Fab food without breaking the bank

If you’re feeling the pinch, Ed Gilbert and Eve Rowlands have some suggestions for you. Here are the capital’s 31 cheap eats that will leave your mouth watering...

Wcreeping up. The list could, sadly, go on. We’re living in times where the cost of things we once thought were cheap are now looking a smidge on the pricey side.

And while we’re all trying to tighten our pursestrings during the cost-of-living crisis, there are some things we don’t want to forgo – and one of those is a nice meal out that won’t break the bank and that will cheer you up on the rainiest of days.

Thankfully, Cardiff is spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out on the cheap, be that for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From Cathays to Grangetown, here’s a selection of just some of our favourites in no particular order (prices all subject to change)...

BIG MOOSE COFFEE

This not-for-profit coffee shop and café just off Queen Street works with charities helping with mental health, prevention of suicide and prevention of homelessness. It also offers up some pretty delicious grub that won’t break the bank.

Items on the brunch and lunch menu start as little as £4. The cosy café is one of Cardiff’s toprated coffee shops on Tripadvisor for good reason, with almost exclusively five-star reviews.

Where? 4-5 Frederick Street

CRUMBS

E ARE all aware of the expensive elephant in the room at the moment – energy bills going up, rent going up, house prices increasing and food prices

Tucked away in a corner of Morgan Arcade is the vegetarian delight that is Crumbs. Although unassuming, its queue out the door just goes to show its lunchtime popularity – and one which has been going for more than 50 years.

The shop is famous for delicious salad bowls that have been served since 1970 and come in gorgeous bamboo dishes – at only £3.50 a pop for a small takeout portion – alongside filled jacket potatoes, chillis, quiches and homemade soups (£3.95). And that’s just for lunch. Its brekkie is also a popular choice for hungry workers on the move.

Where? 33 Morgan Arcade

THE SAGE DELI

Found in the middle of the bustling Cardiff Market,