This Korean restaurant is a Concordia staple, leaning heavily on the addition of comfort food elements to its bibimbaps, ramyun, and tteokbooki (including various items with cheese). Despite the long lines, it has some detractors, includinga former Eater editorwho lamented the intense heaviness of it all, but the popularity is undeniable.

Owner Nilufar Al-Shourbaji could be Montreal’smost beloved falafel maker. Her all-vegetarian restaurant is the cheapest meal around the Concordia area — a sandwich with the fried chickpea patties costs loose change. Alternatively, there’s Nilufar’s take on poutine, with fries, pieces of falafel, tahini, and hot sauce.

Sammi and Soupe’s affordable soup dumplings are always delicious and bursting with broth. This popular spot certainly isn’t a hidden gem, though, and gets quite busy during the lunchtime rush.

The generous thali (large platters comprised of various dishes along with rice and naan) served at this vegetarian-friendly Indian joint are full of rich flavours, and best of all, will fill you up for the day without breaking the bank.

Fusion is done right at Picks, which mixes a classic fast food burger with Korean flavours — get that marinated meat topped with kimchi (amongst numerous other options), or opt for K-tacos, with chicken or shrimp. There’s also the hefty pogo, which shuns the traditional corn coating for fries.

This charming café with Persian vibes has an excellent selection of teas and sweets, alongside coffee, sandwiches, and a few bigger meals. The prices are a tiny bit elevated relative to some other cafés in the area, but Aunja has the distinct advantage of having ample comfortable seating, courtesy of its comparatively spacious basement set-up.

This simple spot brings large, reasonably-priced, and really good⁠ bowls of Vietnamese pho to the downtown masses (the spicy bun bo hu is a fan favourite). Enjoy your meal with a beer or with one of a tasty Vietnamese iced coffee.

Plates loaded up with jiaozi dumplings in a rainbow of fillings start around $8 at Qing Hua, one of the city’s dumpling mainstays.

Char-grilled chicken sandwiches, pides, and platters piled high are the features of this popular Turkish fast food spot on de Maisonneuve.

Il Panino takes a student staple — simple sandwiches — and offers them at a fair price without compromising taste. The Mediterranian-inspired spot does salads, pastries and coffee as well, but the warm, gooey, well-filled paninis are the highlight.

Though it doesn’t look like it,Misoyais actually the Montreal extension of a Japanese chain — and its miso-based ramen bowls are amongst the best in the city.

Montreal’smost recognizable shawarma-sliceris known as a late-night, drunk food spot (perhaps due to its Crescent Street location), but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with stopping by for a pita and garlic potatoes during daylight hours. Every pita trio clocks in at under $10, too.

It has never been made clear why Pigeon decided to employ reverse psychologywhen it first opened, touting that it offers the “world’s worst coffee”, but in any case, the third-wave brews here are actually some of the best in the area, even if students used to the burnt-hair brews at Tim Horton’s might baulk at the prices. There’s also pastries and kombucha.

By night, this Lebanese restaurant is a bit more of a sit-down spot (at least compared to other Middle Eastern places on this map), but it still does a host of sandwiches and snacks for under $10.

This straightforward (but often busy) panini joint is a favourite among cash-strapped students, serving up sandwiches of a quality that belie the low price. It’s also open 24 hours a day, helping you fuel up during all-night study sessions (or after a drunken night out).