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Start a Top 5 for Cheap EatsEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Washingtonian and The Infatuation. Updated August 2026.
Taqueria Habanero · Columbia Heights
Run by a husband-and-wife team from Puebla, making their own tortillas and charring their own peppers in-house. The menu runs from al pastor with pineapple to goat barbacoa and cheesy Yucatecan shrimp tacos, with chilaquiles a strong breakfast option. A no-frills counter that leans on technique rather than atmosphere.
Ben's Chili Bowl · U Street
A U Street institution since 1958 built on the half-smoke, a coarse-ground pork-and-beef sausage grilled and piled with house chili, mustard, and onions. The chili-cheese fries are a companion order. It is the reference point DC half-smokes get measured against, still served at the original diner counter and at a Nationals Park stand.
Padaek · Falls Church
A sibling operation to Thip Khao blending well-executed Thai staples with Laotian dishes, a more casual everyday counterpart to its Columbia Heights sister. Good for diners who want the same kitchen's Laotian range from a Virginia address without the more formal setting, at inexpensive prices.