Cheap Eats

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What do a $1.50 hot dog and a $16.50 beef Bourguignon have in common? Value. Oh, sure, they’re both foods—good foods, too. But for our purposes, they’re values. Bargains. Cheap eats—relatively speaking. And they have lots of company around these parts.

In our second survey of San Diego’s best cheap eats, our trio of roving gourmands uncovered two entirely decent hamburgers for 99 cents each (EZ Take-Out Burgers in Clairemont and Beef ’n’ Bun in Fletcher Hills), a succulent $1.60 chicken pie (The Chicken Pie Shop in North Park) and some neatly grilled lamb chops at a penny under 15 bucks (The Gathering in Mission Hills). On our odyssey into San Diego’s world of cheap eateries, we also found great family-style Italian (DiMille’s in Normal Heights), quite edible health food (Café Picasso on Clairemont Mesa) and buffets, blue-plate specials and ceviche tostadas at three Indian gaming casinos.

In all, we stuffed our gullets at 25 cheap eateries across the county on an unselfish mission to find you the best deals available on some of the tastiest plates around. Our only criterion, other than value: no fast-food chains.
Bon appétit sounds a wee bit pretentious. So dig in.

The Chicken Pie Shop

2633 El Cajon Boulevard, North Park, 619-295-0156
Baked Chicken/Turkey Pie (To Go), $1.60;
Full Chicken Pie Dinner, $4.75

When you face the front door at this shrine to the chicken, the first thing you see is a sign: “We Do Not Accept Credit or ATM Cards.” They don’t take checks, either. Just cash. But don’t take it personally. This is the way it’s been done ever since 1938, when George Whitehead opened the original Chicken Pie Shop on downtown San Diego’s Fifth Avenue. Haven’t changed the policy and haven’t changed the food, fortunately. Heck, they’ve barely changed the prices. In 64 years, the chicken pie that originally sold for 35 cents has gone up only a buck and a quarter. At $1.60 in 2002 dollars, it’s more of a bargain now than it was then. Order it as the full dinner—with whipped potatoes and gravy, vegetable, coleslaw, rolls and dessert—and it’ll set you back $4.75. George passed on last year, but Steve Mercado’s still in the kitchen. He signed on in 1955, at the old Hillcrest location.

Village Grille

2833 State Street, Carlsbad, 760-729-3601
Hamburger, $3.45

Oh, but not just any hamburger! The Village Grille’s patty-and-bun specials are known far and wide for the juicy beef reminiscent of a most successful home barbecue. For five consecutive years, the North County Times cited the Village Grille as having the best hamburgers in North County. There are a dozen burgers on the menu, from the basic to such eclectic variants as the egg burger, $4.35, and the green-chili cheeseburger, $4.55. The place also serves great breakfasts (try the cheese steak and ortega pepper omelet) and sandwiches. The Village Grille has been run by the Perrigo family since opening in 1976. Enjoy casual indoor table or counter dining, but if the weather’s nice, sit outside in the tiny sidewalk seating area right on Carlsbad’s main drag. It’s Mayberry, Southern California style.

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