10 great value student meals in Sydney

In Sydney, dining as a student on a budget doesn’t have to mean making meals out of staples at home. There are a ton of options for cheap eats, meaning your diet can be varied and interesting.

First up, let’s look at the plethora of cheap finds in and around Sydney. You’ve got:

1. Chinatown
Haymarket, NSW 2000
Head to Chinatown for a filling feed that won’t set you back more than $10. Chinese Noodle Restaurant (8 Quay St) offers 12 giant pork and chive dumplings for $9.80, while Ho’s Dim Sum Kitchen (429a Pitt St) lets you fill a bag of buns and dumplings for well under $10!

2. Big Bite on Pitt
250 Pitt St, NSW 2000
Known for its humongous sandwiches and daily specials, every sandwich is less than $10 and fillings include rare roasted fillet of beef, chicken schnitzel and roasted vegetables. These sandwiches are enormous and incredibly delicious – talk about value for money!

3. Smoking Gun Bagels
129-129A Cathedral St, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011
A breakfast and lunch winner that serves up classic bagels like Bagels with cream cheese ($6.50) through to Smoked Wagyu bagels with harissa mayonnaise, house made fermented cabbage, dukkah and coriander ($13.00). Vegetarians will love the mushroom bagel with pepe saya cream cheese, pickled mushroom and fried sage ($11) and dessert lovers can drool over a rhubarb or lemon bagel, cream cheese, lemon curd and meringue.

4. Banh Mi Co 
76 Harris St, Pyrmont NSW 2009
Banh Mi Co has what can only be described as a cult following. The pork roll ($7) and grilled beef rolls ($8.50) are epic, and be sure to ask for extra pate. The prices are slightly higher than Sydney Pork Rolls (627 George St) but the extra couple of dollars and the stroll over to Pyrmont is worth it.

5. Alice’s Makan
580 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
Alice’s Makan is not your average Malaysian eatery. Packed with flavour and vintage love, it’s one of Sydney’s best ‘bang for buck’ hotspots. The menu offers the best of both worlds: tasty hawker food you’d find on the streets of Malaysia and mouth-watering cakes and desserts (Alice’s signature craft). Go for a spicy Nasi Goreng for $12.50 and finish with something sweet.

6. Sea Bay
372 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000
A CBD go-to-dinner staple for when you want to catch up with friends and BYO for free. The fried pumpkin dumplings are amazing, as is the stir fried pepper pork. Be prepared for it to be busy though.

7. Mr Crackles
155 Oxford St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
This takeaway-only joint offers delectable cups of crackling, pork belly and chicken katsu rolls, salads, hot dogs and sides. Everything is melt-in-your mouth delicious and prices start at $9.

8. Jimmy’s Recipe
The Galeries, 500 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
A CBD lunch staple – rated one of the top laksa establishments in Sydney, the queues for lunch form early, but you will find true Malaysian flavours and the freshest of ingredients at low prices. A classic laksa will set you back $11.
Other awesome finds around Sydney include:

9. Ze Pickle
6/17-51 Foveaux St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ze Pickle the place to go for killer burgers, quality craft beer and good tunes. The Chee-ze is a classic, serving up a pressed wagyu beef patty, maple bacon, fried onion straws, zp sauce and jack cheese ($16) while the Pecan Wood Smoked Brisket ($18) will have you coming back time and time again. If you’re looking for something a little different, why not go for a Doughnutfukwitdis ($18), a hand pressed wagyu beef patty, nutella smoked bacon, double jack cheese between a grilled glazed doughnut?

10. Gozleme King
Various locations
Gozleme King offers Turkish street food made-to-order to achieve a fresh, high quality customer experience. Savoury gozlemes range from $9 to $13, while sweet gozlemes will set you back $7.