re not a Cal student, Pappy’s has other weekly deals like Taco Tuesday and Wing Wednesday.
2. Bento Boxes at Tea Press
Chicken Curry Bento Box | Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
Get a Taiwanese meal at Tea Press for $5.37, $6.95 with a drink including boba. The bento boxes are very filling and come with the main entrée, rice, soft tofu, lu dan (soy sauce stewed egg) and steamed vegetables. If you don’t want a full meal, Tea Press also offers a boba special; two drinks for $3.50.
3. Weekly Deals at Dot Island Grill
A photo posted by Albert Venzon (@alphavenzon) on Sep 11, 2014 at 10:28am PDT
Dot Island Grill is one of the few places that serves reasonably priced seafood. Each day of the week has its own special, and Sunday has two. On Tuesdays, you can get tilapia with two sides for $6. In addition to seafood, Dot Island also has various fried items on their dish like its popular Wednesday special, $5 chicken katsu.
4. Sandwiches at Cheese n’ Stuff
Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
Located near Unit 3, Cheese n’ Stuff is the perfect place to grab a sandwich between classes. A cold sandwich can come as low as $3.95, and a panino is only $5.50. Cheese n’ Stuff also does catering, so it’s a great spot for event planners on a budget.
5. Weekday Specials at 723 Tea Station
Tucked inside Sather Lane, 723 Tea Station serves a variety of drinks, snacks, rice bowls and bento boxes. On weekdays, there’s a bento box special: $6.95 for a bento box and iced milk tea. We recommend going on Tuesdays for the fish fillet special. 723 also has student specials: 10% off a food item and drink combo.
6. Slice & Salad at Sliver
A photo posted by Monique Y Luong (@monique_yl) on Jun 8, 2015 at 5:35pm PDT
Loved by vegetarians and meat-lovers alike, Sliver serves a different vegetarian pizza and salad each day. Get a slice and a salad for $5.69. Each order of pizza comes with an extra sliver of pizza, so really, you’re getting a slice and a half and a salad for just $5.69.
7. Pasta Lunch at Pasta Bene
A photo posted by Jocelyn Hsu (@jocelynnhsu) on Jul 3, 2015 at 1:35pm PDT
From 11 am – 3 pm, you can get the Pasta Bene, Cheese Ravioli, Penne Bolognese or Melanzane for $6.95 as part of Pasta Bene’s lunch special. The delicious pasta comes with two slices of bread and is incredibly well-portioned.
8. Combo 2 at Chinese Express
Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
Fast and satisfying, Chinese Express is the place to go for cheap Chinese food. Though the food isn’t authentic—think a better, cheaper Panda Express—it’s still quite good and very filling. You can get fried rice, chow mein or chow fun with two dishes for $5.99. If you’re eating with a friend, order a small family meal for $9.95 and get nearly the same amount of food as two combos.
9. Breakfast at Bleecker Bistro
A photo posted by sid | सिद्धार्थ (@matchamachi) on Jan 19, 2015 at 10:38am PST
Get an all-American breakfast at Bleecker Bistro for about $6 or less. Breakfast sandwiches are all under $4.75, a stack of 3 pancakes is $4.95 and the Washington Square omelette which comes with avocado and bacon is $5.95.
Bon appetite.