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. 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
Located on High Street near 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. Rice paper rolls are $6-8, vermicelli bowls around $12, and Vietnamese iced coffee $5. At lunchtime, the queue can stretch out the door. Turn up at 11:30am or after 1:30pm.
Lam Lam — High Street
The pho rival that locals will fight over
Down the road from Pho Hung, Lam Lam is the other pillar of Preston’s pho scene. Broth is slightly richer, portions generous. 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 and loaded.
Gozleme Stalls — Preston Market
Handmade Turkish flatbreads for under $10
The Preston Market’s gozleme 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 golden and crispy. Each one costs around $10. The combination of gozleme 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.
Market open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Busiest Saturday mornings — arrive before 10am.
Cedar Bakery — High Street
Lebanese bakery breakfast that beats any Melbourne brunch
Traditional Lebanese bakery food: fresh manoushi, fatayer, kaak, and pastries baked on-site throughout the day. A fresh manoushi with za’atar costs $4-5. Fatayer (triangular pastries with spinach, cheese, or minced meat) are $3 each. For a proper Lebanese breakfast — manoushi, fatayer, and fresh mint tea — total cost under $12.
The Preston Market Food Court
A multicultural feast for under $12
Beyond the gozleme stalls, Preston Market has an entire food court covering every cuisine:
- Chinese BBQ stalls — Roast duck, char siu pork, and rice plates for $10-14
- Lebanese bakeries — Fresh manoushi for $4-5, fatayer for $3 each
- Turkish bakeries — Fresh simit $2-3, borek $5-8, pide $8-12
- Vietnamese stalls — Banh mi $10-12, rice paper rolls $6-8
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.
Takeaway Pizza — High Street
Wood-fired pizza from $16 that rivals the inner south
Proper wood-fired pizza with blistered bases, quality toppings, starting around $16 for a margherita up to about $24. For the quality — handmade dough, proper wood-fired oven — these prices are genuinely competitive with Fitzroy or Carlton at $22-28.
El Jannah Charcoal Chicken — Preston
Lebanese charcoal chicken that’s become a Melbourne institution
Charcoal chicken seasoned with a spice blend refined over decades. A quarter chicken with garlic sauce, pickles, and bread is around $12-14. Sides — tabbouleh, hummus, fattoush, batata harra — equally good. A full meal for two for under $30.
Little Thai Kitchen
Thai food that’s better than it needs to be at this price point
Classic Thai dishes — pad Thai, green curry, tom yum — at prices well below CBD or inner-south. Mains typically $14-18, quality consistently good, portions generous. For a weeknight dinner under $20 per person including a drink, this 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 the cheap eat scene peaks.
Go early. Most market stalls sell out of their best items by early afternoon.
Bring cash. A handful of market stalls still prefer cash. ATMs at the market charge fees — withdraw beforehand.
Eat like a local. The best cheap eats aren’t the ones with the most Google reviews — they’re the ones with the most Vietnamese, Lebanese, and Turkish people eating there.
FAQ
What’s the cheapest good meal in Preston? A manoushi from Cedar Bakery on High Street for $4-5, or a gozleme from Preston Market for $10.
Is Preston Market good for cheap food? It’s one of the best cheap food destinations in Melbourne’s north. You can eat a full multicultural feast for under $15.
Where’s the best pho in Preston? Pho Hung and Lam Lam on High Street. Locals are divided on which is better — both are excellent at around $14 a bowl.
The Verdict
Preston’s cheap eat scene is built on decades of multicultural cooking and market competition. High Street and Preston Market between them offer Vietnamese, Turkish, Lebanese, Chinese, Thai, and Italian food at prices that make the inner-city look expensive. Budget $10-15 for a genuinely excellent meal. If you’re in Preston on a market day, the market is where you eat.
More Preston budget guides:
- [Best Cheap Eats in Reservoir — 5 min north](/reservoir/)
- [Best Cheap Eats in Thornbury — 10 min south](/thornbury/)
- Cheap Eats in Northcote — the inner-north option
Explore More of Preston
- Preston History
- Preston Things To Do This Weekend
- Preston Rent Guide
- Preston Date Night Guide
- Preston New Openings
- Preston Things To Do
- Preston Cost of Living
- Preston Young Professionals Guide
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