Best Cheap Eats in Washington DC: A Local Food Guide

DC has a reputation as a steakhouse-and-expense-account town, but its best cheap eats come from the immigrant communities that built the city’s food scene. You can eat well for under $15 almost anywhere, from Salvadoran pupusas to the half-smoke, a sausage invented in the District. This guide covers the best cheap eats in Washington DC, focused on local spots. My favorite is the most historic spot listed last.

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Vegetarian Cheap Eats with a Cause: Falafel Inc

Falafel Inc in Georgetown is about the cheapest full meal in the city. A falafel sandwich costs under $5 and fries are $3, so a full meal comes in under $10. The falafel is fried to order and stuffed into warm pita with the usual fixings, and the Zatar fries cost a dollar extra. The shop also partners with the World Food Programme, and a portion of each order funds meals for refugees.

• What to Order: A falafel sandwich and the Zatar fries. Two people can eat a delicious meal for under $20.
• Best If: You want the cheapest quick, filling, vegetarian-friendly meal while you’re out around Georgetown.
• Skip If: You want to sit down for a long meal. This is a fast, counter-service stop.

Best Salvadoran Food in DC: El Rinconcito

DC has the largest Salvadoran community in the country, and pupusas are the signature dish. They’re thick handmade masa cakes stuffed with cheese, beans, or pork and griddled to order. El Rinconcito Café, a small spot near 14th Street, makes some of the best in the city, served with curtido (a tangy pickled cabbage slaw) and salsa roja. At around $3 a pupusa, two people eat for well under $20.

• What to Order: A couple of revueltas pupusas (cheese, beans, and pork) with extra curtido.
• Best If: You’ve never had Salvadoran food, or you want the most authentic cheap meal in the city.
• Skip If: You need a big menu of familiar options. This is a small, traditional spot focused on doing pupusas right.

Best Late-Night Falafel in DC: Amsterdam Falafelshop

Amsterdam Falafelshop in Adams Morgan has been a late-night fixture for years, popular with the after-bar crowd for its falafel and self-serve toppings bar. A small pita of three falafel balls is $7.50, a large is $8.75, and the toppings, baba ganoush, Turkish salad, house-pickled beets, and more, are free. You build the pita yourself at the counter.

• What to Order: A large pita to assemble at the toppings bar. Pile on the pickled beets and the garlic sauce.
• Best If: You’re out late in Adams Morgan and want something cheap, filling, and vegetarian to end the night.
• Skip If: You want a quiet sit-down. This is a stand-up, after-hours kind of place that’s busiest late.

Best Cheap Tacos in DC: Taqueria Habanero

Taqueria Habanero offers Puebla-style Mexican food in a small, family-run space, and it’s some of the best cheap eats in the city. Tacos on house-made tortillas run about $4 each, so two people can eat well here, too, for around $20. The al pastor and the carnitas are the best ones to get, and the spicy salsas are made in-house.

• What to Order: Al pastor and carnitas tacos on the house-made tortillas, with a side of the guacamole.
• Best If: You want authentic, cheap tacos beyond the fast-casual chains, and you don’t mind a small, busy space.
• Skip If: You want a quick grab-and-go. These tacos are made to order, so expect a short wait.

Best Pizza in DC: Wiseguy Pizza

Wiseguy is the best pizza in the city, in my opinion. The New York-style pies have a thin, foldable crust and a proper char, and you can grab two slices for under $10, which makes it a cheap lunch downtown. They are huge, so two slices are plenty. A whole pie will cost you $25 but it’s worth it to split with friends. There are locations in Chinatown, Navy Yard, and Foggy Bottom, plus gluten-free and vegan options.

• What to Order: A classic cheese or pepperoni slice.
• Best If: You want a genuine New York slice in DC.
• Skip If: You want a sit-down dinner. Wiseguy is built for grabbing a couple of slices and a drink.

Best DC Jumbo Slice: A Late-Night Institution

If your just looking for cheap pizza, the jumbo slice is a DC institution of its own. You’ll get a giant, floppy, cheese-drenched New York-style slice sold for about $5 from the pizza shops along U Street and in Adams Morgan. It’s the standard end-of-night food after the bars close, folded in half and eaten on the sidewalk. It isn’t the best pizza in the city, but it’s a classic DC late-night option.

• What to Order: A plain cheese jumbo slice with extra napkins. A couple of dollars more gets you a topping.
• Best If: It’s late, you’ve been out, and you want the classic DC end-of-night bite.
• Skip If: You’re after quality. The jumbo slice is about size and timing, not finesse. So that’s why I have two pizza entries on this list. Go to Wiseguy if you’re looking for quality.

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Best DC Half-Smoke: Ben’s Chili Bowl

Ben’s Chili Bowl has held the same U Street location since 1958, and it’s the most beloved food institution in the city. It survived the 1968 riots by staying open to feed the neighborhood, and it’s fed everyone from local regulars to presidents since. The half-smoke, a spicy pork and beef sausage topped with mustard, onions, and Ben’s homemade chili, are the reason to come. The half-smoke is one of the few dishes actually invented in DC.

🏆 My Personal Pick

Ben’s Chili Bowl is my pick of every cheap eat in DC. The original U Street location is the one to go to, with the same counter, booths, and stools that have been there for decades. Get the half-smoke, DC’s signature dish, and a bowl of the classic chili on the side. The spicy half-smoke has a real kick if you want it. There are vegetarian options, too, so it works for a mixed group. My wife loves the veggie chili.

• What to Order: The half-smoke, plus a bowl of the classic chili. Vegetarians can get the veggie burger and chili.
• Best If: You want the single most beloved cheap eat in DC, with a side of civil-rights history.
• Skip If: You want a quiet, modern spot. Ben’s is a loud, cash-friendly counter.

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Cheap Eats in Washington DC: What to Know Before You Go

A few things make eating cheap here easier:

• Head to U Street, Columbia Heights, and Adams Morgan, where the best budget food and the immigrant communities behind it cluster.
• Take the Metro rather than driving, since these neighborhoods sit on the Green, Yellow, and Red lines and parking is a hassle.
• Carry a little cash, since a few of the oldest spots, including the Ben’s counter, still prefer it.
• Go for pupusas and tacos at lunch, when they’re freshest and the lines are shortest.
• Tip your counter, since even at cheap spots 15 to 20 percent is standard in the US and these are small local businesses.

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Where to Stay in Washington DC: My Top Picks

Budget

• Generator Washington DC is my go-to budget option. It’s comfortable and stylish in a way most hostels aren’t, and it puts you in Dupont Circle within walking distance of amazing restaurants and nightlife.
• Motto by Hilton Washington DC Downtown is right by the Chinatown gate, a close walk to Penn Quarter, the National Mall, and City Center, and it’s home to Crimson, the rooftop I recommend in my DC rooftop guide.

Mid-Range

• Canopy by Hilton Washington DC at the Wharf puts you steps from the waterfront restaurants, with Capitano downstairs for coastal Italian and a rooftop terrace looking over the Potomac.
• Hyatt House Washington DC at the Wharf is also in the middle of the waterfront restaurants, and H Bar on the second floor does cocktails and light bites with river views.

Luxury

• InterContinental The Willard Washington D.C. has hosted presidents since 1818, and the Round Robin Bar is one of the most historic places in the city to order a proper cocktail.
• Waldorf Astoria Washington DC occupies the old Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue and is home to The Bazaar by José Andrés, which is my favorite fine-dining experience in the city. It’s also steps from the National Mall.

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🍪 Final Bite

DC eats well on a budget, and these are the cheap spots that prove it, most of them under $15 for two:

• Grab the cheapest full meal in the city at Falafel Inc in Georgetown.
• Order a few pupusas at El Rinconcito for the best Salvadoran food in DC.
• Build a loaded pita at Amsterdam Falafelshop after a night out.
• Share cheap Puebla-style tacos at Taqueria Habanero.
• Fold a New York slice at Wiseguy, the best pizza in the city.
• Grab a jumbo slice on U Street at the end of a long night.
• Eat a half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl, my pick of the whole list.

Been to DC and found a cheap spot I missed? Tell me in the comments, I’m always hunting for the next great half-smoke or pupusa.

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