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Twin Cities Cheap Eats 2015: Best New Cheap Restaurants, Mapped

by Lindsay Abraham
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by Lindsay Abraham

With the help of the Eater 38 and the Eater Heatmaps, it's so easy to find out where to eat right now, whether it's a hot newcomer or an old neighborhood standby. Now it's just as simple to find which restaurants feature the hot new cheap eats in town. So, to kick off Cheap Eats Week here at Eater Minneapolis we present to you a guide to some of the new (or newish) spots in town for cheap eats and killer deals.

Did we leave out any sweet, new restaurants that have cheap and awesome food? Let us know in the comments.

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Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.

1. La Ceiba Bistro

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3500 Bloomington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55407
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Opened less than a month ago, the Hector Ruiz bistro in the Powderhorn neighborhood serves up Caribbean inspired food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at very affordable prices. A daily happy hour runs from 3 to 5 p.m. with select entrees and salads for $5 plus half off bottle and tap beer.

2. Scratch

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400 3rd Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55401
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Ever heard of Scratch? Neither had we until it was brought to our attention that they have some killer food deals. Opened just this past fall and conveniently located near Target Field, the downtown work crowd knows when to get the deals at Scratch. Tuesdays gets you $2 tacos, Wednesdays offers up $5 basket of wings, and Thursdays you'll find a $5 hamburger.

3. Big River Pizza

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280 5th St E
Saint Paul, MN 55101
(651) 683-2186
(651) 683-2186
Visit Website
Located near the new Saints stadium in St. Paul's Lowertown, Big River Pizza is new and has some deals worth knowing about. Grab a $4 slice on the way to or from the Farmer's Market or keep an eye out for event specials like the pre-game warm up that offers a pint and slice for $6.

4. Brasserie Zentral

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505 Marquette Ave #A
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 333-0505
(612) 333-0505
Visit Website
Zentral and Foreign Legion have some deals worth seeking out. The downtown spot from Russel Klein might not be your first thought for cheap eats but they do have happy hour deals and a late night dining menu that might be of interest. Deals include $3 pretzels, $5 frites with mayo, and a chef-created burger for less than $10. Plus weekly specials at Foreign Legion including half-price wine on Saturday nights.

5. Bếp Eatery

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100 S 5th St #210
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 910-2317
(612) 910-2317
Visit Website
Opened in June, the skyway eatery is serving up authentic Vietnamese street food and everything on the menu is $7.95. Everything. That includes vermicelli salad, pho, and banh mi. Wait, we lied, not everything is $7.95. Turns out you can also get fresh spring rolls for $2 from 2 to 3 p.m. Deal.

6. Red Cow

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208 1st Ave B
Minneapolis, MN 55410
(612) 238-0050
(612) 238-0050
Visit Website
Happy hour specials are stellar at Red Cow's North Loop location. Dip out of work early and grab a sip and nibble with deals like $2 off select draft beers and $2 off all wine by the glass. Then order up anything from the $6 happy hour menu including poutine, wings, cheese curds, and ahi crisps.

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7. Dong Hae Korean Grill & Sushi

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251 1st Ave N Ste 100
Minneapolis, MN 55401
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There's some killer Korean happening in downtown Minneapolis at Dong Hae. A relative newcomer still, the spot is offering up big old happy hour bap bowls for $9-11 and $4 cocktails which is basically unheard of these days.

8. Colossal Café

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1340 Grand Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55105
(651) 414-0543
(651) 414-0543
Visit Website
Opened last month at the corner of Grand and Hamline in St. Paul, Colossal Cafe has some great deals on scratch food. Breakfast sandwiches are a deal at $5-6 and a short stack of their massive flappers that come with real maple syrup for $6. Did we mention that breakfast is served all day?

9. Nighthawks

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3753 Nicollet Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55409
(612) 248-8111
(612) 248-8111
Visit Website
There's a deal you should know about at Landon Schoenefeld's South Minneapolis spot. On Monday-Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. you can get a Nighthawks dog plus a beer for $10. That isn't exactly the cheapest of eats but the gourmet Kramarczuk's foot long dogs normally go for $10 so you're basically getting a free beer.

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1. La Ceiba Bistro

3500 Bloomington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Opened less than a month ago, the Hector Ruiz bistro in the Powderhorn neighborhood serves up Caribbean inspired food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at very affordable prices. A daily happy hour runs from 3 to 5 p.m. with select entrees and salads for $5 plus half off bottle and tap beer.
3500 Bloomington Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Visit Website

2. Scratch

400 3rd Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Ever heard of Scratch? Neither had we until it was brought to our attention that they have some killer food deals. Opened just this past fall and conveniently located near Target Field, the downtown work crowd knows when to get the deals at Scratch. Tuesdays gets you $2 tacos, Wednesdays offers up $5 basket of wings, and Thursdays you'll find a $5 hamburger.
400 3rd Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Visit Website

3. Big River Pizza

280 5th St E, Saint Paul, MN 55101
Located near the new Saints stadium in St. Paul's Lowertown, Big River Pizza is new and has some deals worth knowing about. Grab a $4 slice on the way to or from the Farmer's Market or keep an eye out for event specials like the pre-game warm up that offers a pint and slice for $6.
280 5th St E
Saint Paul, MN 55101
(651) 683-2186
Visit Website

4. Brasserie Zentral

505 Marquette Ave #A, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Zentral and Foreign Legion have some deals worth seeking out. The downtown spot from Russel Klein might not be your first thought for cheap eats but they do have happy hour deals and a late night dining menu that might be of interest. Deals include $3 pretzels, $5 frites with mayo, and a chef-created burger for less than $10. Plus weekly specials at Foreign Legion including half-price wine on Saturday nights.
505 Marquette Ave #A
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 333-0505
Visit Website

5. Bếp Eatery

100 S 5th St #210, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Opened in June, the skyway eatery is serving up authentic Vietnamese street food and everything on the menu is $7.95. Everything. That includes vermicelli salad, pho, and banh mi. Wait, we lied, not everything is $7.95. Turns out you can also get fresh spring rolls for $2 from 2 to 3 p.m. Deal.
100 S 5th St #210
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 910-2317
Visit Website

6. Red Cow

208 1st Ave B, Minneapolis, MN 55410
Happy hour specials are stellar at Red Cow's North Loop location. Dip out of work early and grab a sip and nibble with deals like $2 off select draft beers and $2 off all wine by the glass. Then order up anything from the $6 happy hour menu including poutine, wings, cheese curds, and ahi crisps.
208 1st Ave B
Minneapolis, MN 55410
(612) 238-0050
Visit Website

7. Dong Hae Korean Grill & Sushi

251 1st Ave N Ste 100, Minneapolis, MN 55401
There's some killer Korean happening in downtown Minneapolis at Dong Hae. A relative newcomer still, the spot is offering up big old happy hour bap bowls for $9-11 and $4 cocktails which is basically unheard of these days.
251 1st Ave N Ste 100
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Visit Website

8. Colossal Café

1340 Grand Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105
Opened last month at the corner of Grand and Hamline in St. Paul, Colossal Cafe has some great deals on scratch food. Breakfast sandwiches are a deal at $5-6 and a short stack of their massive flappers that come with real maple syrup for $6. Did we mention that breakfast is served all day?
1340 Grand Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55105
(651) 414-0543
Visit Website

9. Nighthawks

3753 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55409
There's a deal you should know about at Landon Schoenefeld's South Minneapolis spot. On Monday-Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. you can get a Nighthawks dog plus a beer for $10. That isn't exactly the cheapest of eats but the gourmet Kramarczuk's foot long dogs normally go for $10 so you're basically getting a free beer.
3753 Nicollet Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55409
(612) 248-8111
Visit Website

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