The Best Cheap Eats in Preston
Here’s the thing about cheap eats in Preston: they’re not just cheap — they’re genuinely good. This isn’t a suburb where “affordable” means compromising on quality or settling for reheated microwave meals served on paper plates. Preston’s cheap eat scene is built on decades of multicultural cooking, family-run businesses, and a market culture that keeps competition fierce and prices honest.
If you’re eating in Preston for under $15 and not having a great meal, you’re doing it wrong.
Pho Hung — High Street
The $14 pho that Melbourne food writers keep coming back to
Pho Hung is the institution. Located on High Street near the Preston Market, it’s been serving Vietnamese pho since before “foodie culture” existed. A bowl of rare beef pho costs around $14, comes with a mountain of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, chilli, and lime, and is the kind of meal that warms you from the inside on a freezing Melbourne winter.
The broth is the star — deeply flavoured, clear, and consistent. This isn’t a place that cuts corners on the 12-hour simmer. The rice paper rolls are $6–8, the vermicelli bowls are around $12, and the Vietnamese iced coffee (ca phe sua da) is $5 and will keep you alert until Wednesday.
At lunchtime, the queue can stretch out the door. Turn up at 11:30am or after 1:30pm to avoid the worst of it. Cash and card both accepted.
Lâm Lâm — High Street
The pho rival that locals will fight over
Down the road from Pho Hung, Lâm Lâm is the other pillar of Preston’s pho scene. Locals are divided on which is better — and both camps are right. Lâm Lâm’s broth is slightly richer, the portions are generous, and the menu has a few extra options that Pho Hung doesn’t offer.
The rare beef pho is around $14–15. The bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli noodles) is $13–15 and one of the best in Melbourne’s north. The Vietnamese pancakes (banh xeo) are crispy, loaded, and come with a dipping sauce that’s worth the visit alone.
There’s a story about a family split that led to Lâm Lâm 2 opening down the street — locals know the saga, and everyone has a theory about who got the better recipes. Both are worth trying and forming your own opinion.
Gözleme stalls — Preston Market
Handmade Turkish flatbreads for under $10
The Preston Market’s gözleme stalls are one of Melbourne’s best-kept cheap eat secrets. Turkish women hand-roll the dough, fill it with spinach and cheese, minced meat and onion, or potato and cheese, then cook it on a flat griddle until it’s golden and crispy. Each one costs around $10, and it’s the kind of meal that makes you question why anyone pays $22 for brunch.
The market also has Turkish bakery stalls selling börek, pide, and fresh simit for $3–6 each. The combination of gözleme and a fresh-squeezed juice from the adjacent fruit stall is one of Preston’s best-value meals — a full, satisfying lunch for under $15.
The market is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The gözleme stalls are busiest on Saturday mornings — arrive before 10am or after 1pm for shorter waits.
Takeaway Pizza — High Street
Wood-fired pizza from $16 that rivals the inner south
Yes, the name is deliberately underwhelming. No, the pizza is not. Takeaway Pizza on High Street does proper wood-fired pizza with blistered bases, quality toppings, and prices that start around $16 for a margherita and go up to about $24 for the more loaded options.
For the quality — handmade dough, proper wood-fired oven, good ingredients — these prices are genuinely competitive. You’d pay $22–28 for the same quality in Fitzroy or Carlton. The dine-in space is small but worth sitting in for the atmosphere.
The Preston Market Food Court
A multicultural feast for under $12
Beyond the gözleme stalls, the Preston Market has an entire food court that functions as a budget-friendly food court for every cuisine imaginable:
Chinese BBQ stalls — Roast duck, char siu pork, and rice plates for $10–14. The roast duck on rice is one of Melbourne’s best-value meals.
Lebanese bakeries — Fresh manoushi (flatbread with za’atar and olive oil) for $4–5. Fatayer (spinach or meat pastries) for $3 each. A full Lebanese breakfast of manoushi, labneh, and fresh mint tea for under $10.
Go Turkish —除了 gözleme, the market has Turkish bakeries selling fresh simit ($2–3), börek ($5–8), and pide ($8–12). The quality rivals what you’d find on Sydney Road in Brunswick.
Vietnamese — Several stalls do banh mi for $10–12, rice paper rolls for $6–8, and takeaway pho for $10–12.
The market is Preston’s greatest cheap eat resource because it concentrates dozens of family-run food businesses in one place. Competition keeps quality high and prices low. If you’re on a budget and you’re in Preston on a market day, the market is where you eat.
Juanita’s Kitchen — Preston
Home-style cooking at prices that feel like a mistake
Juanita’s Kitchen is one of those places that food blogs occasionally discover and then the locals get annoyed because suddenly there’s a queue. It serves home-style cooking — the kind of food your friend’s mum would make if her mum was an excellent cook from a culture with a strong food tradition.
The menu changes, but expect generous portions of Latin American and comfort food dishes for prices well under $15. It’s the kind of place where the food is made with love and the portions reflect it — nobody’s measuring portions to the gram here.
Cedar Bakery — High Street
Lebanese bakery breakfast that beats any Melbourne brunch
Cedar Bakery on High Street does traditional Lebanese bakery food: fresh manoushi, fatayer, kaak, and a range of pastries and breads that are baked on-site throughout the day. A fresh manoushi with za’atar costs $4–5 and is the kind of breakfast that puts most $18 brunch plates to shame.
The fatayer — triangular pastries filled with spinach, cheese, or minced meat — are $3 each and make an excellent grab-and-go lunch. The bakery also does fresh bread, which you can buy by the loaf for $2–4.
For a proper Lebanese breakfast, order a manoushi, a fatayer, a fatteh (yoghurt, chickpea, and bread dish) if they have it, and a fresh mint tea. Total cost: under $12. Total satisfaction: enormous.
El Jannah Charcoal Chicken — Preston
Lebanese charcoal chicken that’s become a Melbourne institution
El Jannah started in Sydney and has since expanded to Melbourne, with its Preston location becoming a local favourite. The charcoal chicken is their signature — whole birds cooked over charcoal, seasoned with a spice blend that’s been refined over decades. A quarter chicken with garlic sauce, pickles, and bread is around $12–14.
The sides are equally good: tabbouleh, hummus, fattoush, and batata harra (spicy potatoes). The combination of charcoal chicken and fresh Lebanese sides is one of Melbourne’s best-value dinner options — a full meal for two people for under $30.
Charcoal Grill on the Hill
BBQ and grill food at honest prices
For those nights when you want meat, fire, and nothing fancy, the Charcoal Grill on the Hill delivers. Kebabs, skewers, grilled meats, and salads at prices that acknowledge Preston’s working-class roots. A mixed kebab plate is around $12–15, and the portions are generous enough that you won’t need a second meal.
Little Thai Kitchen
Thai food that’s better than it needs to be at this price point
Little Thai Kitchen does classic Thai dishes — pad Thai, green curry, tom yum — at prices well below what you’d pay in the CBD or the inner south. Mains are typically $14–18, and the quality is consistently good. The flavours are authentic, the portions are generous, and the service is fast.
For a weeknight dinner that costs under $20 per person including a drink, Little Thai Kitchen is one of Preston’s best options.
Budget Tips for Eating in Preston
Market days are the best days. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — the Preston Market is where Preston’s cheap eat scene is at its peak. More stalls open, more variety, more competition.
Go early. Most market stalls and cheap-eat restaurants sell out of their best items by early afternoon. Saturday market opening is the sweet spot.
Bring cash. While most places now take card, a handful of market stalls and smaller restaurants still prefer cash. ATMs at the market charge fees — withdraw beforehand.
Eat like a local. The best cheap eats in Preston aren’t the ones with the most Google reviews — they’re the ones with the most Vietnamese, Lebanese, and Turkish people eating there. Follow the crowd.
What We Skipped and Why
We focused on meals under $15 (or close to it) that deliver genuine quality. We left out fast-food chains and gas station food — you don’t need a guide for those.
We also skipped the newer cheap-eat openings that haven’t established themselves yet. The Preston cheap eat scene is always evolving, with new stalls at the market and new restaurants along High Street. We’ll update this guide quarterly.
We didn’t include a dessert section because that’s a separate guide. But for the record: the market’s Turkish ice cream stalls and the fresh pastry shops are both excellent and cheap.
More Preston budget guides: → Best Cheap Eats in Reservoir — 5 min north → Best Cheap Eats in Thornbury — 10 min south → Cheap Eats in Northcote — the inner-north option
This guide was researched and written by the MELBZ team. Prices and hours are accurate as of March 2026 but should be confirmed before visiting. MELBZ is an independent Melbourne guide — we don’t accept payment for listings.
