45 cheap Sydney snacks for $15 or under

How much? $4.50

It looks like a skinny sausage roll, is conveniently vegan, and the mushroom gives the creamy potato filling solid savoury credentials. 

How much? $6.50

In amongst all the sweets on the Saga counter is a freshly baked focaccia with toppings that change daily.

How much? $6.50

The beauty of this hand-held pastry is the generous wells of sharp goat’s cheese and soft, silky leeks that pool at the base of the fluffy egg filling.

How much? $6.00

They’re only available on weekends and they’re worth pre-ordering, so popular are the savoury, vegan, gluten-free doughnuts from this Japanese café.

How much? $3

Some people are here for spinach and cheese, or chicken and mushroom, but the apple pastizzis are like a tiny hand pie: sweet, flaky and dusted with icing sugar while warm. 

How much? $4

One of the best biscuits in town, hands down. The richness of the dark chocolate biscuit is punctuated by pucker-sour cherry pieces.

How much? $6.00

Yes, this joint won a global award for its almond toffee and coffee flavour, but we’re here for seasonal fruit sorbets like nectarine and rockmelon.

How much? $5.50

It’s a miniature version of the famous cake, and one you don’t have to share with anyone.

How much? $5.50

A uber-thin dough base gets woodfired extra crisp with a tasty lamb mince topping and raw onion, parsley and lemon on the side to add freshness to this Middle Eastern meat pizza.

How much? $4.50

It’s rich, creamy and a purple colour that puts unicorn cakes everywhere to shame.

How much? $6

How to make an everyday breakfast food feel like an outrageous treat? Spread it with caramel sauce, like they do at this Penrith café.

How much? $8

This newcomer to the Sydney sandwich game is slinging them hot and affordable. 

How much? $4.99

Spiced potato is balled, fried and smushed in a sweet, fluffy bun and served with two chutneys, real street food style. 

How much? $9.90

DTF is a big name in the xiao long bao game, but it’s worth exploring the lesser-known parts of the menu too.  

How much? $9.90

Here, the ghee-lathered, fluffy roti comes with two curries and a spicy sambal. 

How much? $11

With a hoki fish fillet from New Zealand and generous allotments of housemade garlic mayo, it’s a classic post-beach feed. 

How much? $3

This Lebanese take on pizza is made by sprinkling fluffy dough discs with herbs and olive oil – the meat options would make for a full meal, but the plain oregano is a steal.

How much? $3

Spot this Liverpool local’s pick by the long line out the door around lunchtime most days, all waiting for Hammoud’s fragrant, herb-packed (and cheap) falafel.

How much? $8

A plate of spiced, crunchy, chickpea patties with tahini on the side is the queen of hunger-busting snacks.

How much? $6.50

They make these sweet buns out of leftover croissant dough, pressed together with caramel, spices and banana. 

How much? $8

Forget ice cream in a cone, here you snack Sicilian-style with your granita served with a sweet brioche bun and cream on top.

How much? $8.50

It’s like a small pide, which they fill with melty, stretchy halloumi and top with sweet roasted sesame seeds.

Your schoolyard nostalgia will go into overdrive with these salty-sweet pink iced buns filled with dried fruit and layered with thick slices of real butter.

This is one of the richest pies in the city - it’s basically a whole roast dinner in a pastry case.

How much? $7.25

A plate of salty, bronzed chicken and a small garlic sauce is a one-way ticket to big flavour country.

How much? $7

Have yourself a miniature cream tea with fresh scones from this Northern Beaches bakery.

How much? $9

It’s a tasty but mildly spiced hot pocket, and if you want to increase the heat there’s salsa and hot sauce that you apply yourself. 

How much? $7.40

A soft bap-like roll doused in grated cheese, filled with cheese and potato and studded with spicy peanuts. 

How much? $10

Typically you’d want to bring an empty stomach and all your friends to make the most of the massive dishes here, but for a bite you can also get a single skewer in bread with salad and sauce for a tenner.

How much? $7

This Northern Beaches bakery has a literal wall of accolades for its pies. The beef and potato has a slice of fresh tomato baked inside it so that it self-sauces.

How much? $9

The red pesto on this hefty sambo gives it a kick, add on the caramelised carrots for a touch of smoky sweetness. 

How much? $10

On the rare day you don’t feel like pho, order rice paper rolls filled with prawn, grilled pork or chicken.

How much? $6

Sure, the brisket and ribs get all the spotlight, but sometimes the sides are the best bit of a barbecue feast, so skip straight to the elbow macaroni in three-cheese sauce.

How much? $5

The meat and veg combinations here are huge serves, so if you’re only a little peckish you can get some injera bread, toasted and topped with herb butter and sprinkled with mild red pepper for a quick fix.  

How much? $9

They serve Malay food at this Cocos Keeling Island café, which means roti canai stuffed with chicken are yours for the asking.

How much? $6.50

China’s king of breakfast street foods is a mung bean flour crepe filled with deep-fried wonton crackers, egg, fresh shallots and black sesame.

All the cakes, slices and pastries are sold by weight here, so you can choose just a little sweet if that’s all you’ve got space for, or many kilos of dessert if you’re catering to a crowd.

How much? $7.80

Xian’s wide flat noodles might be their namesake, but you can also get a mincemeat sandwich, which is another popular Shaanxi street food.

How much? $9.30

Before you order dulce du leche on everything, start with a hot dog topped with tomato, mayo, avo, and sauerkraut from this Chilean bakery.

How much? $4

People cross town for a warm pasteis de nata, warm from the oven and sprinkled with cinnamon at this Petersham institution.

How much? $9

Nothing says snack time like grilled meat on sticks, and Boon’s pork skewers are available all day.

How much? $9

Banh mi are almost a Sydney religion and here they make them cheap and crunchy.

How much? $6

Focaccia is having a revival. The white bread-stuff, traditionally sandwich-pressed until it looked like hot cardboard and historically paired with the ’90s café beverage of choice, the frappé, is back in vogue. At least that’s the word on the street in Dulwich Hill.

How much? $11

Greens, brown rice, chickpeas, beetroot, red cabbage and avo sounds like a pretty zen way to start the day on a budget.

How much? $5

You know that when there's a queue forming for a single window dishing out one thing, it's a queue you need to join, so you too can have a serve of tiny custard-filled pastry balls.