This St. Johns food cart is one of the more underrated Mexican spots in the neighborhood, stuffing burritos with tangy adobo-marinated pork and whole chiles rellenos. Burritos live in the $9 to $11 range, while tacos are $2; the cart even offers breakfast options like $11 chilaquiles and $11 huevos rancheros.

This Nob Hill food cart stuffs delicate Chinese crepes with scrambled egg, chili bean sauce, wonton crackers, and smoked sausage, all for under $11. It’s a classic, filling lunch in Northwest Portland, best paired with a pint from the Pour House cart in the same pod.

This Belizean restaurant is a favorite among Portland State University kids, thanks to the combination of fall-off-the-bone chicken, rice, beans, salad, and habanero hot sauce for $11. Any of the above are available a la carte for about $4, and additional dishes like yellow coconut curry or stewed red beans that are priced in the single digits. It’s hard to think of a better, tastier deal in that part of town.

Outside of happy hour, a margherita pizza for one at the casually rustic Life of Pie costs $13, but during happy hour, that drops down to just $7 — with the optional add-on of a $6 beer or wine. The best part? Happy hour runs every day for seven whole hours, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s best eaten on the patio of the restaurant, as the extra-thin crust doesn’t hold up to travel for long.

This Northeast Couch Chinese restaurant specializes, of course, in bao, fluffy steamed buns stuffed with curried chicken, sweetened red bean, and juicy pork. One is filling enough for a snack and only $3.50, but a steamer basket of three is only $10. For something even heartier, the zha jiang mian noodles, wonton soup, and congee all clock in under $10. For a little bit of both, a bao and a wonton soup is $11.

The number of conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Portland is frustratingly small, especially in an era of COVID-influenced dining. Sushi Ohana, however, has maintained the integrity of this dine-in-centric style of cuisine, offering stacks of rotating California rolls, nigiri, and tempura. Thanks to the classic five-tier pricing style, it’s easy to spend less than $12 while dining in, since even the “priciest” plates of higher-quality fish remain less than $5. During the busier lunch and dinner rushes, the trays are loaded, making it possible to get a meal in less than 30 minutes.

The sandwiches at these two laid-back counter-service locations in Southeast barely count as sliders — at around $6 or $7 each, they’re practically the size of an average fast food burger, especially with options like the Steel, a double cheeseburger that easily dwarves the average burger patty in town and comes in at $7.50. Those who want fries can add them for a few more dollars and stay around $12; the combo easily makes for a filling meal.

This micro counter-service restaurant in the hip, industrial Zipper complex serves a mammoth fried-chicken sandwich for $11; the crispy behemoth may be the best version of the quintessential sandwich in Multnomah County. For those who want some spice in their lives, the Nashville-style hot chicken comes decently close to the real thing, served searingly hot on a thick slice of white bread with pickles, also for $11. Vegetarians will save a buck with the fried tofu sandwich, a honey brioche bun layered with crispy tofu, cabbage slaw, and buttermilk sauce.

Alberta’s burrito destination offers options as cheap as $6.50 with beans and rice, with carnitas and chicken burritos still under $10. For those willing to spring for the extra dollar, the restaurant’s tender suadero may be the best item on the menu. Other cash-conscious dishes include tacos with house-made tortillas, poblano tamales, and carnitas quesadillas.

This cramped, family-owned bakery packs its shelves with all sorts of baked goods, from Thai green tea cakes and Chinese almond cookies to steamed bao and fluffy wrapped hot dogs. The show-stealer is the bánh mì sandwich on fluffy house-baked bread, which is one of the city’s best. Options like pork belly, bbq pork, and pâté will satisfy those who eat meat, while a few vegetarian options round it out for those who don’t; none of them are over $5.

This Vietnamese tofu shop, cafe, and deli is a standby among families in the Portland area, who stop in for crispy fried tofu, salad rolls, and bánh cuốn. The menu is littered with stuff under $10, including filling portions of flavorful sticky rice, and bánh tiêu, or Vietnamese doughnuts. Offerings change often, but it’s hard to go wrong with what’s in the case.

There’s something about ducks hanging in windows that draws the immediate attention of Chinese food lovers, searching for comfort foods that remind them of Chinatowns across America. In which case, Pure Spice caters to this audience appropriately, serving slabs of roasted duck brushed with sweet five spice sauce, and presented on beds of white rice or topped over egg noodles. Apart from dim sum standbys and clay pot meals, Pure Spice’s lunch menu offers an array of classic Chinese American dishes like honey chicken wings and chow mein for less than $12. Lamb and bean curd sheets, salt and pepper squid, and dan dan noodles give patrons of all appetites a chance to find something they like, especially considering the menu offers a whopping 38 dishes for lunch.

A relaxed, spacious diner, Phở Dalat is a reliable stop for one of Portland’s most ubiquitous dishes, especially for those on their way to or from the airport. The bowls of beef broth, tender noodles, and accoutrements like tripe, round steak, and tendon are all around $11, including its signature Phở Dalat Dac Biet, with all sorts of beef bites includes steak, flank, and brisket.