You’re in Concord and you’re starving. It’s right before payday, so your budget is limited to the crumpled $5 you found in the dryer this morning. We’re pleased to tell you, dear readers, that you don’t have to go hungry. Visit one of these establishments – all listed in the top 3 of the cheap eats category – and you’ll be dazzled by your options.
Beefside (106 Manchester St.)
If there’s one thing The Insider loves (besides Concord, of course), it’s a hearty breakfast. And hearty comes cheap at the Beefside. For just $4.10, we scarfed down a fluffy scrambled egg, a pile of home fries and a small orange juice. For a few cents more, we could have added toast, but we’re not sure if our already-full tummy could have handled anything more.
The under-$5 options are vast at the Beefside, whether you’re looking for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Many sandwiches and burgers come in below $5, including the smaller versions of the restaurant’s renowned roast beef.
Looking for something sweet? Almost all of the Beefside’s desserts are under five bucks. Milky Way pie, anyone?
Dos Amigos Burritos (26 N. Main St.)
Go on a Tuesday and the possibilities are endless. Tacos are $2 each all day long, which means a lot of food for a little scratch. We walked out with two tortillas stuffed with steak, chicken, fresh veggies, salsa and sour cream. The cost? Just $4.36, tax included.
Had we been just a tad less famished, we might have ordered a single taco and washed it down with a frosty cold homemade lemonade or organic iced tea ($1.75 each.)
Not Tuesday? No problem. Even at the regular price, all of Dos’s tacos are well under $5. Stick with the uber-affordable bean taco ($2.75) and you should have enough cash for a drink or a homemade brownie.
You might also try the rice and beans ($2.95) or the chili ($3.95.) Need a light (and spicy) snack? The cream cheese-stuffed chargrilled jalapenos ($1.75 for one, $3.75 for an order of three) are sure to please.
Also worth mentioning: Monday is $5 burrito day. Yes, the tax puts you over our limit, but it’s totally worth digging under your car seats for spare change.
Puppy Love (50 N. Main St.)
You can order almost everything on the menu at this hip hotdog cart and still stay below our $5 limit.
Steamed dogs are $2 each, and you can smother them in all the usual toppings. Cold drinks, chips and cookies are a buck each. Just think of all the yummy, cash-saving combinations.
And you can’t beat the convenience. Or the view of the State House. Or the sheer happiness of dining al fresco in downtown Concord. During the summer, you can find the stand in the ally next to Butter’s.
That, dear readers, is
priceless.
