Best Melbourne Cheap Eats – little green, big grub

This quaint, little noodle shop offers Thai Boat noodles that feel like the warm, comforting embrace of a loved one. The car park restaurant has an open kitchen and serves 4 dishes – tom yum noodles, braised duck noodle soup, beef boat noodle and pork boat noodle – all of which costs $10 each.

At Tiba's Lebanese Food, you'll barely need $20 to buy yourself a platter of, rice, hummus, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside falafel, pickled turnip, tabbouleh and yoghurt. With a couple more dollars, buy yourself a plate of dolmades or a skewer of halal lamb and you'll have a meal fit for a king!

ShanDong is a special little place, it doesn't have the nicest of décor nor the most well-presented food for that matter, but it epitomizes the phrase 'beauty is found within'. The dumpling den makes divine dumplings that may not have the most precise pinches on them but is unmistakably the best to be had in Melbourne. Definitely, try their fish dumpling, it might not look the most appealing, but it tastes of heaven and is unique to the city!

An Italian joint that sets itself apart from the rest by marrying casual eating and drinking with a bright, warm and vibrant atmosphere. There's a fun wine list, a fantastic cocktail list and of course, rich, lip-smacking foods like chicken liver parfait, tuna sashimi on seaweed rice crackers with avocado and cold steamed artichoke with mustard sauce. Last, but not least, the aperitivo here, arguably, put's those available elsewhere in the city to shame.

A kebab kepable of rocking your world, Biggie Smalls is named after the famous, late America rapper, Notorious B.I.G. and is owned by the famous head chef Shane Delia. Each mouthful a burst of flavour, Biggie Smalls offers classic Kebabs with eccentric, yet delightful twists – like the Dirty South Kebab which marries pumpkin pie hummus with fried chicken – for less than $15 each!

The much needed, long awaited and finally arrived, all-night ramen joint! There's nothing quite as soothing or revitalizing as a hot bowl of ramen from Shujinko's after a late night jaunt through the city. Shujinko is conveniently located right in the heart of CBD and is wonderfully close to some of Melbourne's best late-night haunts, Oaks on William and many other hotel apartments, Melbourne CBD malls and bus stops.

You literally get your money's worth here! This trendy restaurant – that definitely requires clothing, despite the suggestive moniker – serves fresh baguettes wrapped around pintxos – brilliantly coloured tapas-style morsels – wagyu salami as thin as paper, or, fatty slices of smoked salmon, held together with a toothpick. Each snack is $2, select however many you want and tally your bill by counting the number of toothpicks!

The three-in-one bakery, café and supermarket you never knew you needed! Styled to look like a modern Middle-Eastern souq (open-air marketplace), this one-stop shop offers enticing, scrumptious Middle Eastern dishes. You can make your order and go buy yourself some fresh almonds and Turkish bread and a host more from the supermarket as you wait! You know when your food is ready when the fantastic little electronic device, handed to you when you place an order, vibrates.

The Very Good Falafel demonstrates that there truly is beauty in simplicity. The charming joint draws in hungry crowds with their exquisite falafels, sabih and ktzitzot made in the traditional Israeli style. Get all the tantalizing sustenance your body craves for less than $15!

For the vegetarians and vegans of the world – meat free mex-fest! Just a mere $10 will buy you a mouthwatering, two-hands necessary, burrito jam-packed with avocado, tofu, salad and black beans, and, if you want it, cheese. Fill up your stomach while sipping on $6 sangria and listening to live music.