Time Out Food & Drink Awards 2022: Best Cheap Eat

In spite of the name, you can eat in at Cairo Takeaway, and it’s a good time. They put a lot of care into assembling their mixed plates and given their popularity, there might be a bit of a wait on your food. A few minutes pause isn’t much of a cross to bear when Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot is blaring and you’ve got frosty tins of Young Henrys lager, hoppy Wayward’s pale ale or a sweet and astringent hibiscus cordial (imagine a sort of herbal pomegranate flavour) in front of you.

Chef Dan Hong calls this ramen 'The Chronic' and after the first spoonful, you'll know what he means. You'll find the stall at the far end of the Eating World. There's no phone number, no menu except what's on the board. It takes seven days to make the pork stock for the tonkotsu ramen and three ingredients: water, miso and 120kg of pork bones. This incredibly collagen-enriched noodle soup is so thick, rich and porky that one between two is enough, although you'll get no judgment from us if you make an attempt to polish the whole, rich, piping hot bowl off on your own. You can even pimp your ramen courtesy of the free flavour station. 

Operating for over 30 years on the retail stretch of Botany Road, the non-descript shopfront has been serving up the same fresh rolls since day dot. You'll almost always spot a queue that snakes out the door, but it moves quickly thanks to multiple servers manning the counter. Hong Ha’s traditional pork roll is about doing the simple things right – the bread is the hero of the roll, still warm in the hand, straight from the ovens out back, with a golden crunchy crust and a soft, airy interior. Three types of pork (Vietnamese devon, cured and barbecued pork) with a hearty slathering of pâté, mayo and a fistful of crunchy salad make this quite the stomach-pleasing two-hander. And the special chilli sauce hits with a sweet tinge before bringing the fire – each element combining perfectly to keep the devoted customer coming back for more.

The orange neon signage and lacklustre shopfront may not look like anything special, but anyone who’s tried an Indian kebab from here knows that this Oxford Street late-night institution is a very special place. Pick your naan (go on, live a little and get the cheese naan), then with metal tongs they’ll smash together pieces of grilled chicken tikka with either aloo chop (fried potato) or an onion bhaji. Finally, pick your curry sauce (butter chicken, vindaloo, Rogan Josh or korma) and watch them fold it up into one of the tastiest wraps you’ve ever had. And you don't have to be out till the wee hours to indulge in this cheap treat – home delivery has become de rigueur in these post-pandemic times.

No frills is the name of the game at La Botte, an old-school Italian joint in the heart of Willoughby's dining district. And while we appreciate that "district" may be generous, it really is worth the trip if you're after truly comforting and delicious eating. It's charming when an enthusiastic chef and owner wanders the restaurant floor to chat with long-time customers, with big hand gestures, personal recommendations, and unexpected connections to wine importers. In a world of ultra-hip, ultra-expensive restaurants where reservations are hard to come by, the slower pace and all-are-welcome atmosphere is refreshing and nostalgic all at once. What a vibe.

At Malibu, which you’ll find down a Surry Hills alley, there’s just one man, Marc Aebi, taking orders, chopping fillings and waving you off with a smile and a ginormous, foil-wrapped sandwich. Pick from an array of tins holding crunchy butter lettuce, sweet beetroot, pickles, and crisp cucumbers. A green, herby mayo forms the base of your ‘wich. Beware: structural integrity could be compromised if you play too fast and loose with additions. What Marc Aebi can’t stick between two pieces of bread probably isn’t worth knowing and he works the matchbox-sized shop like nobody’s business, making everything fresh every morning. 

At the centre of every Filipino celebration is lechon, a spit-roasted whole suckling pig that’s equal parts crackling and tender flesh. The Cebu Island version is said to be the best, stuffed with aromatics like star anise, garlic, lemongrass and shallots, before slowly being roasted over charcoal for three hours. Whole suckling pigs are awesome but how often do you have twenty mates over for dinner? That’s why Sydney Cebu Lechon’s recently opened Newtown restaurant has been such a hit. Originally starting as a catering business in 1991, this family-run business is now serving up lechon by the plate. And local punters (and homesick Filos) can’t get enough of it.

Time Out’s People’s Choice Awards this year invited readers to select their favourite restaurant, bar, pub and café, and the votes are in.