Take the $20 Restaurant Challenge

by Carly Ogborne (subscribe)

Find more things to do with kids in Brisbane at Kidtown Brisbane - brisbane.kidtown.com.au/.

Published March 1st 2011

Money may be tight, but that doesn't mean that you have to resort to fast food meal deals whenever you want a cheap night out. There are loads of places in Brisbane where you can receive a meal for less than $20. These are some of the best:

Bar Soma, 4/22 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley

In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, soma is a drug that maintains the population's happiness. Similarly, Bar Soma is a restaurant and cocktail bar that aims to please. The menu boasts a range of handmade pizzas, all priced at $12, and tapas selections priced from $8 to $15. The baked haloumi served with grilled asparagus ($14) is very good.

Bar Soma is open from Wednesday until Sunday.

Alibi Room, 720 Brunswick Street, New Farm

The Alibi Room is a laid back venue with two levels – an upstairs dining room and an intimate basement bar and lounge. The menu, which features breakfast, mains, tapas and dessert, is varied; there's burgers and BLTs, pastas and risottos, fish of the day, steak and pizzas. The most expensive main is the beer battered barramundi, at $18.

The Alibi Room is well known for its range of specials, like $2 Taco Tuesday or $8 Burger Sunday. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 7.00am.

Grill'd Burgers

At Grill'd, they take making the perfect hamburger very seriously. The Grill'd Guarantee promises fresh ingredients and low fat meat patties. The burger franchise currently has nine locations in Brisbane and two in the Gold Coast. Burgers come on a bun or a panini and include flavours like the Big Queenslander (meat patty with bacon, egg, cheese and beetroot), Caesar's Palace (chicken with bacon, egg, parmesan cheese, lettuce and Caesar dressing) and the vegetarian Field of Dreams.

See the website for opening hours.

Bengal Curry House, 17 Fox Street, Wynnum

The Bengal Curry House is a family owned business that has been operating on Brisbane's bayside since 1981. And they still boast genuine 1981 prices. Main meals fluctuate between $15.95 and $18.95 and come with a complimentary side of rice. The restaurant provides indoor and outdoor dining areas and does not charge for corkage or cakeage.

The Bengal Curry House is open Monday to Saturday from 5.00pm until late.

Neo Pizza Pasta Gelati, 36 Gladstone Road, Highgate Hill

If the name didn't make it obvious enough, Neo Pizza Pasta and Gelati is an Italian restaurant that serves, you guessed it, pizza, pasta and gelati. Customers can dine in, take away, order online or have their meal delivered. For parties and functions, the set menus are an inexpensive treat. For $20 per head, each customer receives a starter pizza bread and three different pizzas.

Neo Pizza Pasta and Gelati is open Monday to Saturday from 5.30pm until 9.00pm.

Ikea Restaurant, 3539-3565 Pacific Highway, Slacks Creek

With exotic Swedish treats at super low prices, the Ikea restaurants are more than just a place to unwind after picking out a new couch. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and desserts while the bistro serves treats for as little as fifty cents!

Grab a hot dog and drink for $2.00, or for something more substantial, try the chicken breast and vegetable pasta for only $7.95. Finish the meal with a $3.95 slice of cake.

These are only a few of the bargain eateries in our city. Feel free to share your picks.