College students can always go for a cheap lunch to save money (and escape the dining halls). Luckily for Berkeley students, Northside is brimming with affordable lunch options, and these three restaurants at Euclid and Hearst are doing it right with sandwiches (and other delicious dishes) for less than $6.
1. Hummingbird Cafe
Photo by Smita Jain
Hummingbird Cafe is tucked away down Euclid near Berkeley Street, but it’s worth the walk. They serve fresh deli sandwiches that average only $4.75 for a more than affordable lunch. They have all of the classics — turkey, roast beef and salami — as well as specials like mortadella and roasted chicken with sumac (a tart Mediterranean spice) — all served on your choice of freshly baked bread with the standard lettuce, tomato, onions and mayo.
Photo by Smita Jain
A meal at Hummingbird wouldn’t be complete without their splurge-worthy smoothies. Made with just-squeezed fruit juice and creamy sherbert, these smoothies are the perfect balance of thick and rich, but tart and refreshing. The Maui Dream is a Spoon favorite with cranberry juice, pineapple chunks and coconut sherbert that makes for a refreshingly tropical blend. At $4 a smoothie, these drinks will take your lunch into normal price ranges for a Berkeley meal, but the cost is worth every sip.
Courtesy of yelp.com
2. Stuffed Inn
Photo by Smita Jain
Across the street from Hummingbird, Stuffed Inn is your classic soup and sandwich place with high quality eats at low prices. They don’t have crazy flavor combinations, but their classic selections, like Bob’s Roast Beef and Cheese or Huey’s Pastrami, come stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, red onions, pepperoncinis and pickles. Oh, and did we mention that with all of those condiments, almost every sandwich is still only $5 or less? Cheap lunchtime here we come.
Photo by Smita Jain
The perfect partner to these sandwiches is a cup of Stuffed Inn’s soup, made in-house every day. From the Euclid Split Pea to the Soupendous Garden Vegetable, each provides a warm flavorful sidekick for your sandwich. And at $2.25 per cup and only $1.50 for “refills,” you won’t have to settle for that half sandwich, half cup-of-soup nonsense.
3. Northside Cafe
Courtesy of yelp.com
Last but not least, Northside Cafe completes the cheap eats on Northside with affordable breakfast dishes, deli and specialty sandwiches as well as huge baked potatoes. Their deli sandwiches are $5.65 for a cost-effective but still tasty lunch, with no extra charge for avocado on vegetarian sandwiches.
Before 11:30 am on weekdays or 3 pm on weekends, you can turn your lunch into brunch with a fluffy pancake platter or signature breakfast wrap (your choice of sausage, bacon or ham wrapped up with scrambled eggs, potatoes and salsa for only $4-6).
If you really want a satisfying lunch, then their house favorite baked potatoes will hit the spot with toppings from bacon and cheddar cheese to red-hot chili and chicken breast ($4.50-6.50).
With a selection this wide and at prices this great, you’re sure to have a fantastic dining experience on Northside — even if you’re doing so between classes.