Five of Brisbane’s best value meals deals
Looking to dine out on a budget? From fried chicken and burgers to tacos and Turkish pizzas, here’s where to eat out for less.
QWeekend
Don't miss out on the headlines from QWeekend. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- 50 under $50: Where to find Brisbane’s best value eats
- delicious.100: Qld’s 100 best restaurants revealed
Dining out on a budget is becoming increasingly difficult for Queenslanders as skyrocketing food costs, rising wages and soaring electricity charges force many restaurants to up their prices.
Tight supply has seen the cost of beef reach record highs across the country, while flooding along the eastern seaboard has drastically increased the amount paid for fruit and vegetables with some crops like spinach tripling in price. Add in higher transportation costs on produce and hospitality workers being able to command inflated wages because of drastic industry staff shortages and diners are simply paying more per plate.
But that doesn’t mean restaurant-goers can’t grab a bargain.
In today’s Qweekend, we unveil our inaugural delicious. 50 under $50 – honouring 50 of Brisbane’s most reliable, budget-friendly businesses where $50 or less will feed two diners, not including drinks or desserts.
Covering all corners of the Queensland capital from Everton Park to Annerley, this list highlights the hidden treasures and local haunts serving up great flavours for less, rather than the big pubs or ubiquitous chains.
Scoring a spot in the guide is Downtown Istanbul in Hawthorne, in Brisbane’s east – where diners can choose from the likes of Turkish pides, gozleme and even chargrilled lamb, all for less than $25 a plate.
“If you look into the cultural aspect of Turkish food, it’s always full table, full plate, full stomach … so value for money has always been the backbone of our restaurant and our company,” said operations manager Brandon Orr of Alemre Group, which runs Downtown Istanbul.
Mr Orr said keeping prices low in the restaurant was becoming increasingly difficult, but they worked hard with suppliers and were careful managing staff rosters to ensure they could deliver the best food at the best prices, which was resulting in strong patronage.
Roderick Saba from Big Roddy’s Rippin’ Rib Shack in South Brisbane and Fortitude Valley said customers were also craving value for money with their $10 and $20 lunch and dinner deals soaring in popularity.
“There are definitely price conscious people who are hunting the deals,” he said.
However, he revealed keeping prices low was incredibly hard.
“Generosity is our philosophy and we don’t want to change that because prices are going up so we’ve taken a little less of a margin these last couple of years and we’re hoping the world settles back to some sort of normality and we can start to make our normal amount of profit again because it’s been a lean couple of years,” he said.
Click here for the full delicious. 50 Under $50 list.
FIVE OF THE BEST VALUE MEAL DEALS IN BRISBANE
Big Roddy’s Rippin’ Rib Shack, Fortitude Valley and South Brisbane
$10 burgers every Monday, $1 wings every Wednesday and $19.99 burger, fries and drink combo on Fridays
Downtown Istanbul, Hawthorne
Express lunch – $15 Ottoman burgers and wraps until 4pm each day
Hashtag Burgers & Waffles, West End and Fortitude Valley
Monthly specials such as a croissant burger for $12
Super Bowl Chinese Restaurant, Fortitude Valley
Lunch time specials including satay chicken, nasi goreng and sizzling Mongolian beef with dishes from $8.50 for pork buns to $20.80 for roast duck laksa.
Rita’s Tequila Taqueria, Teneriffe
Half price tacos on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5pm-7pm and bottomless brunches from 10am on Saturdays and Sundays.
Qld groom’s cheeky trick for shock beach proposal
It took just six words for this Queensland man to distract his future bride for long enough to dig out a ring and drop to one knee for the ultimate beach proposal.
‘Never cried so much’: The moment that broke Susie O’Neill
Susie O’Neill has always been unshakeable, but now the legendary swimmer and longtime breakfast radio host is staring down “the hardest thing she’s ever done”.