Updated 16 March 2026 | 12 places tested | Omar El-Sayed reporting
I spent two weeks eating my way through Hopkins Street, Nicholson Street, and every side alley in between. Twelve venues. Zero meals over $15. Here’s what survived the cut.
Footscray doesn’t do pretentious. It does big flavours from small kitchens, family recipes that haven’t changed in decades, and portions that make you wonder how they turn a profit. If you’ve been sleeping on Melbourne’s most underrated food strip, wake up.
1. Pho Hung Vuong Saigon
128 Hopkins Street, Footscray Pho: $13–$14 | Broken rice: $12 | Rice paper rolls: $9
The one locals call “Laughing Cow, Laughing Chicken” (look at the sign — you can’t unsee it). This place has been cranking out some of Melbourne’s best pho since before Footscray was fashionable. The beef pho arrives with a broth so clean and aromatic it feels medicinal — in the best possible way. Their com tam (broken rice with grilled pork) is the sleeper hit: smoky, caramelised pork over rice with a side of pickled vegetables and fish sauce that ties the whole thing together. Service is rapid-fire. You will be fed and out the door in 20 minutes flat.
Order this: Special beef pho ($14) and a Vietnamese iced coffee ($5).
2. Nhu Lan Bakery
116 Hopkins Street, Footscray Bánh mì: $8–$10 | Roast pork roll: $9 | Honey bun: $3
Nhu Lan is a Footscray institution, full stop. The banh mi here is the benchmark. A crusty baguette packed with cold cuts, pâté, pickled carrot and daikon, fresh coriander, chilli, and a smear of mayo. It costs under $10 and it’ll keep you full until dinner. They open at 5am — the bakers start even earlier — and the first batches of bread come out warm. By mid-morning the roast pork and crackling are gone if you’re not quick. The honey buns and coconut buns are dangerously good impulse buys.
Order this: Cold cuts bánh mì ($9) and a coconut bun ($3).
3. Awash African Restaurant & Bar
Hopkins Street, Footscray Vegetarian combo: $12–$14 | Meat combo: $14–$16 | Injera included
Awash sits on the quieter stretch of Hopkins Street and does Ethiopian and Eritrean food that’s packed with spice. The vegetarian combination is the move — a spread of lentils, collard greens, split peas, and beetroot salad served on a massive piece of injera. You tear off pieces of spongy fermented flatbread and scoop everything up. No cutlery needed. The meat combination adds slow-braised lamb and chicken stew, and it’s still just over $15 if you stick to the regular size. The berbere spice blend here has a slow burn that builds with every bite.
Order this: Veggie combination ($13) with an Ethiopian coffee ceremony if you’ve got time.
4. Sapa Hills Restaurant
112 Hopkins Street, Footscray Pho: $13–$15 | Vermicelli bowls: $12–$14 | Rice dishes: $12–$14
Sapa Hills is the restaurant that converts non-Vietnamese people into pho converts. It’s been here for years, consistently excellent, and always packed with Vietnamese families — always a good sign. The northern-style pho has a richer, more complex broth than most shops in Footscray. Their bun bo hue (spicy lemongrass beef noodle soup) is the one to order if you want something with a kick. Vermicelli bowls with grilled pork or lemongrass chicken come in at under $14 and are enormous.
Order this: Bun bo hue ($14) and a fresh spring roll ($6).
THE MOVE 🔥 Go to Sapa Hills on a Wednesday night. It’s their quietest evening, which means faster service and the kitchen isn’t rushing. Best time to try something new off the menu.
5. Littlefoot Bar & Kitchen
102 Hopkins Street, Footscray Pasta: $14–$16 | Snacks: $8–$12 | Sandwiches: $13
Littlefoot is technically a bar, but the kitchen punches above its weight. The menu pulls from Footscray’s Italian heritage and mixes in Vietnamese and African influences — because of course it does. The pasta dishes hover around the $15 mark and the portions are generous. Their snack menu is where the value lives: arancini, meatballs, and a rotating sandwich special that’s usually under $13. It’s the kind of place where you come for one drink and leave three hours later after meeting half the neighbourhood.
Order this: The daily sandwich special ($13) and a tap beer.
6. Slice Shop Pizza
101A Nicholson Street, Footscray Single slice: $5 | Whole pie (18-inch): $32 | Garlic bread: $6
Run by the same crew behind Burn City Smokers, Slice Shop does New York-style pizza by the slice from a tiny hole-in-the-wall with about eight stools. The slices are genuinely enormous — you could make a meal of two for $10 and still struggle to finish. The pepperoni with hot honey is the crowd favourite. The pesto chicken and mushroom slices rotate on and off the menu. There’s no table service, no bookings, and no mucking around. Walk up, point at a slice, eat it standing on the footpath like a champion.
Order this: Pepperoni with hot honey ($5) and a second slice of whatever looks good ($5).
7. Lutong Pinoy (Footscray Market Food Court)
Footscray Market, 87 Hopkins Street Palabok with rice: $10–$12 | Sisig with rice: $11 | Longanisa combo: $10
The Filipino stall inside the Footscray Market food court is criminally under-visited. Lutong Pinoy serves home-style Filipino food that tastes like someone’s nan made it (because that’s basically the case). The palabok — rice noodles in a rich shrimp sauce topped with crushed chicharon, egg, and spring onions — is the star. Sisig is crispy chopped pork sizzled with onion and chilli, served with garlic rice. The longanisa (sweet pork sausages) combo plate with rice and a fried egg runs about $10. Grab a table in the food court, eat slowly, and watch the market hustle around you.
Order this: Palabok with rice ($11) and a halo-halo if they’ve got it ($7).
8. Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant
Hopkins Street, Footscray Tibs: $13–$15 | Kitfo: $15 | Vegetarian platter: $12
Dukem sits near Awash and offers a slightly different take on Ethiopian food. The tibs — diced beef sautéed with onion, tomato, rosemary, and jalapeño — arrive sizzling in a small clay dish. It’s Ethiopian stir-fry and it’s brilliant. Kitfo, the Ethiopian steak tartare, is for the adventurous: raw (or lightly cooked) minced beef seasoned with mitmita chilli spice and niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter). The vegetarian platter is a safe and spectacular starting point if you’re new to the cuisine. Everything comes with injera and you’ll want extra.
Order this: Beef tibs ($14) with a side of injera and ayeb (cottage cheese, $3).
9. Don Don Footscray
Barkly Street, Footscray Donburi: $11–$14 | Curry: $12 | Gyoza (5pc): $8
Don Don is a mini-chain that does Japanese comfort food without any of the fuss. Think: rice bowls topped with teriyaki chicken, katsu pork, or grilled salmon. The portions are solid and most meals land between $11 and $14. Their Japanese curry — thick, sweet, and mild — is a winter lifesaver. Gyoza are crisp on the bottom, soft on top, and at $8 for five pieces they’re a cheap starter. Service is fast, the tables are small, and nobody lingers. It’s a lunch spot, not a date spot.
Order this: Katsu pork donburi ($13) and gyoza ($8).
10. Phuoc Thanh Bakery
Hopkins Street, Footscray Bánh mì: $8.50–$10 | Pork roll: $9 | Vietnamese coffee: $4.50
Phuoc Thanh is the banh mi shop you go to when Nhu Lan has a line out the door (which it usually does on weekends). The bread here is lighter and crispier — more air pockets, less chewy. Their grilled pork banh mi with extra chilli is the standout. It’s about $9.50 and it’s hand-held perfection. They also do a solid Vietnamese drip coffee with condensed milk that’ll keep you wired through a Sunday market wander.
Order this: Grilled pork bánh mì ($9.50) and Vietnamese iced coffee ($4.50).
11. Casita Coffee
Footscray Market Food Court, 87 Hopkins Street Empanada: $6–$8 | Dulce de leche hot chocolate: $6 | Alfajor: $4
Tucked inside the Footscray Market food court, Casita is the Latin American stall that most people walk past on their way to the Vietnamese options. Don’t make that mistake. The empanadas are handmade, golden, and stuffed with beef, chicken, or spinach and cheese. At $6 to $8 each, they’re a bargain. The dulce de leche hot chocolate is thick enough to stand a spoon in. If they’ve got alfajores (shortbread sandwich cookies with dulce de leche), grab a bag. You’ll eat them on the tram home.
Order this: Beef empanada ($7) and dulce de leche hot chocolate ($6).
12. Nhu Ngoc Bakery
Footscray Market Food Court, 87 Hopkins Street Bánh mì: $8–$9 | Rice dishes: $10–$12 | Desserts: $3–$5
Another Footscray Market food court gem, Nhu Ngoc does Vietnamese bakery staples alongside some proper meals. Their roast duck rice plate is the value pick of the entire market — tender duck with crispy skin, rice, pickled vegetables, and a drizzle of the roasting jus for about $11. The bánh mì here is solid if not spectacular, but the rice plates and noodle soups make it worth the detour into the market.
Order this: Roast duck rice plate ($11) and a pandan custard bun ($3.50).
What We Skipped and Why
Littlefoot’s dinner menu: Excellent, but mains creep past $16 at dinner. This is a sub-$15 guide and we have standards. Worth visiting on a date night though — see our Footscray Date Night guide for the full rundown.
The Footscray Market fruit and veg stalls: Not food in the “eat it now” sense, though the tropical fruit selection is worth a browse on Saturdays.
Sister restaurants and pop-ups: We focused on permanent venues. The Footscray Night Market (summer only) has its own list and we’ll cover it separately.
Any venue where we couldn’t confirm current prices: If it’s not here, we either couldn’t verify the menu or the quality wasn’t consistent enough to recommend. We’d rather leave it out than send you somewhere average.
VOTE: Which Footscray cheap eat reigns supreme?
🇻🇳 Pho Hung Vuong (the pho king) 🇪🇹 Awash (the injera queen) 🇻🇳 Nhu Lan (the banh mi boss) 🇵🇭 Lutong Pinoy (the sleeper pick)
Vote below 👇
REACTION BAR
Would you smash all 12 of these in a day? 🔥
😋 Yes, absolutely 😤 No, that’s unhinged 😂 I’ve already done it
THE MOVE 🔥
The $100 Footscray crawl. Grab three mates. Each person gets $25. Start at Nhu Lan for banh mi, walk to Awash for a shared veggie platter, hit Slice Shop for a couple of slices each, then finish at Casita Coffee for empanadas and hot chocolate. You’ll spend about $95 total and eat like royalty. Full crawl route in our Footscray Neighbourhood Guide.
CONFESSION BOX 🤫
I went to Footscray for the “cool cafes” and accidentally ate five banh mi in one afternoon. I have no regrets.
The Bottom Line
Footscray is the best suburb in Melbourne for eating well under $15. The Vietnamese restaurants on Hopkins Street alone could feed you for a year and never repeat a meal. Add the Ethiopian joints, the Filipino stall, the Japanese spots, and the Latin American corner, and you’ve got a food scene that punches four suburbs above its weight.
The best part? Most of these places don’t care about food photography, Instagram tags, or influencer bookings. They care about the food. As they should.
Planning a full day out? Pair your cheap eats crawl with our picks for the best bars in Footscray for after-dinner drinks, or check what’s on this weekend to time your visit right.
Omar El-Sayed is the Street Food Editor at MELBZ. He has eaten approximately 400 bánh mì in his lifetime and has no plans to stop.