More Cheap and Cheerful Eats Around the World...

Rome, Italy...
For JourneyWomen travelling to Rome, Italy I want to share this terrific find. It's called Trattoria Antonio Bassetti, located at Via Del Governo Vecchio 18 in the Piazza Navona area. I found it in Gourmet magazine Rome Collector's Edition March 2003 and I have eaten there every year since. I've recommended it to a variety of travelers and there was never a dissatisfaction expressed. It's now on a very trendy street in Rome. If you arrive before 8pm, you don't have to wait in line. It's small, inexpensive, food is simple and service/attitude is very good.
Grayce, New York, USA

Milan, Italy...
What to say? Pizzeria Spontini is centrally-located on Corso Buenos Aires in Milan -- with three other outposts in the city --- it's a pizzeria where the choice is very basic, but no-one is complaining, Pizza Margherita by the slice (tomato and mozzarella), order either normal or large, the large being an extra half-slice. Drinks are water, beer, and wine. No sweet, no coffee. Just pizza at dinner-time, or pizza and lasagne at lunch. You may have to stand on line, and you won't be allowed to linger once you have eaten. But who cares? It's cheap, it's cheerful, and it's delicious! We ate there last Monday evening, and it was just as fab as I remembered it! More details: www.pizzeriaspontini.it/la_pizza.html P.S. Corso Buenos Aires is a long, long, shopping street, so Spontini is the perfect place to refuel and take off again (at lunch), or to flop into (when the stores close at 19.30) when you have spent all your money and a 5-euro hunk of pizza is all you can afford! It's Italian fast-food at its best!
Roberta, Unduno Olona, Italy

Bangkok, Thailand...
Here's a good suggestion from my part of the world. If you are in Bangkok and you are looking for a well priced feast I recommend the daily buffet lunch at The Majestic Grande Hotel's Dine @ 7 restaurant (Poolside Coffee Shop), 7th Floor. For just $10 you can sample many well prepared Western & Asian dishes. The location is Sukhumvit Soi 2. Tel No 02-262-2999.
Jackie, Bangkok, Thailand

Tel Aviv, Israel...
The place I want other JourneyWomen to know about is called, Shlomo & Doron. It was established in 1937 and is still run by the same family. Right now Shlomo is the grandfather and Doron is his grandson. It's definitely not a posh place! It has a tiny kitchen area and all the tables are on the sidewalk and in the street. There is no written menu but the waiter will tell you what is available. I always eat a half-portion bowl of "fool" (the Middle East word for fava beans), with humus, tchina and a hardboiled egg. Pita bread goes with it. I ate there this week and paid under 30 shekels ($US9.00), including a tip. Address: 29 Yashkon Street.
Layla, Tel Aviv, Israel

Concepcion, Chile...
My favorite budget restaurant discovered during my year living in Chile is Treinta y Tanto in Concepcion; a small, candlelit restaurant serving a variety of specialty empanadas, including local favorites such as ham, corn & cheese, manjar (caramel), or marmalade and cheese. Since each empanada looks the same after cooking, the cook punches out patterns on the corners to identify its contents. It was great fun to compare your empanada to the key on the menu to decipher whose empanada was whose. Accompanied by a pitcher of hot Chilean red wine with citrus fruit made this a perfect meal. Location: 402 Arturo Prat, Barrio Estacion. Enjoy Everybody!
Kim, Mauldin, USA

Cuenca, Ecuador...
I have been dining at Moliendo Cafe since the first week I moved to Ecuador two years ago. If you have never experienced Colombian cuisine, you are in for a treat. Owner Javier and his wife are open six days from 9 AM until 9 PM (closed Sundays), offering classic arepas (large corn pancakes) topped with any sort of savory concoction you can imagine including pulled pork, taco-seasoned beef, and a delicious vegetarian bean and vegetable combination. You can expect to pay under $5 USD for a meal.
Regina, Cuenca, Ecuador

Melbourne, Australia...
In Melbourne, it's hard to walk past Lentil as Anything restaurants. They serve healthy, delicious food with a philosophy of "pay as you wish".... which means that people on a limited budget can still eat beautiful, healthy, vegetarian food in an affordable, groovy atmosphere! Check them out here: www.lentilasanything.com
Mar, Perth, Western Australia

White Rock, Canada...
One of my favorite restaurants is the Sidarth Grill in White Rock, BC, Canada, The husband and wife team awake at 5:00am and start to cook the best Indian dishes I have tasted anywhere. There are only a handful of tables and the decor is comfortable, not pretentious. The homemade organic mango chutney can be purchased before you head for home. The homemade mango ice cream is silky, sweet, and delicious. Entrees under $10.00 15782 Marine Drive. Tel: 604 542 2577
Jo-Anne, Prince George, Canada

Vancouver, Canada...
I'd like to recommend the Vancouver Art Gallery Cafe for an inexpensive, tasty meal in pleasant surroundings and ... there's a great patio in the summertime. Their soups, entrees, sandwiches and particularly their desserts are to die for!! The location is central on Robson at Hornby Street.
Val, Vancouver, Canada

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