The number 5 is magical. It’s the amount of fingers on each of our hands; when slapped in an elevated position, it’s a gesture of excitement; and it describes a pretty famous mambo.
But you know what number is even more magical? Four.
Four is elusive. Four is even and balanced. Four makes you feel richer than five because you hold more dollar bills in your hand. And in a city where articles about $5 lunches abound, I’m here to find you a lunch worthy of those crisp four dollar bills.
This list purposely excludes fast food because that would be cheating. It aims to cover a variety of cuisines all over the city so that no matter how high your rent is, you will always be able to afford these meals.
Two-Topping Slice from Goat Hill Pizza: $3.50
With its chewy sourdough crust, Goat Hill is putting the San Francisco in pizza. Their slices are a quick and filling lunch when topped with the right things — I’d recommend chicken and salami.
Banh Mi from Saigon Sandwich: $3.75
The people who work here make a mean pork banh mi and give about a third of a fuck about who you are. If they gave a whole fuck about who you are, it’d be $11.25.
Two Happy-Hour Tacos from Pancho Villa: $3.00
Pancho Villa is famously known as the French Laundry of taquerias. Except it’s better than French Laundry because French Laundry doesn’t have a happy hour. But Pancho Villa does, and the two shrimp or chicken tacos are amazing.
Sandwich, Macaroni Salad and Nachos from Miyako Old Fashioned Ice Cream: $3.50
Contrary to popular belief, Miyako does not just serve ice cream. It also serves a smorgasbord of a lunch platter. It’s not the most gourmet meal, but it covers all the main food groups of lunch — sandwich, salad and chips — at an affordable price.
Wonton Noodle Soup from TC Pastry: $3.00
The best thing about this filling bowl of soup isn’t the fried wontons or the abundant noodles, but the fact that it’s often ready by 8:00 a.m., so you can slurp down a bowl as soon as your hunger pangs begin — no matter what time of day it is.
Pay-by-Weight Salad from Chez Fayala: $4.00
Once you realize that a big-ass bag of spinach basically weighs nothing, you can fill up your box and end up with a good-looking salad at a good-looking price. Bonus points if you sneak in some olives.
Sausage Breakfast Sandwich from Lee’s Deli: $3.95
Lee’s realizes that breakfast food is the best food and should be served all day. So they do that, and they sell it at breakfast prices. I like Lee’s.
Pork Omusubi from Common Sage: $3.25
Omusubi are small but mighty rice balls stuffed with meat and wrapped in seaweed. The pork version at Common Sage is essentially glorified sushi but for a fraction of the price, making it perfect for a quick, inexpensive, quality meal.
Har Gow from Good Mong Kok Bakery: $3.00
I have no idea how you can get, like, four dumplings here and pay less than $4.00. The math baffles me every time I’m here, but I’ve since learned to stop asking questions and start stuffing everything into my mouth.
Polish Hot Dog from Costco: $1.50
With an oversize hot dog, Costco is the place to dine like a mildly impoverished king or queen. Use those extra bills and splurge on a soda or a frozen yogurt — you earned it.
Did we miss anything? Tell us in the comments below!
