Cheap Eats Adelaide: 9 Must-Try Spots for Eating Well on a Budget

We get it: you're ravenous and on a budget. Luckily, you're also in Adelaide, which lives, breathes, and thinks food.

In Adelaide's multicultural heart, you'll find cuisines from around the world throwing down their best bites, from speedy street food to slow-cooked specials, at prices that won't break the bank.

Read on for our list of nine of the best cheap eats in Adelaide, and every one of these beauties will get you change out of $20.

For great food on any budget, here are nine of the best cheap eats in Adelaide's CBD.

Bibimbap and mandoo (savoury dumplings) are the name of the game at this Korean crowdpleaser. You're not here for the decor, you're here for some of the freshest, hand-folded dumplings in the city.

The signature dish is its kimchi dumplings, which you'll see owner Ki Dong Ra steaming to order, for $20 including salad and sauces on the side. There are just 21 seats but don't even think about booking to skip the queue - however, the food's fast and the tables turn quickly.

Open for lunch and reopening in the evenings for dinner, there's no alcohol served at this Adelaide fave, which also offers vegan and vegetarian versions of its dumplings and bibimbap (mixed rice).

Address: 3/26 Bank St

One of Adelaide's great food institutions, the family behind Lucia's pizza and spaghetti bar have been serving delicious, filling Italian fare since 1957 - in fact, they were the first to serve pizza in the city.

Located inside the city's oldest market, Adelaide Central Market, drop in for a bowl of freshly made pasta from $20; keep it simple with napolitana or comforting bolognese, or ramp it up with Goolwa clams in garlic and white wine. But you're here for the pizza, right?

Their traditional deep-pan pizza starts at $14.50, up to $19.50 for the extra special with all the Italian classics of olives, mozzarella, anchovies and ham.

If you're in the market on Friday, the special is Lucia's lasagne, choose from veg or meat, for $22.

Address: Adelaide Central Market, 44/60 Gouger St

Adelaide obsesses about schnitty. Chicken schnitzel, to give it the full title, is one of the major food groups in this town. The Guardsman is in the Adelaide Railway Station, formerly the station's Overland Dining Hall, which dates back to 1928. The renovated pub serves all the standard pub grub - wagyu burgers, salads, and fried chicken, as well as its signature schnitties, priced at $27.

For a bargain, drop in on Wednesdays for its "2-for-1" deal of two schnitties for the price of one, served with a salad, chips and even a cheap $10 pint on the side from noon until 8pm.

The Friday lunchtime classics cost just $20 - choose from squid and chips, lamb chops or steak sandwiches, all served in its fine Art Deco pub.

They also have a menu for kids up to 12, which costs $12 and includes free gelato on the side.

Address: Adelaide Railway Station, North Terrace

Need your chicken-rice hit, stat? Uncle's signature dish of juicy, tender Hainanese chicken costs just $12.80 and comes with their housemade classic ginger sauce, guaranteed to send you straight back to the streets of Kuala Lumpur or Singapore's hawker stalls.

Expect big laksa bowls packed with noodles, chicken or pork, greens and sprouts, all under $16; throw another fiver on the counter and you'll get a plate of wok-fried Asian greens and a drink; go the classic teh tarik (sweet, hot milk tea) or coconut juice, to stay on theme.

Address: 4A/8 Waymouth St

Breakfast focaccia? Love. And if you don't know what pizzetta is, be prepared for a life-transforming experience. A rolled, cheesy pizza that's portable, and guaranteed the fillings won't slip off the dough as you're walking and eating.

Build your own pizzetta with salami, eggplant, capers and all the standard Italian toppings for $9, or step it up with their golden sourdough focaccia, a three-day labour of love that starts from $13 for a stylish classic of ham and Provolone cheese.

Open from 8am until 3pm, Via Vai also has gluten-free focaccia and vegan versions of their moreish Italian goodness. Keep an eye out for their seasonal specials, which might see a cameo by nduja, stracciatella or even truffle.

Address: 72 Currie St.

Adelaide students love Vietnamese diner Sit Lo so much, there are now three stores to choose your lunch or dinner from; with nothing over $20 on the menu. The budget hero is undoubtedly the $10 banh mi, stuffed with BBQ pork or a tasty tofu & sautéed shiitake mushroom.

If that's not going to fill all the corners; order their whopping foot-long banh mi, from $16. Otherwise, its noodle bowls, steam buns and rice bowls all hover around the $16 mark; accessorise with cafe su da (Vietnamese iced coffee) which also comes in a vegan version.

Note that Bank St is closed Sundays, while Waymouth St does lunch hours only, and is closed on weekends.

Address: 30 Bank St, Adelaide; 11 Waymouth St.

It's a big call: is this the city's best falafel? It's definitely its most central; located in Adelaide's foodie ground zero, Adelaide Central Markets, and with nothing above $20, fits the budget bill perfectly.

A haven for vegans and coeliacs and those looking for gluten-free options, cruise the hummus, the stuffed vine leaves, the brightly coloured pickles. If you're up for a cheap brekky with a twist, order the shakshuka and settle in for eggs baked in rich, tomatoey goodness, for $16 or the atayef (Arabic pancakes) with pistachio, saffron syrup, rose cream and berries.

Closed Sundays and Mondays, it opens from 7am most days, and serves until 9pm on Friday nights.

Address: Adelaide Central Market, 44/60 Gouger St.

Cruising Hindley Street's bar scene and got hunger pains? This kebab house knows what you want; a grab-and-go wrap stuffed with chicken, tomatoes, lettuce and garlic sauce that won't hurt the hip pocket; and at $14, this one's a bargain. Add a second skewer of meats or falafel for a double-winner at $18.

Otherwise, sit down and order the meals, served with its rice as fabulous as only Afghanis can do - the Qabuli pullaw (lamb shank with rice and salad; $26) is a classic. If you're shy of straying into unknown territory, there's fish & chips and a chicken schnitzel on the menu for a very respectable $18 for a full meal.

Open until 10pm every night of the week.

Address: 61 Hindley St.

If gado-gado is your go-to, you can eat your way around the Indonesian archipelago at Pondok Daun. Open for lunch and dinner until 8.30, it's a triple threat, with fast service, big serves and $12 curries.

Kick off with the classic chicken satay or go large and order the whole tilapia fish, a steal at $18. The classic bebek goreng (crispy duck) comes with rice and soup for $16, while vegans are well looked after with a range of dishes including char kway teow, with tofu and choy sum.

The lunchtime winners are its beef rendang and chicken or lamb curry with rice.

Address: 94 Currie St.