Cheap Eats in Los Angeles: Are $7 Tacos and $16 Meals Worth It?

Burgers

April 21, 2026

Cheap Eats in Los Angeles: Are $7 Tacos and $16 Meals Worth It?

Cheap Eats in Los Angeles: Are $7 Tacos and $16 Meals Worth It?

Finding cheap eats in Los Angeles isn’t as easy as it used to be.

So I set out to test it—eating four meals across LA, spending as little as $7 and as much as $16, and rating each one on taste and value.

From legendary street tacos to a hyped food hall smashburger, here’s what “cheap eats” in LA really look like in 2026.

And yes… street tacos are still king. But hyped food and budget food can go hand in hand . . . if you can spare $16 bucks that is.

The Vitals:
the spot: Sonoratown Los Angeles
order: Carne Asada Tacos
price: $3.50 each
verdict: best flour tortillas in LA

Sonoratown has been on my radar for years, literally. Known for their signature flour tortillas from Sonora MX, they have expanded to three locations over the years and convinced Los Angelenos that Harina is just as important as Maiz when it comes to quality tortillas.

The hype was high and the price wasn’t too far off either. Still, $3.50 is a deal for grilled steak… and the thin and buttery flour tortillas. For someone who makes a mean steak taco, I tip my cap to Sonoratown. I will definitely be back.

The Vitals:
the spot: Maydan Market 4301 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
the eats: Smash burger at Green Mountain Chicken
the bucks: $16
the full nelson: burger sauce of the year if Umami is your thing

Los Angeles keeps evolving. Neighborhoods become gentrified. And East Coasters keep coming.

All of the above happens at Maydan Market: a food hall import from Washington DC that emphasizes flavors of Mexico, Asia and the Middle East. Somehow I ended up with a smashburger. And I had zero regrets.

Did I mention the burger came off the menu of Green Mountain Chicken? Yeah, I should have gotten fried chicken but the burger seemed like low hanging fruit for my YouTube content.

Speaking of – watch the full episode here:

As far as the burger goes . . so worth the $16. It didn’t come with fries and I didn’t need em. The burger was darn hefty for a smashed burger. My guess is at least 6oz of beef between the two patties.

But that sauce . . . so much umami. Chef said it was Fish Sauce. I thought it was the more potent concentrate known as Maggi. Either way it is giving me ideas for my next burger recipe video.

The Vitals:
the spot: Acai Jungle Cafe 326 N Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA 91502
the eats: Tuna Melt
the bucks: $16.25
the full nelson: stereotypical LA healthy cafe that comes in handy for a price

Acai Jungle Cafe is not a place I plan my trip to LA for. That being said, I’m actually glad I went. Not every meal should be a gut bomb and to be honest my tuna melt was not just good—it was decadent. The tarragon spiked tuna salad and sourdough were nice touches. And it was hearty serving too.

But at $16.25, I still question if it was worth it. Especially with a basic mixed green side salad with what I’m sure was a bottled Balsamic dressing. The food was good, simple but pricey.

Not too surprising though because this is LA after all.

The Vitals:
the spot:Lia’s Tacos locations all over LA
the eats: Tacos
the bucks: $2.50
the full nelson: street taco value like no other

Lia’s Tacos was not the only street taco I had while I was in LA. But it was by far the best—and easily the most “worth it” meal I had.

The tacos were loaded with meat, and the salsas were on point. And the value was the best I have found since before the pandemic. Let’s be clear: Los Angeles is loaded with tacos and I could spend a year hunting for killer taco deals.

For now, I’ll take convenience of Lia’s which seems to have locations all over the city and take all the buche and suadero they got.