dirt cheap eats in NOLA, post-K

[Hungry Celeste]

Let's start a new list. I'm talking $10 and under kinda joints, emphasis on good-to-great food. To kick things off--a link to Gambit's recent coverage of taco trucks & new Mexican restaurants popping up around town: http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispa...

[kmmba]

Crepes a la Cart on Broadway is my new favorite! We saw these guys churning out crepes at the Uptown art market and were hooked. The menu at the restaurant is outrageous! My wife got the Strawberry Cheesecake and I got (on the chef's recommendation) a Savory crepe with swiss cheese, smoked salmon, baby spinach and dill and chive dressing. WOW! Fun to watch. I'm trying the S'mores next visit.

[cor]

Surrey's
La Madeline
If you split a pizza at Reginelli's, it can be around $15 total for 2 people.

[averygivens]

It'd be tragic to not mention the very affordable and delicious eats at most local Vietnamese restaurants! A current favorite is 9 Roses on the West Bank. It's situated in a random spot, but worth the trip.

[ichabodsdad]

Hey, ya'll are missing an important one. Lil' Dizzy's. It's on Esplanade and is run by the Baquet family who've been running restaurants for 50 years. Open only for lunch during the work week. Great pot roast and people swear by the trout baquet. You pretty much choose your meat and then they have a list of sides. It's well worth it and under $10pp.

[Hungry Celeste]

Oh, yes. Lil Dizzy's has killer gumbo, just like my grandma made.
And in the same subgenre of NOLA cooking, Dunbar's at Loyola Law School.
You could also do Camellia Grill for under $10.

[Alonso]

Hi you guys doing!!!!My name is Alonso Torres and I am one of the owners of a new spot of authentic mexican tacos in NOLA called Taco San Miguel. We are located on Elysian Fields and Claiborne right next to a Family Dollar Store.Please feel free to send us any suggestions to improve our service and food quality. Direct feedback from our customers will help us a lot!!!!Soon we will be opening a bigger and nicer location for you to enjoy authentic mexican food!!!Thanks and please do not hesitate on replyng us!!!!!

[TxAgEMTP92]

Taco San Miguel is AWESOME and with great prices. Its like the best of all the taco stands you've ever eaten @ rolled into one. If you're not familiar with all the types of meats they offer, they're more than happy to describe each one, and you can even get a sample plate with a touch of each and some tortillas- it wasn't on the menu, but they offered it to me the first time I went in. Make sure you get some of their guacamole, its not the stuff most are used to, its thinner, spicy with a tomatilla base. Their tortillas are great too, my only wish is they made them by hand; I'd pay $$$ for a sack of fresh tortillas!

[Frolic]

Yep, Taco San Miguel is great. Really fresh.

I wish they had more drink options, but Mexican Coke and tangerine soda are good options.

Hey Alonso, where will that new location be?

[Hungry Celeste]

Finally made it to Taco San Miguel. Damn good stuff, wonderful tortillas. Tried the carnitas, fajita, pollo, pastor....all were delicious, with the carnitas (in salsa verde) winning the prize as best overall.

[pilaf]

Here is another vote for the carnitas. Tender and spicy.

The word is out though. It was crowded yesterday, but worth waiting for a spot to sit.

[Alonso]

I am so sorry we havent updated this website to inform you about our new location for Taco San MIgue!!!!!l. We decided to grow up a little bit and include some new dishes and drinks (variety of margaritas and micheladas) in our new location. We are looking to open on the Carrolton area (Uptown) in the next month or so. We are so excited cause we are bringing new stuff never tasted in new Orleans before. I have to say thank you to all our faithful customers that have been replyng our messages with feedback info about our food and service!!!Your opinions are very valuable for us because you are the ones that make possible this place to keep on going!!!!!Thanks again and wait to hear about us soon!!!!!

[JGrey]

That's fantastic news for me, you're coming to my neighborhood! Is the location set yet?

[anthonyturducken]

does Taco San Miguel have fish or shrimp tacos?

[SumoSizeMe]

I remeber a chinese restaurant on the WestBank... "Double Dragon" that served 2 lobsters for $25... wonder if they still do that... ? I think there are two locations... one on Mahattan(?) and the other way down Lafayette(?) heading south

[charve1]

cheap eats:
crabby jack's (jefferson)
casamento's
central grocery
tower of pizza (metairie)
morning call (metairie)
plum street snoballs
GB's
betsy's pancake house
liuzza's on bienville
five happiness

[pilaf]

Here are a few more:

Bennachin
Two Sisters
La. Pizza Kitchen
Jazz Tacos
Mena's Palace
Country Flame
Christie's PoBoys
Salt & Pepper
The Joint
Mona Lisa
Fiorella's
Stanley (when it reopens)
Croissant D'Or
Kim Son

[Greyhoundgrrl]

The Bluebird?? Is that the dive diner on St. Charles? I seem to remember they had a sign posted above the pay phone that read "No talking to imaginary people!"

[Frolic]

No, Bluebird is on Prytania across from the hospital. Hardly a dive.

You might be thinking of the Trolley Stop or Please-U, both on St. Charles.

[Carpetbagger]

You're thinking of the Hummingbird, which closed a few years ago. The few times I went, I was surprised at the decent omelettes but the real draw was the atmosphere. I remember the cashier (who was inside a cage for some reason) handled transactions for the diner and for the flophouse hotel upstairs.

[Greyhoundgrrl]

Thank you! It was the Hummingbird.

[bbares81]

Cheap Lunch Places:
Joey K's
Siamese's
Five Happiness
Mikimoto
Little Tokyo
Kyoto
Cafe East
Cooter Brown's
Nirvana
Parkway Bakery
Liuzza's by the Track

Cheap Dinner Places:
Joey K's
Acropolis
Doson's Noodle House
Juan's Flying Burrito
Liuzza's

[Frolic]

I wasn't too impressed with Felipe's, although it will do in a pinch (and it's cheap).

Tacos San Miguel is great. I tried that place this weekend.

[JGrey]

Yeah, it's no Taco Cabana, but I don't like to drive for my cheap mexican foods cravings. Fresh salsa bar earns points, but they use storebought tortillas.

Where is San Miguel again?

[Frolic]

Way out in the 9th Ward. On Claiborne. I don't have an address, but Ian talked about it in this week's Gambit.

[lowergardendistrict]

From the Downtown, FQ perspective, I'd say it's barely into the 9th ward...

It's at Claiborne and Elysian Fields. Next to the Dollar Family (or is it Family Dollar) Store.

It's excellent and worth the trip.

[Frolic]

Good point. It's all about perspective.

[JerseyNOLA]

It is GREAT.... but bring an eating utensil - I was reduced to using a Marine Corps fork to finish the debris that fell out of the tortilla

[JGrey]

Casamento's is the starting point of any thread like this.
Crabby Jack's
Cafe Reconcile
Mona's
Lebanon's
Ignatius
Tah Dinh
Jazmine Cafe
Refuel
Blue bird
Panola St Cafe (Riccobono's)
Felipe's (new Mexican place by Elio's, behind the strip mall at Calhoun and Claiborne).

[JerseyNOLA]

If you remember the article in Lagniappe a few weeks back....

We went yesterday....

The guy offers a great sandwich with friendly service in a lousy location....

A really friendly person trying to make all the while spitting in the face of adversity needs our support...

You'll like him and his Po-Boys !

http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?...