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On The Cheap

Rosticeria Cancun Dos

Two’s a charm
The first and most striking difference is that Cancun Dos has tables and a kitchen (at Cancun Uno, you had to settle for a counter and a stove).

By: KENJI ALT | August 06, 2008

Billy's Sub Shop

Neighborhood tested, peace officer approved
With its counter service, laminate booths, plastic tableware, and cafeteria trays, Billy’s is short on frills, but the food is cheap, tasty, and fresh.

By: MC SLIM JB | July 30, 2008

El Potro

Curtido in disguise
Like a Mexican wrestling luchador, El Potro hides its true identity under a mask.

By: KENJI ALT | July 23, 2008

Boston Speed’s Famous Hot Dog Wagon

Keeping a cherished flame alive
If you haven’t heard of Speed’s Famous Hot Dog Wagon, you clearly are not plugged into Boston’s chow grid.

By: MC SLIM JB | July 16, 2008

Four Burgers

Make mine medium-rare — and green
What is Four Burgers’ edge? The owner favors sustainability-minded suppliers of all-natural ingredients.

By: MC SLIM JB | July 02, 2008

El Paisa Restaurante

Another thrifty South American standout in Eastie
I found out about El Paisa from a cabbie from Medellín, who called it the prettiest, most authentic Colombian place around.

By: MC SLIM JB | June 25, 2008

Fresh reasons to break out of your rut
Like many Boston-area Mexican restaurants, Taco Loco is run by Salvadorans, here a friendly, hustling bunch serving cheap, very fresh-tasting tacos, burritos, and pupusas to local crowds.

By: MC SLIM JB | June 18, 2008

Terrie's Place

Real Southie flavor, on the plate and in the air
This is a Southie neighborhood restaurant, and I’m the only one in the place whom Terrie doesn’t know by name.

By: MC SLIM JB | June 11, 2008

New York Pizza

A pretty good slice, despite the dubious branding strategy
After years of willful neglect, I finally gave New York Pizza a whirl — and now regret not visiting sooner.

By: MC SLIM JB | June 04, 2008

Taqueria El Carrizal

True to the Allston aesthetic of cheap, substantial, and authentic
Central and South American dishes and Mexican tacos favored by Latino patrons seem close to Allston’s authentically minded spirit.

By: MC SLIM JB | May 28, 2008

Trutony's Deli

Bulging sandwiches with a side of friendly conversation
Trutony’s is the sort of idiosyncratic local joint they’re not minting anymore.

By: MC SLIM JB | May 21, 2008

The Junction: Southie

An island of solid pub fare in a sea of bad drunk food
“Forget Southie dining, MC,” says my pal Eddie, a long-time resident who doesn’t include the Seaport or Fort Point Channel in his definition of the neighborhood.

By: MC SLIM JB | May 14, 2008

Punjab Palace

A chip off the ol’ baingan bhartha
Had I known that Punjab Palace was related to India Quality, my favorite old-school Indian restaurant, I’d have visited sooner.

By: MC SLIM JB | May 07, 2008

Taquería El Amigo

A tasty reunion with a beloved neighborhood friend
Far from Waltham’s downtown restaurant cluster, this 16-seat storefront is a hidden, tiny cash-only gem where every patron is speaking Spanish and lustily devouring bowls of menudo.

By: MC SLIM JB | April 30, 2008

Xinh Xinh Restaurant

A Chinatown godsend for ignorant Anglophones
The path to Chinatown is well-trodden by chowhounds seeking Asian authenticity at popular prices.

By: MC SLIM JB | April 23, 2008

Rincon Limeño

The glories of Peruvian cuisine in a frugal, friendly package
I’ve often called East Boston our city’s most overlooked cheap-eats destination.

By: MC SLIM JB | April 16, 2008

Blunch

A café for the hardworking gourmand
Blunch is not the most mellifluous name, merely a pragmatic one for a place that serves breakfast and lunch.

By: MC SLIM JB | April 09, 2008

Villa México Café

Deliciousness where you least expect it
Reviewing restaurants is a pretty sweet gig for me, but it can be a trial for my less food-obsessed family and friends, whom I regularly dragoon into helping me sample the length and breadth of cheap-eats menus.

By: MC SLIM JB | April 02, 2008