Favorite affordable restaurants?

I'm trying to save money without cutting back on eating by dining at cheaper restaurants. I'm looking for places that are sit-down, order off a menu types of places where most entrees are less than $20. I tend to go for Thai or Vietnamese when I'm looking for a good cheap meal, but I'd like to broaden my horizons and find more places like, for example, Scylla.

What are your favorite restaurants when you're looking to save a few dimes? (bonus points for BYOB!)

jn2001 wrote:What are your favorite restaurants when you're looking to save a few dimes? (bonus points for BYOB!)

I love Bite Cafe. I don't eat there to save dimes, it just works out that way because it's a great inexpensive restaurant. it's an artsy bohemic setting which may turn some off or make some feel unwelcome, they have a menu but the best is usually what's written on their chalkboard of specials. it's easy to eat there for $8-10/person, the special entrees are usually $10-13, and desserts (always changing, new desserts every other day) are $3-4/ea. 2 people can have a really great meal with desserts for for $30-40 total. entrees tend to be somewhat rich in flavors, and there's usually one or two that have a mexican influence without being anything that could be considered mexican food.

... they are somehow affiliated w/ the Empty Bottle. they're connected to it via an inside door, and you can go from bite into the empty bottle to grab drinks if you didn't BYO. (the inside door closes after 9pm or so when the empty bottle starts to fill up)

http://www.emptybottle.com/bite.htm has a sample menu, the daily specials are the thing to order..

Bite Cafe
1039 N. Western Avenue
773-395-BITE

Most (but not all) of the GNRs fit your descriptiion.

On Tuesdays at Le Bouchon (Damen & Armitage), they have a $20-22 prix fixe special. You can get any appetizer, entree and dessert on the menu for $22. If you order from a truncated three course prix, then you can get it for $20. I call that a good deal.

I'd also add Sabatino's to your list. It is very good old school Italian (also a GNR, as pointed out indirectly by stevez), several entrees are in the teens, but you get gratis a cup of soup (I go for the straciatella) and a salad. When I was in law school, I lived down the street from Sabatino's and it was enough of a value to fit into that tight budget.

Sabatino's
4441 W. Irving Park Road
Chicago, IL 60641
773-283-8331