The best student-friendly restaurants and cafés in Singapore

Cheap doesn't have to be unhealthy. A bowl of pho from Nam Nam, along with a drink, goes for just $7.90 for students. Choose to have your rice noodles topped with beef slices, chicken slices, or vegetables. Its convenient locations in town make it even easier to grab a healthy meal after shopping or movies with friends.

Dosirak serves healthy Korean-style lunch bowls – most of which come under $10. Start by choosing a carb, a protein and several veggies. The standard serving packs white rice into the bowl, but add $1 and you get the option of brown rice and buckwheat noodles to add heft to add-ins like beef bulgogi ($9.90), soy chicken ($8.90) and kimchi tofu ($7.90), mixed with Dosirak's homemade Korean chilli sauce. All menu offerings are also prepared with less oil, so you know that you're getting a healthy meal without the heavy price tag. 

The pocket-friendly student lunch weekday special from Hot Tomato has an attractive selection of six different mains. From 11am to 5.30pm, choose from sirloin steak with aglio olio, fish and chips, chicken and sausage marinara, grilled chicken chop with aglio olio, grilled salmon and salad or carbonara. It’s a steal at just $10, and it also comes with a drink.

Student meals are often limited in choice, but the ones at Watami Japanese Dining allows you to choose from 14 different options, ranging from the tendon set ($12.90) to a beef hotpot set ($10.90). To give you even more variety, discounted add-ons are also available, such as salmon sashimi ($4.90) and the chicken and shrimp chawanmushi ($2.50). The promotion is only available at Junction 8 and The Star Vista outlets. 

If you like more flexibility with your meal options, you can customise your lunch at Eighteen Chefs. Choose your base of pasta or rice, add some toppings and pick a sauce to go with your meal. Their student promotion runs throughout the week, with prices starting from $7.20, and comes with ice lemon tea and a scoop of ice cream. Not in the mood to choose? Students also get $2 off all main courses.  

Part diner and part pub, Cali Café and Bar has a pool table in the middle of the floor and a darts board – making it the perfect hangout spot for a group of friends. Students get 50 percent off their bill all week so go mad and order the signatures like its baby back ribs ($32) and the macadamia crusted seabass ($30).

Meaning 'two meals' in Korean, you can be sure that you'll leave this place absolutely stuffed. For students, take advantage of the $12.80 deal where you can enjoy a tteobokki buffet on weekdays from 11.30am to 5pm. The restaurant is strict about timing so all diners have to be done in an hour – the staff will even remind you before the sixty minutes are up. 

At first glance, this simple place holds little weight to other chic-looking restaurants. But the long winding queue proves that it has a loyal fanbase and that's because Nakhon Kitchen serves some of the best Thai food in town at student-friendly prices. You can get its famous Thai mango salad ($5), tom yum soup ($6) and Thai crispy spring roll ($4) and still spend less than what you would in a café. This place doesn't come with the hassle of GST or service charge so you can feast in peace. 

With a new and revamped menu, chain eatery Saizeriya retains its popularity with budget eaters and students. A quick look at its extensive menu explains the snaking queue during weekends. With cheap dishes such as baked clams ($3.90), oven-grilled escargot ($5.90) and chicken fritto ($3.90), it is definitely an affordable place for a post-school day fuel up.

In the middle of bustling Little India, you'll find this late-night dim sum joint, popular with the young folks and the supper crowd. With a wide selection of dim sum starting from $4 per plate, it's easy to go overboard when it comes to ordering. Remember to try the famous steamed custard egg yolk bun ($3.90 for three) if you're gunning for sweet treats after dumplings.

Cheap and good sushi might sound like a faraway dream, but dreams come true at the Standing Sushi Bar. On Mondays, it is Salmon Madness Day where sashimi plates start from $3. It also serves sake from $2 and beer, wine, hot sake and umeshu from $5. On Roll With Us Wednesdays, diners get a 50 percent discount on plates of its specialty sushi.