San Francisco, verified September 20, 2026
Cheap Eats in San Francisco: Full Meals Under $20
Twenty dollars still buys a real meal in San Francisco, but you have to know where. The five spots below all clear that line, and every one of them is a counter-service walk-in: no reservations, no table held for you, just order and then either find a seat or carry the bag somewhere better. What separates them is headroom, meaning how much of the twenty you actually get to keep.
They run roughly in that order. The first three leave real change on the table, the fourth is the icon that will spend most of your budget on a single burrito, and the last is a weekday-only room with menu prices verified well under the line. Cash matters more here than at most restaurants, and hours are the constraint that will actually ruin a plan, so each entry carries the caveats a friend would mention on the walk over.
1. Taquería El Farolito
Taquería El Farolito is a cash-only, counter-service Mission taquería open since 1983, built around Mission-style super burritos and a late-night crowd. The Infatuation calls it "the undisputed champion of the town-wide taqueria show" and scores it 9.3, a Top 25 SF spot. A 2025 aggregator profile frames it the same way: a busy, no-frills, affordable Mexican eatery and late-night joint for tacos and burritos.
2779 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA | $ | burrito, mexican
Start here if the budget is the whole point. A recent review put an al pastor super burrito with chips at less than $10, which leaves half the twenty unspent, and this is also the highest-scored spot on the list: the Infatuation gives it a 9.3 and calls it the undisputed champion of the town-wide taqueria show. It has been a Mission counter taqueria since 1983, and it stays open until 3am or later six nights a week, which is the other reason people keep ending up here.
- Regular burrito about $7.25, super burrito about $8.25, super shrimp burrito about $13.50, the loaded Bosses Burrito about $14.50, tacos about $2.95 to $3.25
- The Infatuation scores it 9.3, a Top 25 SF spot, and lists it explicitly as both a "Late Nights" and a "Cheap Eats" pick
- Official hours: Monday to Wednesday 10am to 3am, Thursday and Friday 10am to 3:30am, Saturday 10am to 3am, Sunday 10am to 12am
- A recent review had an al pastor super burrito with chips coming to less than $10
Strictly cash-only, though an ATM is on-site. Small, cramped dining room; late nights bring a loud, rowdy crowd.
View on Google MapsNotes updated March 7, 2025
2. Golden Boy Pizza
Golden Boy Pizza is an iconic, no-frills North Beach slice window (open since 1978) serving thick "Sanfrancilian" focaccia-crust square pizza by the slice or the sheet, ordered at a walk-up counter with essentially no seating . It is a cheap-eats, dining-solo, late-night institution: the Infatuation scores it 8.0 and Tripadvisor ranks it #1 of 351 "Quick Bites" in San Francisco. It is not a sit-down restaurant .
542 Green St, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA | $ | pizza
The cheapest full meal on the list. Slices run $3.75 for cheese up to $4.75 for the combo, pesto veggie, or clam and garlic, so two slices and a little change still land under $10. Golden Boy has held the same North Beach window since 1978, selling thick focaccia-crust squares to the line at the window. Plan it as a stop on a walk rather than a meal you sit down for: there is nowhere to sit, and the standard move is to carry the slices three minutes to Washington Square Park.
- Slices range from $3.75 for cheese to $4.75 for combo, pesto veggie, or clam and garlic on the official menu
- An SF institution since 1978, per the official site
- North Beach hours: Monday to Thursday 11:30am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30am to 11pm, Sunday 11:30am to 9pm
- A grab-and-go window with no indoor or outdoor seating; the standard move is to carry slices three minutes to Washington Square Park
No seating of any kind; plan to eat in Washington Square Park. Lines run 30-40 minutes at peak times, and contactless or tap-to-pay is not accepted, so bring a physical card or cash.
View on Google MapsNotes updated August 3, 2026
3. Hon's Wun-Tun House
A no-frills Cantonese wonton-and-noodle-soup counter that has run out of the same tiny Kearny Street storefront in Chinatown since 1972, built around a single visible soup cauldron by the front door.
648 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA | $ | cantonese, chinese, chinese_noodle
The fastest meal here, and the one to use for a solo Chinatown lunch. SFGate singles out serious noodle and wonton soup bowls for under $14, which leaves enough room to add a side and still finish under budget. Order the BBQ pork wun-tun noodle soup, which reviewers call the holy grail here: a deeply savory broth, egg noodles, and pork that falls apart. The room is one tiny storefront on Kearny Street that has been doing this since 1972, with the soup cauldron in plain view by the door.
- SFGate calls out "serious noodle and wonton soup bowls for under $14"
- Rated in the cheapest official price tier
- The BBQ Pork Wun-Tun Noodle Soup is the dish to order; reviewers call it "the holy grail here," with a deeply savory broth, egg noodles, and fall-apart pork
- Confirmed open and serving wonton noodle soup, with online ordering available; established since 1972
Closes at 7:30 PM and is shut entirely on Sundays, so this is a lunch or early dinner play only. The space is tiny and the menu is narrowly focused on soups and noodles.
View on Google MapsNotes updated November 10, 2025
4. La Taqueria
La Taqueria is a 50-plus-year-old, cash-preferring Mission counter taqueria famous for dense, rice-free burritos: a "Classic Establishment / Lunch / Cheap Eats" spot that trades on a single iconic item rather than range or ambiance . It carries a stack of national honors: FiveThirtyEight's "America's Best Burrito" (2014), a James Beard "America's Classics" award (2017), and a Michelin Guide listing. Those honors drive constant out-of-town traffic .
2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA | $ | burrito, mexican
The iconic pick, and the one with the least room in the budget. La Taqueria's rice-free Mission burrito is a James Beard award winner, and the shop trades on that one item rather than on range or ambiance. The format rewards small parties: order, take a number, eat quickly, and treat it as lunch rather than a sit-down meal. To stay under $20, order the burrito and nothing else, pay cash, and skip the extras.
- A "Classic Establishment / Lunch / Cheap Eats" spot that trades on a single iconic item rather than range or ambiance
- Solo or two-person lunch is a strong yes: fast, cheap, iconic, and the format (order, get a number, eat quickly) rewards small parties
- Confirmed open and serving rice-less Mission-style burritos, and a James Beard award winner, per its official site
Prices have risen and some diners now find it pricey for a counter burrito; a card fee of about $3.50 adds up, so bring cash and order simply to stay under $20. Closed Monday and Tuesday, closes around 8:15-8:45 PM, and peak lines run 30-plus minutes with very limited seating.
View on Google MapsNotes updated August 3, 2026
5. Tú Lan
Tú Lan is a family-run, hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant on 6th Street near Market that has served the same imperial rolls and family-style noodle plates since 1977, run today by the founding family's third generation .
8 6th St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA | soup, vietnamese
The weekday sleeper, and the one whose numbers are easiest to check: pork shish kebab and imperial rolls over vermicelli at $14.75, imperial rolls at $9.75, shrimp spring rolls at $9.75, all verified well under the line. The same family has run this hole-in-the-wall on 6th Street since 1977, now into its third generation, and it gets cited over and over as one of the best value meals in the city. Tripadvisor diners are honest about the trade: Value rates 4.8 and Food 4.5, while Atmosphere sits at 3.2.
- Pork shish kebab and imperial rolls over vermicelli, $14.75
- Imperial rolls $9.75; shrimp spring rolls $9.75
- Repeatedly cited as one of the best value meals in the city, with generous portions at low prices
- Tripadvisor sub-ratings: Value 4.8, Food 4.5, Service 4.5, Atmosphere 3.2
Open Monday through Friday only and closed on weekends, so save it for a weekday. The 6th Street block near Market is repeatedly described as sketchy, and there is a 3% card surcharge.
View on Google MapsNotes updated August 3, 2026
Two habits cover nearly all of it. Carry bills: El Farolito is strictly cash only, La Taqueria and Tú Lan both add a card surcharge, and Golden Boy does not take contactless or tap-to-pay. Then check the clock before you follow the craving. El Farolito and Golden Boy are the flexible ones, open late most nights, while Hon's closes at 7:30 PM and is shut Sundays, La Taqueria closes early evening and is dark Monday and Tuesday, and Tú Lan runs weekdays only.