Updated 16 March 2026 | 6 places tested | Priya Sandhu reporting
Balaclava doesn’t scream “dining destination” the way its flashy neighbour St Kilda does, but that’s precisely the point. While tourists queue along Acland Street, locals walk ten minutes east to Carlisle Street, where the food is better, the prices are kinder, and you don’t need a reservation three weeks in advance. This pocket of Melbourne’s bayside suburbs — wedged between St Kilda, Caulfield, and Windsor — punches well above its weight for cheap eats, and we ate our way through it to prove it.
Here are six places where you’ll eat well for under twenty bucks, plus what we skipped and why.
1. Glick’s Cakes & Bagels
330 Carlisle Street, Balaclava VIC 3183 What to spend: Bagels from $5.50, filled bagels from $10–$15, baked goods from $3
Glick’s is not just a bagel shop. It is the bagel shop — Melbourne’s oldest and largest kosher bakery, running since 1968. Mendel Glick started boiling bagels in the early sixties and the family hasn’t stopped since. The Balaclava outpost on Carlisle Street is where locals grab breakfast, lunch, and an unreasonable quantity of challah bread on Fridays.
The boiled bagels come in eight varieties — plain, sesame, poppy seed, all seeds, dark rye, blueberry, cinnamon raisin, and gluten-free. A plain bagel with cream cheese runs about $5.50. A loaded salmon-and-cream-cheese number pushes closer to $15. The dips, salads, and baked goods are all kosher and all cheap. If you’re after a quick, no-fuss feed that’ll keep you going all afternoon, this is it.
Pro tip: Grab a dozen bagels to take home. They freeze brilliantly and you’ll thank yourself at 7am on a Tuesday.
Cross-link: Glick’s also has a flagship in nearby Caulfield, so you’re never far from a decent bagel in this part of town.
2. Ziggy’s Eatery
195 Carlisle Street, Balaclava VIC 3183 What to spend: Wraps and rolls from $12–$16, burgers from $14–$18
Ziggy’s is the kind of place that doesn’t need Instagram to survive. It’s survived on word of mouth, consistent food, and prices that make the bigger burger chains nervous. The menu is a mashup of Middle Eastern and Aussie pub-grill: beef shawarma wraps, steak sandwiches on crusty baguette, chicken schnitzel rolls, and the legendary Mad Moroccan — a spiced lamb number that regulars order without looking at the menu.
The portions are generous. The steak sandwich is thick enough to require both hands and a game plan. A beef shawarma wrap with the lot will run you about $14. You can eat extremely well here for under $16.
What to order: The Mad Moroccan wrap if you want something different. The double-patty Ziggy’s Burger if you want something enormous.
3. Saigon Street Eats
249 Carlisle Street, Balaclava VIC 3183 What to spend: Pho from $15–$17, bao buns from $12–$14, banh mi from $12–$14
This family-run Vietnamese canteen has been Carlisle Street’s worst-kept secret since it opened. The recipe for the pho broth has been passed down through generations, and you can taste the patience in every bowl. Rich, aromatic, and served with a pile of fresh herbs that would make a gardener weep with joy.
But pho isn’t the only play here. The steamed bao buns are pillowy and stuffed with braised pork or lemongrass chicken for around $12. The banh mi is crispy, bright, and under $14. If you’re feeding a group, the spring rolls and dumplings make excellent shared starters without blowing the budget.
Pro tip: Weekday lunch is the sweet spot. The queue moves fast and you’ll get your pho in minutes.
Cross-link: Saigon Street Eats also has a second location on Chapel Street in St Kilda if you’re heading south.
4. Si Señor Art Taqueria
219 Carlisle Street, Balaclava VIC 3183 What to spend: Tacos from $6–$8 each, burritos from $15–$18, Tuesday taco deal 4 for $21
Stepping into Si Señor feels like someone airlifted a Mexico City taqueria and dropped it between a kosher bakery and a Vietnamese canteen. The walls are covered in murals, the music is loud, and the al pastor tacos — shaved from a vertical spit, crowned with pineapple — are as close to authentic Mexican street food as you’ll get this side of the equator.
Individual tacos run $6 to $8, so three will keep you well under $20. A full burrito with rice, beans, salsa, and your choice of protein hits about $16. The real bargain is Tuesday taco night: four tacos for $21 (just over the budget, but worth stretching for). The handmade guacamole and house-made agua frescas round out the experience.
What to order: Al pastor tacos (the signature), carnitas burrito, and a lime agua fresca.
Cross-link: If you love the vibe here, Windsor’s Chapel Street strip has more Mexican and Latin American spots worth exploring.
5. All Things Equal Café
263–265 Carlisle Street, Balaclava VIC 3183 What to spend: Breakfast dishes from $16–$20, coffee from $4.50
All Things Equal is a social enterprise café with a mission: providing paid employment and training for people with disability in a mainstream hospitality setting. It’s also, frankly, one of the best brunch spots on this stretch of Carlisle Street — and at prices that beat most inner-city competitors.
The menu rotates seasonally but always includes crowd-pleasers: shakshuka with eggs, labneh, and pita; smashed avo with almond dukkah, spiced feta, and tomato salsa; and chilli scramble with vegan XO. A coffee and a breakfast plate will land you right at the $20 mark. The staff are genuinely lovely, the fit-out is bright and welcoming, and the food is consistently excellent.
Pro tip: This is a vegetarian and pescatarian menu. You won’t miss the meat.
6. Inkerman Hotel
375 Inkerman Street, Balaclava VIC 3183 What to spend: Pub meals from $16–$20, parma specials from $15, happy hour pots from $4.50
The Inkerman is the kind of pub that makes you wonder why anyone bothers with gastropubs. No pretension, no deconstructed anything — just honest pub food at honest pub prices in a room where the bar staff remember your name after two visits. The steak, chips, and salad deal is a perennial favourite, and Thursday nights bring buy-one-get-one-free on main meals.
The chicken parma is crispy, generously sized, and under $20. The beer garden is dog-friendly and smoker-friendly (a rare combo these days). Happy hour runs Monday to Friday, 4pm to 6pm, with $4.50 pots and $7 house wines. It’s not fancy, but it doesn’t need to be.
What to order: The chicken parma or the steak with chips and salad. Trust the Thursday deal.
What We Skipped and Why
Tulum Turkish Restaurant (217 Carlisle Street) — Brilliant restaurant, award-winning chef Coskun Uysal, and a One Hat rating to prove it. But the degustation is $110 per person and most mains sit well above our $20 cap. Worth a visit for a special occasion, not a cheap Tuesday night.
Mama Morocco (302 Carlisle Street) — The shared-style Moroccan dining is atmospheric and the flavours are legit, but the per-head spend easily exceeds $25 once you account for a main and a drink. Happy hour cocktails on Friday are excellent, though — go for a drink, eat dinner elsewhere.
Las Chicas (203 Carlisle Street) — A genuine Carlisle Street institution and one of the best cafes in Melbourne. However, a full breakfast with coffee and tip edges past $25. We love it, but it doesn’t fit under twenty bucks.
Moonhouse — Upscale Chinese bistro in a beautiful building. Outstanding food, but mains start at $25+ and the experience is built around longer, pricier meals. Not a cheap eats play.
The Final Word
Balaclava’s Carlisle Street strip is one of Melbourne’s most underrated food corridors. You’ve got kosher bagels, Vietnamese pho, Mexican tacos, Middle Eastern wraps, socially conscious brunch, and cold beers in a proper pub — all within a ten-minute walk of Balaclava Station, all under twenty dollars.
It’s the kind of neighbourhood where the food is better than the facades suggest, the locals know, and the prices haven’t been inflated by food blog hype. Yet.
Related Reading
- Best Cheap Eats in St Kilda 2026
- Where to Eat in Windsor Under $25
- Caulfield’s Best Hidden Food Gems
- Carlisle Street: A Local’s Walking Food Guide
- Balaclava Suburb Guide: Everything You Need to Know
Have a cheap eat we missed on Carlisle Street? Drop us a line at hello@melbz.com.au — we’ll eat it, test it, and add it.
Poll: What’s your go-to Balaclava cheap eat?
- 🥯 Glick’s bagels
- 🌮 Si Señor tacos
- 🍜 Saigon Street Eats pho
- 🍔 Ziggy’s wraps
- 🥑 All Things Equal brunch
- 🍺 Inkerman Hotel parma