Frugal Fare -- Cheap Eats in the City

 I was asked by an out-of-town reader for suggestions of frugal places to eat downtown. I put out the question to my other readers and decided it needed to be a section on the site. I've divided the suggestions by meal-type, basically:
For breakfast:

• Try the Dutch Bakery on Fort St. It's not four star food but you can get a "mini breakfast" (one egg, one slice of ham or bacon plus hashbrowns and toast) for under $5 -- and breakfast is served all day
• Breakfast runs about $10 at Cabin 12 but you get a LOT of food for your money -- for me, it's usually enough that I can skip lunch.

For lunch:

• Many readers chimed in with a recommendation for Pig BBQ Joint on View and I have to agree, their $5 sandwiches are a bargain.
• One of my faves for lunch is John's Place on Pandora -- their bottomless soup (and bread) is only $5.95
• one reader suggested the 5 for $5 tacos off the slow food menu at Hernande'z on Yates
• another reader suggested Sally Bun on Fort St.
• Chinatown (Fisgard at Government) has plenty of inexpensive options, too including Wah Lai Yuen, and I highly recommend the Chow Mein Box meals at Fan Tan Cafe ($6-$7).

For dinner:

• one reader suggests the daily specials at the Flying Otter Grill (at the Harbour Air Seaplane Terminal on Wharf) -- especially the burgers on Tuesdays.

Other thoughts:
If you don't need a sit-down lunch, there are plenty of places you can grab a bite to go whether it's to take back to your hotel room or picnic in a park:

• Downtown grocery store options include Thrifty Foods in James Bay and The Market on Yates
• For snacks, there are an endless number of coffee shops, bakeries and kiosks in the city; one reader suggested Wannawafel in Market Square.
• If you're willing to take a bus (number 27 or 28) out to Gordon Head and back, Fujiya has ridiculously affordable, fresh sushi and other Japanese dishes to go.

Got another suggestion? Send it my way or login and add a comment. For more restaurant ideas, check out my restaurant reviews on my other Victoria website, Cheryl's Unofficial Guide to Victoria.