A reader asks:

“Do you have any advice for inexpensive, authentic Roman restaurants in the center of town?”

Annie Shapero responds:

Here’s the bad news: Rome is a gaping hell mouth of overpriced restaurants aimed at the hungry, innocent traveler.

The good news is that real Roman cuisine is actually a cucina povera, or poor man’s fare—a savory waste-not want-not approach to Italian cooking that utilizes the plant and animal parts you weren’t expecting. It’s hearty and filling, and like Southern soul food in the US, it’s tastiest at its cheapest… even in the center of town.

Near Piazza Navona, Da Francesco (Piazza del Fico, 29), Da Tonino (Via del Governo Vecchio,18 ), and just Alfredo e Ada (Via dei Banchi Nuovi, 14) offer no nonsense trattoria style dining that shouldn’t run you over €15 a person (including wine!)

In Trastevere, Da Augusto (Piazza de’ Renzi, 15) is the bonafide classic.

From Campo de’ Fiori, follow the scent of deep frying to Filetti di Baccalà (Largo dei Librari, 88), which is named for its specialty, fried slabs of salty cod served alongside puntarelle salad, a crispy curly hybrid of celery and romaine hearts, made from the stalks of chicory and garnished with garlic, oil, and anchovy paste.

In Rome’s grimier neighborhoods, you’ll spend even less. Testaccio and Garbatella (both within walking or busing distance from the Piramide Metro stop) have snubbed the made-for-tourists makeover and are well worth exploring for local “character.” Agustarello (Via G.Branca, 100) has been lauded by locals and the travel media alike as cheap and tasty. They do half portions too!

In Garbatella, Il Grottino del Traslocatore (Via delle sette chiese, 2) is best in the summer when tables spill out on the sidewalk. Otherwise, it’s a steamy basement setting serving huge portions of la cucina romanesca… which does include guts of all varieties in addition to the sumptuous spaghetti alla carbonara, matriciana, and gricia. This is not for the weak at heart.

Rules of the road:

1. At the Roman trattoria or osteria, portions are big and prices are low. You get what you pay for where service is concerned, but hey—you asked for authentic.

2. Order house wine only.

3. Ask for half portions.

4. Ask for their recommendations, not the menu.

5. Don’t ask for a receipt until they’ve quoted you a price. They often write it on the paper tablecloth.

Annie Shapero lives, writes, and eats in Rome. Annie wrote hotel reviews for EuroCheapo’s guides to hotels in Rome, Florence, and Venice. You can read many more posts by Annie in the EuroCheapo blog.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Paris can get, how do you say?, “trés cher.” After dining out in Paris for two nights last week, we were ready to give our wallets a break and try a Paris night a la Cheapo.

A stroll for free

After doing a bit of research, we mapped out a fun, Seine-side stroll from St. Germain des Prés (where we were staying at the lovely 2-star gem “Villa des Princes“) to the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The whole journey took about an hour as we wandered along the river, stopping at bridges, watching the tour boats, and posing for photos.

A pancake dinner

By the time we arrived, we had worked up an appetite. Sure, we were feasting on the sight of Paris by night, but that didn’t quite cut it. We got in line for fresh crepes from a street vendor and salivated as he poured the batter, flipped the pancakes, and added our ingredients: Nutella and banana for Mere, and ham and emmental for Pete. Two crepes set us back about €7 and we shared a Coke (€1.50).

A free light show

We timed our walk so that we’d get to the tower just as the hourly ten-minute light show sparked up the sky. Light shows start at the top of the hour, after sunset. They occur every hour until 1 am or 2 am depending on time of year.

After ingesting crepes and stars, Seine and Eiffel, we hopped on the Metro. For €1.50, we scooted from Invalides to the Latin Quarter.

Slow sipping at the cabaret

We were ready for some good company, old fashioned standards, and the wacky feel of live cabaret, so we ventured to “Aux Trois Mailletz,” our favorite cabaret at 56, Rue Galande in the Latin Quarter. Downstairs, the fancier vaudeville show costs €25 a ticket, but upstairs in the more casual piano bar, you need only buy a drink to sip it all in. (We also found that if you tip the singer and pianist, they’ll fulfill multiple song requests.)

Cheapos could sip a Coke for €5, which isn’t cheap. Beer costs €9, while cocktails run about €11-13. Obviously, you’re paying for the tunes, but you can sip your drink as slowly as you like. We think it’s worth the inflated drink price just to take in the music, the sight of dogs in the audience, and that weird glamour of cabaret performers running about in full makeup. Bravo!

Popularity: 15% [?]

London can be a tricky city for dining. Long criticized for the quality of its fare (”It’s no Paris!”), the city has undergone a gastro-awakening over the past decade that has benefited the bellies, if not the wallets, of its diners.

So what’s a Cheapo to eat? Here are our dining tips, all tested and tried:

1. Go for conveyer belt sushi!

We were initially turned off by the robotic, ever-moving feel of these establishments, frequently seen in London’s malls and Tube stations, but the low prices always lured us back to the belt. Eventually, we even got a hang of it. (Not counting the time the California rolls spun out on our table.) We’re big fans because you watch all the sushi and sashimi as it’s prepared, so you know it’s fresh. You can also ask the chef to add a little extra something (Wasabi? Extra roe?) to your particular dish. Hey, if we’re conveyer converts, you can be too.

Try Yo Sushi, which has tons of locations all across London.

2. Eat with the fishes—and chips!

Sure, we try to stay away from battered and fried, but you have to go there at least once during your stay. Our favorite fish and chips joint is the Rock & Sole Plaice (47 Endell St, WC2 ) in Covent Garden. For under £15, you can order a whole fish and taste a variety of dipping sauces, and have your chips too! If you can’t tube it to this spot, you can usually find decent (and cheaper) fish and chips in any neighborhood. Just steer clear of major tourist haunts (Read: Leicester Square) and larger chains like Slug and Lettuce that claim they have fresh oceanic fare. When in doubt, ask the locals!

3. Kebob it!

We’ve been there: It’s midnight, the pub just closed, and your tum-tum is grumbling. If you’re in Bayswater, head for a kebob stand on busy Queensway where, for a few pounds, you can get your lamb on. Doll it up with the fixins, which usually include peppers, tomatoes, hummus, tahini, and cucumber sauce.

We recommend The Taza Kebab House, where the lamb is always succulent and the pita sandwiches are filling.

4. Join the chain gang.

You may normally steer clear of chain restaurants, but local chains can introduce you to local tastes (mmmm…. mayonnaise!) and help your budget. Big name chain restaurants like Wagamama (Japanese) and Pret-A-Manger (eat-in or take-out sandwiches and coffee) are London mainstays, located throughout the city. Smaller chains like Hummus Bros offer a unique dining experience without exotic prices. Many of these chains offer lunch specials daily.

5. Get roasted.

Sunday is the best day to partake in a yummy, often three-course, gastro-pub meal. The menus are usually prix fixe, but you can always order stuff separately. And, if you haven’t been to a Sunday “roast,” it’s a great way to see London culture at its finest—and hungriest—as piles of bangers and mash, roasted chickens and beef, and plenty o’ pints are consumed. We love The Chapel Pub in Marylebone (48 Chapel Street, London, NW1 5DP ), where we’re always warmly greeted with a comfy seat and a fantastic meal.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Photo by Zé Eduardo

Ethereal truffle ravioli that melt in your mouth. Heavenly mascarpone sprinkled with bitter dark chocolate shavings. Dreams are made of such things.

At Drogheria della Rosa in Bologna, jovial owner Emanuele Addone keeps you smiling all night. After all he did take home the prestigious San Pelligrino Cooking Cup. If his contagious enthusiasm doesn’t hit you, the continuously flowing wine certainly will.

Drogheria della Rosa’s cellar has several hundred choices of vino for every budget. Second piatti range from €9 to €15 per dish. Each dish is simple, made from the freshest ingredients, and prepared to perfection. Be sure to reserve a table ahead of time. During the summer months, we recommend outside tables.

Drogheria della Rosa is located at Via Cartoleria, 10. Telephone: +39 51 22 2529. Hours: 12:30 p.m. until 3 p.m., and 8 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Photo by Letincelle&Soseau

Feeling jaded after all those meals of steak frites and braised veal shanks? Pep yourself up with an ice-cold smoothie at one of the great new juice bars in Paris.

Bob’s Juice Bar is located near the Canal St. Martin on the Right Bank. Run by an American filmmaker called Mark, it has a very laid-back vibe and is organized around a long shared table where locals come to hang out with their laptops and chat with the owner about the latest movies at the Cannes film festival. Find generous pile of magazines, a bottomless cup of coffee for €1, muffins, pancakes, soup, salad, and of course, an inventive roster of juices and smoothies. For an additional kick, ask for a supplement of spirulina or guarana. Smoothies cost €4-€5.50 and there’s a lunch formula at €10 with soup and a salad or a sandwich and a muffin with mint tea.

On the Left Bank near Odéon there’s Wanna Juice, which is more impersonal and geared towards takeout. Nonetheless, it is worth bearing in mind for a hot day in the teeming streets off the Boulevard Saint Germain. Wanna insists on using only fresh fruit and no added sugar. One of their bestsellers is the Apasionada, which consists of passionfruit, mango, banana, and pineapple juice. Smoothies begin at €3.90.

Bob’s Juice Bar is located at 15, rue Lucien Sampaix 75010 M° Jacques Bonsergent and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Wanna Juice, at 65, rue Saint-André des Arts 75006 M° Odéon, is open everyday from 8:30 a.m. ’til sunset.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Photo by Matthew S.

Finding a bargain meal in Dublin can be a challenge. As long as Luigi Malones is in operation, there will be cheap meals on offer in the Irish capital.

Located on the corner of Temple Bar Square, Luigi Malones serves up an All Day menu that offers a meal plus complimentary drink—beer, wine or soft drink—for just €10.90. Another deal: the All Day coffee and dessert for just €4.90.

While “All Day” is a bit of a misnomer (the menu is only available from noon until 5 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 3 p.m. on weekends) the deal still can’t be beat.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Photo by iritabook

Ah, Prague’s bad old days of dining. There was a long period in the 1990s when yes, the food was cheap, but it was also a lot more…questionable. Put it this way: asking for a green salad would get you a quizzical look—and that’s assuming you could find a waiter in the first place.

While it’s doubtful anyone misses that era in Czech culinary history, it’s amusing to see that the city isn’t completely rid of that type of establishment. In a review in the Prague Post last week, the paper’s restaurant critic makes clear that this culinary tradition is alive and well at a place called The Brother’s in Vinohrady:

Something I translated as “old Czech soup” batters your palate with incoherent strokes of garlic and salt. Clumps of vacuous white cheese bob under the surface, perhaps in the vain hope that the congealed curd will absorb a little of the briny, bitter sting. Or maybe folks brought up in more difficult times considered flavorless, caulky substances nutritious and filling.

While the prices at The Brother’s also hew to that older style (i.e. you get what you pay for), let’s be the first to recommend the wide variety of sausages available at kiosks throughout the city. Complex flavors may not be the culinary strength in Prague, but pork products most certainly are.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Photo by sfsuperstar

Paris can be a tough place for a vegetarian, what with all the force-fed duck livers and tartar steaks on restaurant menus. But while it is hard here for a vegetarian, there is hope.

Scattered throughout the city are several vegetarian restaurants worth checking out. Our favorites:

1. Le Grenier de Notre Dame is located just steps from the Notre Dame Cathedral. Le Grenier offers tofu ravioli and fresh vegetable juices. 18, rue de la Bûcherie. Tel: +33 1 43 29 98 29.

2. Le Petite Legumes is located in the 5th arrondissment. It serves up tofu burgers in a quirky, warm setting. 36, Rue des Boulangers. Tel: +33 1 40 46 06 85.

3. Our top choice is the Piccolo Teatro in the heart of the Marais, a resto whose organic red wines and palette-pleasing tasting menu caters to vegans, romantics, and Cheapos alike. 6, rue des Ecouffes. Tel: +33 1 42 72 17 79.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Photo by Annie Shapero

Those in search of a sit-down meal deal in Florence—or at the very least something requiring a fork—lunch is the way to go. Loads of restaurants knock down prices to as little as €5 for a plate of pasta, and around €6 or €7 for meat and fish dishes.

Fiaschetteria-Trattoria Mario (Via Rosina, 2r. Tel. 055218550) is only open for lunch. Go early and be prepared to eat on your feet—or squeeze in at the first available seat with groups of hungry locals.

On the other side of town, at Trattoria Accadi (Via Borgo Pinti, 56r. Tel. 0552478410; see above), a Japanese head chef turns out some darn good Tuscan Italian specialties at rock bottom prices. You can actually have two hefty courses for around €12 total.

Who said you can’t eat cheap in this most touristed of cities?

Popularity: 4% [?]

Photo by coloursofbohemia 

The rue Saint André des Arts is small winding street in the 6th arrondissement. It leads from place Saint Michel to place Buci, near Odéon.  It’s definitely worth a stroll next time you’re in the central and buzzing Saint Michel area. The street is romantic and quaint, and is also packed with cute places to fill up cheaply.

Foremost among these is the Lebanese food stand Kiki et Mimi, where a panini, drink, and dessert crêpe only cost €6.  K & M also offers a €7.50 menu, which includes a truly delicious shwarma with a drink and crêpe. It’s the perfect place to stop and eat while exploring the rue. It also makes a great pit-stop while waiting for the street’s numerous bars and cafés to move into happy hour mode.  Kiki et Mimi is located at 36 rue Saint André des Arts.

To find rue Saint André des Arts from Saint Michel, face the fountain, go right, and cross the street. It’s the first street on the right.

Popularity: 2% [?]