Burned through your cash buying rounds at the bar? Just forked over most of your paycheck to the landlord? We’ve all been there but just because you’re low on funds doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice “fun” altogether! You might need to get a little thrifty though, especially when it comes to eating out. That means sniffing out happy hours with food options as well as digging deeper on the menu at your favorite restaurants. We’ve put together this list of 50 foods to eat under $5 in Philly to keep the foodie dream alive on a budget. Your bank account might be empty but your belly certainly won’t be!1. Miller’s TwistPlain Salted Pretzel- $2millerstwist.comIn the mood for something a little more decadent? Check out Miller’s Twist in Reading Terminal Market for their divine plain salted pretzel. Think Auntie Anne’s but homemade.2. Philly Pretzel FactorySingle Pretzel- $.75phillypretzelfactory.comYes this is a chain all around the Greater Philadelphia region but that just makes them even more convenient to get. At 75 cents a pop, you can bet your bottom dollar that your carb craving will be satisfied.3. John’s Water IceMedium Lemon Water Ice- $2.25johnswaterice.comYes, we call it “water ice” here in Philly and John’s has been serving it up since 1945, using the same all-natural recipe: fruit, water, and sugar.4. Weckerly'sThe black & white- $4 to $5weckerlys.squarespace.comYou haven't had an ice cream sandwich until you've sampled one from Weckerly's. Their most popular is the black & white and prices vary depending upon location.5. Famous 4th Street DeliRugalach- $4famous4thstreetdelicatessen.comOpen since 1923, this Jewish delicatessen serves up sandwiches the size of your head but also has a few bargain menu items including their Rugalach. 6. Rosa’s Fresh PizzaCheese Pizza Slice- $1.75rosasfreshpizza.comWhat if I told you your last few dollars could feed you and a person in need? At Rosa’s Fresh Pizza it can. Their delicious cheesy slices are $1.75 each but if you donate $1, it buys a slice of pizza for the hungry.7. Blackbird PizzeriaBalboa Pizza Slice- $3.50blackbirdpizzeria.comYou can eat vegan and cheaply in Philly too! Blackbird Pizzeria on 6th street offers steaming hot slices of vegan pizza for under $5. My personal favorite is Balboa which is topped with roasted cherry tomato, seitan sausage, baby arugula, pumpkin seed pesto, tofu ricotta, chilli flakes, olive oil.8. Pizza BrainKira Turston Pizza Slice- $4.25pizzabrain.orgAside from being home to the largest collection of Pizza memorabilia in the United States, Pizza Brain makes delicious pizza. Try a slice of Kira Turston which is on a red pie with mozzarella, smoked bacon, hint of brown sugar, red onion, oven-roasted brussels sprout.9. Lorenzo’s and Sons PizzaSlice of Cheese Pizza- $3.50lorenzoandsons.comYou can’t come to Philly without a slice of Lorenzo’s famous pizza. The portion is huge so you might need to be rolled out the door after you’re finished. 10.SLiCESlice of Sausage & Peppers pizza- $4slicepa.comA summer favorite that comes with mozzarella and provolone cheese capped off with Maglio’s sausage, fried long hots and fried red bell pepper.11. Fu-wahBanh Mi Tofu Hoagie- $4.30fuwahminimarket.comIn business since 1982, there is one word for fu-wah’s banh mi tofu hoagie and that is f-r-e-s-h. 12. Taproom on 19thRoasted Beet Burger- $5taproomon19th.comOn Mondays, all burgers are ½ off all day. The Roasted Beet burger comes in at $5 even topped with fried goat cheese, mixed greens and preserved lemon vinaigrette.13. BRU Craft and WurstKäse Spätzel- $5bruphilly.comDuring happy hour, the Käse Spätzel is a steal at $5. Think of it as German mac and cheese but this one comes with caramelized mushroom, onion and muenster.14. Nick's Bar & Grille in Olde CityPulled Pork Sliders- $5facebook.com/nicksroastbeefoldcityYour happy hour just got happier with these $5 pulled pork sliders.15. Pizzeria VetriRotolo- $4.50pizzeriavetri.comFood critic Craig Laban called this dish his “morsel of the year” in 2013. It’s mortadella and ricotta wrapped in pizza dough that is baked and topped with pistachio pesto. 16. Sweet Freedom BakerySalted Caramel Cupcake, $4.50sweetfreedombakery.comThis is the city’s first gluten-free, vegan and allergy-free bakery. Don’t worry, it’s all delicious. A customer favorite is the salted caramel cupcake.17. Cake and the BeanstalkFlourless Chocolate Cake, $2.75cakeandthebeanstalk.comLooking to satisfy your sweet tooth? This whimsical Center City spot has something for everyone, including vegan options. I WOULD INLCUDE ONE SPECIFIC ITEM18. Metropolitan BakeryCroissant, $2.95metropolitanbakery.comFinding a good croissant outside of France can be challenging but you won’t be disappointed here.19. Termini Brothers BakeryRicotta Cheese Cannolo, $4termini.comIn case you didn’t know, the singular for cannoli is cannolo, especially for the purpose of this article. We can only afford to eat one to keep it under $5. 20. Federal DonutsChocolate Eclair Donut, $2.50federaldonuts.comOh the sweet life! This chocolate eclair donut is worth every glorious calorie.21. Khyber PassFresh Popped Benton’s Bacon Grease Popcorn- $5 khyberpasspub.comTopped with cajun seasoning. Don’t worry, there’s a vegan buttered popcorn too!22. MilkboyMilkboy Corndogs- $5milkboyphilly.comAnother happy hour special with jalapeno cheddar bratwurst dipped in buttermilk cornmeal batter and served with cactus mustard. 23. The Little LionSouthern Poutine- $5thelittlelionphilly.comDuring happy hour, The Little Lion’s southern poutine, which includes farmers cheese, pork belly and fried egg, is a steal at $5.24. Saad HalalFalafel Sandwich- $4.50saadhalal.comYou get 3 falafel balls with lettuce, parsley, lebanese pickles, tomato and tahini sauce wrapped in pita bread. 25. Marathon GrillVegetarian Chilli- $5eatmarathon.comHere’s a low budget lunch option! And healthy, too.26. Loco PezChorizo & Potato Taco- $2.75locopez.comThis Fishtown taqueria has loads of taco options to choose from in case you’re not feeling the chorizo, even meatless varieties. 27. Uptown Beer GardenMexiCorn- $5facebook.com/UptownBeerGardenAnother happy hour bargain, the MexiCorn, which is corn with a special blend of mayo, sour cream and fresh cilantro, pairs perfectly with your favorite draft. 28. SampanKim Chee Fried Rice- $5sampanphilly.comDuring their daily happy hour, you can score a bowl of satiating kim chee fried rice at a bargain, which comes mixed with shrimp, scallot, and a sunny side egg.29. Heffee TacosTijuana Poutine- $5facebook.com/Heffe-TacoWhile Heffe Taco makes “tacos that don’t suck” their Tijuana poutine is a must try too, with Mexican chili fries, waffle fries, chilli - fried egg, salsa rosa, sour cream, radish onion and jalapeno.30. Dos TacosYucca Fries- $3.50dostacosphilly.comYucca fries are out of this world good and what makes this deal even better is that you can get an order of guacamole with your yucca fries for only $1.50! The whole shebang is $5 baby.31. MilkhouseClassic Grilled Cheese- $4.25themilkhouse.comNothing beats the comfort of a gooey grilled cheese. You might be broke but at least you can eat your feelings.32. So CrepeSo Caramel Crepe- $5socrepe.comWhat’s light, sweet and melts in your mouth? The So Caramel Crepe, that’s what! The salted caramel is homemade, too. 33. Couch TomatoHomemade Cup of Soup- $3.69thecouchtomato.comIt also comes with your choice of a homemade roll, crackers, or croutons. 34. Kermit’s Bake ShoppeChai Cinnamon Bun- $3kermitsbakeshoppe.comWhat’s better than a cinnamon bun? A chai cinnamon bun!35. IshkabibblesSmall “Best” Fries- $4ishka-philly.comThese fries are free of trans fat and cholesterol at this South Street mainstay. You can also score a side of Onion Rings here for $4.50.36. Yakitori BoyAgedashi Tofu- $5yakitoriboy.comThis fried tofu appetizer is a tasty meat-free option with tempura sauce, scallions, and spicy radish.37. Bleu SushiScranton Roll- $4.95bleusushi2pa.comGet the best part of the salmon (the skin!) in a roll with cucumber and unagi sauce for under $5.38. Cheu Noodle BarRangoon- $5cheunoodlebar.comGet this fried pastry filled with goat cheese, cream cheese and grilled scallion topped with almond romesco sauce for five bucks during happy hour.39. Dim Sum GardenFresh Pork Moon Cake- $3.25dimsumgardenphilly.comThis Chinatown staple has loads of cheap bites on the menu, but this one “takes the cake!”40. Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle HouseEgg and Vegetable Noodle Soup- $4.50nanzhounoodlehouse.comWhat’s warm, filling and yummy? This soup.41. Fountain PorterCheeseburger- $5fountainporter.comSometimes you just want an awesome burger – no fries needed. In these situations, go here.42. Hip City VegSweet Potato Fries- $4.75hipcityveg.comBut sometimes, you want to get your serving of veggies without the meat. Sweet potato fries count, right?43. Tattooed MomTurkey Corn Dog on a Stick- $3.50tattooedmomphilly.comIf you’re looking for affordable bites matched with artsy ambiance, Tattooed Mom has your name, well, “tattooed” all over it. 44. Honey's Sit 'N EatFava Bean Soup- $3.50honeyssitneat.comMay the odds be forever in your fava. Okay, that was bad but this soup is sure to warm you up on a cool summer night. 45. Revolution TacoEmpanadas- $3therevolutiontaco.comThey have a new variety of empanada at Revolution Taco with root beer infused bacon, dates, cream cheese, thyme, almonds and honey but the spinach one is also delish!46. Knead BagelsBagel with Spread- $3.50kneadbagels.com Bored with your usual bagel? Try this black sesame one from Knead with sweet potato curry cream cheese. Mind is blown.47. Little Baby’s Ice CreamScoop of ice cream in a cone, $4littlebabysicecream.comLittle Baby’s has the most imaginative collection of flavors we’ve ever seen and even offers non-dairy options, too. Balsamic Banana, anyone?48. CapofittoMelanzane Meat Balls, $5capofittoforno.comMelanzane means “eggplant” in Italian and on Capofitto’s menu, it means eggplant meatballs. At happy hour, they’re only $5. 49. Local 44Chicken Fried Corn on the Cob, $5local44beerbar.comThis West Philly beer bar has some yummy noshes to pair with your drafts, including the chicken fried corn on the cob. 50. Beiler’s BakeryHandrolled donut- $.95facebook.com/beilersdonutsThe donuts at Beiler's are legendary and super affordable. Try the mocha creme or salted caramel. It won't break the bank to buy two but you may need to spend some more time at the gym.So what are your favorite bites that are $5 or less in Philly? Tell us in the comments below!Follow Jennifer Logue on Twitter @jenniferlogue
