The iconic Alberta Market convenience store is a North Portland staple for its fried chicken wings, which have hovered at a nearly unbelievable price since opening. The wings are wonderfully crispy and golden, but no order is complete without a side of jojos, the large wedges of fried potatoes. Four wings and jojos clocks in at just $8.50. The market is walk-in only.

Pine State Biscuits has been a longtime destination for tourists, with biscuits drowning in heaping quantities of shiitake mushroom and sausage gravies. Not much has changed price-wise since the pandemic, as most of the essential biscuit sandwiches remain less than $12. There’s also the option of building your own biscuit combo (starting with a $3 biscuit), with rich protein-heavy toppings that cost between $4 to $6. Those feeling less biscuit friendly can opt for equally affordable Southern-influenced specialties, like the mushroom gravy chicken pot pie ($9), triple-stack blueberry cornmeal pancakes ($10), and Andouille sausage corn dog ($6).

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 $10, including its signature Phở Dalat Dac Biet, with all sorts of beef bites includes steak, flank, and brisket. Takeout orders can be placed over the phone or in person; the restaurant also offers indoor dining.

This classic old Portland shop on Broadway has been passed down from owner to owner for decades, largely without changing the simple and honest sandwich menu that has made the Taste Tickler a cult favorite among Portlanders. In its current form, the sandwich shop serves ten-inch subs laden with options ranging from ham and salami to BBQ chicken or bulgogi. Each ten-inch sub costs around $10, but for the truly thrifty, the move is to splurge for the fourteen-inch sub, which is massive enough to constitute two meals. The shop also offers filling bento boxes for $9 to $13. The Taste Tickler is open for walk-up and call-in orders seven days a week.

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.

Those heading to Super Deluxe to satisfy a drive-thru burger craving often end up sitting in the car for 20 minutes minimum at the Powell Blvd. location. Instead, head over to the Pearl District spot for a lightning-speed experience that beats the wait of many other nationally recognized burger chains (looking at you, In-N-Out). This small Portland burger chain serves classic beef, chicken, and veggie burgers for less than $10, alongside crinkle cut fries ($2.75) and crispy popcorn-style chicken nuggets ($5.25 for 5). SuperDeluxe relies on pricing Pacific Northwestern ingredients affordably to stand out as a fast food burger staple.

This micro counter-service restaurant in the hip, industrial Zipper complex serves a mammoth fried-chicken sandwich for $10; the crispy behemoth may be the best version of the quintessential sandwich in Multnomah County. For those who want some spice in their life, 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 $10. Orders can be placed in person or online; check the website for wait times.

For those who get senseless joy out of window shopping the aisles at specialty grocers, World Foods provides that experience. It’s been a fixture of the Pearl since 2004, as well as an outdoor watering hole for locals to sip on thoughtfully selected wines and cortados. The Mediterranean deli is tucked in the back, serving pita wraps and cafeteria-style servings of harissa lamb meatballs and sumac potatoes by the pound. Most items cost less $10 per pound, like the chicken shawarma ($7.99 per pound). Mix and match with items in the glass case (typically less than $5 each) to craft the ideal lunch on-the-go.

Aalto has been a Belmont neighborhood mainstay for over 20 years thanks to its reliable cocktails and happy hour staples, which include batch-prepared drinks for less than $5 and simple-yet-satiating $4 appetizers. But even outside happy hour, drinks often remain at $11 or under (plus $3 Jell-O shots), and the entire food menu sticks to single-digit prices. The main draw here is the decked out grilled cheese and tomato soup combo. Now, this isn’t your standard Kraft and Campbell’s affair — think: Parmesan dissolving between slabs of herb-crusted bread. The accompanying dip is a respectfully sized cup of chunky tomato bisque soup, topped with shards of that same freshly cut Parmesan. The sandwich and soup is $6 outside of happy hour, or $4 during happy hour. Visitors must order a happy hour drink to get access to the deal, but after spending less than $10 on a cocktail and an app, they may find themselves ordering another round just because they can.

Chicken & Guns’ rendition of smoked rotisserie chicken arrives alongside bright and spicy South American sauces like chimichurri or aji verde. The quarter-bird option is a respectable portion of chicken with salad or “guns” (aka potato chunks), which come deeply crisped and heavily seasoned with lemon and sea salt for $11. Apart from the chicken, the menu includes a few other $12 meals, like the “Tacu Tacu,” a bowl filled with plantains, black beans, lentils, and a choice of smoked meat or potatoes. The cart sits in the Cartopia pod, which offers plenty of cozy outdoor seating.

Although General Burnside labels itself as a fried chicken destination, its menu may suggest that this low key post is more than just a wing stand. Tucked in front of a Hawthorne food pod off SE 32nd, General Burnside offers a melting pot of New York City standbys in the form of $10-dollar deli sandwiches— think hot cuts of pastrami among layers of gooey cheese stuffed inside thick slabs of naan. They’re served alongside generous portions of hand-cut potato chips, and most sandwiches pair well with a robust “Truck Driver” chai. Amid the buttermilk fried chicken and meaty sandwiches, vegan and gluten-free visitors will find equally exciting options like marinated cauliflower wings and fried okra paired with curry mayo.

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.

It may be physically impossible to leave this Centennial birria cart hungry. With a foundation of tender, methodically spiced birria, the menu of this cart ranges from crunch wraps with hot cheetos, to traditional quesabirria oozing with cheese, to ramen made with the braised beef’s consomé — all of them under $10. For $11, customers can get a smattering of various birria treats like vampiros, quesatacos, and mulitas, with a side of consomé for dipping. The cart has some picnic tables outside for those who want to eat there; Birrieria PDX has expanded, and now operates four carts around the city.

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.

Serving Filipino plates long before the cuisine's recent rise in buzz, Tambayan knocks out a fleet of hulking $11 combo plates, with options like fried chicken and sweet longganisa sausages, served with a fried egg and a nourishing garlic rice that'd slay a vampire. The vibe is low-key cafe, with the food being the main draw. Orders can be placed over the phone or in person.

This Vietnamese coffee shop from roaster Kimberly Dam generated serious buzz when it opened in April 2020, slinging cà phê sữa đá, ube and cardamom-flavored lattes, and inventive pastries. Like other restaurants on this map, the move here is sandwiches, in this case bánh mì. Provided by Dam’s mother’s House of Bánh Mì, the sandwiches are just $7, with several grilled meat options and a tofu option available for vegetarians and vegans. The bánh mì come slathered with rich egg butter, pickled vegetables, cucumbers, and soy sauce — perfectly refreshing on a hot day. Orders can be placed in person or online.