Best Cheap Eats in St Pete, FL – Budget Dining Guide

Looking for a satisfying meal that won't empty your wallet? In the Sunshine City, you'll find a variety of options ranging from home-cooked BBQ to lively taquerias and charming breakfast cafes. Whether you're wandering along Central Ave or venturing into the outskirts, the St. Pete food scene is rich with relaxed atmospheres and dishes full of local flavor. Here are our top picks for enjoying the tastes of the Burg while keeping your budget under $15.

Staying near DownTown? Our Pass-a-Grille vacation rentals  or St Pete Vacation Rental put you minutes from all of these spots — check availability here.

Five Bucks Drinkery- Budget Dining

247 Central Ave N

Although you may know this as a mainstay of downtown St. Pete, Five Bucks also has locations in Pinellas Park and Seminole. You can come in anytime from late morning until after midnight for tasty bar eats, juicy burgers, and sandwiches. Add a “Not a Colada” cocktail or alcoholic Strawberry Lemonade to your meal for–you guessed it–five bucks. With the biggest outdoor patio space downtown, Five Bucks is the prime spot to enjoy lunch, dinner, or a late-night snack.

Big C's Chopped BBQ- Cheap Eats

1035 9th St S

Nothing beats Big C’s famous chopped chicken tray sandwich for only $5. This is the best kept secret of St. Pete with its affordable prices, smoked meats, and classic BBQ sides. Their collard greens are crowned the favorite in town, though you also can’t go wrong with their potato salad. But don’t worry if you have trouble choosing. You’ll be able to pick more than one to go with your meal. Most dinner platters come with two sides, ranging from baked beans and candied yams to crab salad and mac and cheese.

Casita Taqueria- St Pete

2663 Central Ave

Voted Best of the Bay four years in a row, Casita Taqueria is a staple of the St. Pete community. You can find them at just about any corner, thanks to their three locations throughout the Burg. Their corn tortillas are made in-house, and their meats are all slow-braised to guarantee that the tacos, bowls, burritos, and more are all served fresh. Tacos here are in the $3 to $4 range, and you can order their churros drizzled in honey and cinnamon sugar to end the meal on a sweeter note.

9Bangkok- St Pete- Budget Dining

571 Central Ave

Whether you’re on the hunt for Thai curries, noodles, or sushi, 9Bangkok has you covered. Their lunch menu pairs your choice of entrée (including Thai classics like Pad Kee-Mao and Pad Thai) with soup and a spring roll. Want something lighter? Go off their sushi lunch menu, where you can pick two rolls for the same deal of soup and spring roll. Dinner entrées come at a slightly higher price point, but you can still order most plates for $15 or less.

Chile Verde- Cheap Eats

2801 22nd Ave N

Serving authentic Mexican dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, here you can get huevos rancheros, tacos, tostadas, flautas, chimichangas, and more. Their list of meats is endless, with options from the familiar toppings of chicken, chorizo, and carnitas to lamb and tripe. With tacos for just $3, you can mix and match your proteins to try as many different meats as you want. A hole-in-the-wall eatery of St. Pete, this restaurant prepares everything to order and even offers a lunch and dinner buffet for less than $10 per person.

The Frog Pond

890 3rd Ave S

Opening back in 1982, The Frog Pond is a neighborhood breakfast cornerstone. Across the street from Tropicana Field, hop on in for omelets, benedicts, and waffles seven days a week. Coffee lovers will also rejoice. The Frog Pond exclusively serves Kawha brand coffee, so you’ll know you’re guaranteed to start your morning off right when you dine here. Whether it be for breakfast or lunch, just make sure you swing by early. The Frog Pond closes each day at 2pm.

Colonial Corner Hoagie Shop

7201 49th St. N

From the moment you step into Colonial Corner and smell the caramelized onion, you’ll know you came to the right place for a Philly cheesesteak. So right, in fact, that their cheesesteak was voted the best outside of Philly in 2005. This historic shop goes back to 1977. Since then, it’s been proudly bringing hot and fresh sandwiches straight from the griddle and to the Burg. You’ll also find on the menu an assortment of deli sandwiches in addition to homemade specials of macaroni salad, fries, and more.

1Chick 1Bro Cafe Bistro

1431 49th St S

This newly opened brother-sister run bistro in Gulfport promises Venezuelan dishes that will keep you coming back for more. Rice bowls, arepas, and other specialty items like cachapas and tequeños are all reasonably priced. For under $10, you can come in for their Venezuelan breakfast platter, served with black beans, plantain, cheese, arepas, and a protein of your choosing. Need a recommendation? A creamy chicken, avocado, and mayonnaise mix makes up their Venezuelan Queen arepa.

Restaurant	Cuisine	Starting Price	Neighborhood
🍺 Five Bucks Drinkery	American Bar Eats	$5 drinks + food	Downtown Central Ave
🍖 Big C's Chopped BBQ	Southern BBQ	From $5	South St. Pete
🌮 Casita Taqueria	Mexican	Tacos from $3	Multiple locations
🍜 9Bangkok	Thai & Sushi	Lunch from $10	Downtown Central Ave
🌯 Chile Verde	Authentic Mexican	Tacos from $3	North St. Pete
🍳 The Frog Pond	Breakfast / Brunch	Under $15	Near Tropicana Field
🥖 Colonial Corner Hoagie Shop	Cheesesteaks & Deli	Under $15	Pinellas Park area
🫓 1Chick 1Bro Cafe Bistro	Venezuelan	Breakfast from $10	Gulfport