Ten CBD lunches for under $10

It’s 11.30am, you’re sitting in a meeting, and all you can think about is what to have for lunch. You really should’ve made your own lunch, but the latest ‘reveal’ on The Block had you glued to the TV…again. You had sushi rolls yesterday, and the day before. Where to go? What to eat?

These ten great spots offer great options for $10 or less:

Burger Project

St Collins Lane Centre – Level 2, 260 Collins Street

Fancy a Neil Perry lunch for under $10? Yes, you read that right… a Neil Perry meal for under $10! Burger Project, on level two of the recently opened St Collins Lane Centre, has three burgers on its menu for under $10: the ‘Classic’ ($8.90), the ‘American Cheese’ ($9.90) and the ‘Cheese’ ($9.90). All three feature 36-month-old grass fed Cape Grim beef, Neil’s secret sauce and house-made pickles. And if you don’t feel like a burger try the ‘Burger in a bowl’: your favourite burger, without the bun and extra lettuce – for the same price.

Soi 38

38 McIlwraith Place

Sukhumvit Soi 38 in Bangkok is a street known for its night market (‘soi’ is Thai for ‘side street’), where diners sit at wobbly metal tables and order cheap and delicious food from the carts and stalls that line the street. Soi 38 on McIlwraith Place brings a taste of this to Melbourne. You’ll find four types of noodle soup on the menu: boat noodles (so named because they’re often sold from boats in Thailand) with beef or pork, Tom Yum noodles and braised duck noodles. All bowls will set you back $10.

Green Press

525 Little Collins Street

The ‘About Us’ section of Green Press’ website suggests that they’re here to help us ‘live longer, have more energy and look better naked’. They might be right. The café serves cold pressed juices, super healthy smoothies and whole wheat wraps for under $10. All recipes are vegan, gluten free, sugar free… and guilt-free!

Banoi

807 Bourke Street, Docklands and 530 Little Bourke Street

Here’s one for those of us who work at or near the Docklands: Banoi offers a delectable range of Vietnamese street food including a great selection of sub-$10 banh mi. Baguette rolls are baked daily and filled with your choice of cold meats, BBQ pork, grilled chicken, crispy pork belly, salad or silken tofu. If you’re after something smaller (and cheaper), Banoi’s tacos are only $4 each!

El Coco

550 Little Collins Street

Named after the palm tree that was planted in the first Bacardi distillery in Cuba in 1862, El Coco is a colourful bar with a reasonably priced, Cuban-inspired menu and great cocktails. You’ll find Buffalo wings for $9 and popcorn chicken for $8. Best of all El Coco serves $6 pizzas all day every day. These include the ‘Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder’ pizza topped with confit Himalayan salted potato, caramelised onion and yoghurt; the Mediterranean, with prosciutto, semi-sundried tomato, rocket and parmesan; and two dessert pizzas… ‘Brulee Banana’ and ‘Nutella’.

Poked

551 Little Lonsdale Street

Poke (poh-kay) is a Hawaiian salad that most often features raw fish (sashimi) – and you can build your own poke at Poked. A small bowl featuring one ‘protein’ (salmon, tuna sous vide chicken or prawn, or organic tofu) and three ‘toppings’ (choose from seaweed or crab salad, crispy shallots, wonton crisps, edamame, pickled ginger, coriander, tobiko, pineapple and/or avocado) will set you back $9.95. Or, dig into one of two sub-$10 a la carte options: ‘Holy Shrimp!’ and ‘Bean Me Up’.

Thaiger

The Walk Arcade, 8 Causeway Lane

Can’t decide between Thai food and a burger for lunch? Well don’t. Have both! Thaiger in Causeway Lane serves burgers with a Thai twist. The Thaiger Burger comes with a beef patty, cheese, lettuce, mayo, pickles and Thaiger’s signature chutney – all for $8. Or, dig into Thaiger’s $8 house salad if you’re after something a little healthier.

Tahini Lebanese Diner

518 Little Bourke Street

Tahini serves casual but authentic Lebanese food. Founder, Joseph Haddad, has travelled the world in search of the perfect falafel recipe, so expect a lot from the $9 falafel wrap (house-made falafel, lettuce, parsley, tomato, radish, mint, pickles and tahini sauce) or indulge yourself with the $10 halloumi wrap (grilled halloumi, vine tomato, cucumber mint, basil and fresh green dressing). Get your wraps to go or eat in at the 90-seat diner.

Delhi Streets

22 Katherine Place

More sub-$10 eats than you can poke a samosa at! Delhi Streets serves scrumptious street chaat (snacks) for no more than $9. The ‘Pani Puri’ (crispy puffed dough stuffed with potatoes, chickpeas, onions, tamarind chutney and spiced water) is a favourite, as is the ‘Dahi Vada’ (lentil dumplings served with yoghurt and sweet and tangy tamarind and mint chutney). Both cost $8.

Jimmy Grants

Emporium Melbourne – 287, Lonsdale Street

George Calombaris’ Jimmy Grants derives its name from the nickname given to Greek and Italian immigrants in post-war Australia. ‘The Homer’ (falafels, Greek yoghurt and Hellenic slaw) is souvlaki for you if you’re looking to spend under $10 here (the others are between $11 and $12.50), but it is oh so good. You’ll also find a range of sub-$10 salads on the menu including the ‘Village Salad’ – a healthy mix of cucumber, pearl barley, feta, oregano, mint and coriander.