Being a student generally comes with budgetary restrictions, especially in an expensive city like Dublin. It is becoming increasingly hard to balance the budget between common student experiences like eating out with friends, exploring the city, night outs, etc.
It may seem like the prices are spiralling out of control and even a casual meal with a friend will set you back €30 – 50. Fortunately, places that offer affordable meals at good portion sizes can be found in and around the city centre.
Below, I will introduce you to my 5 favourite finds I made this year. At each one, you can have a filling meal for around €10.
1. Boojum – inexpensive and student-friendly
Boojum is the most famous Mexican joint in Dublin although it is not authentic Mexican food. Their burritos are a sell out with massive queues during lunch hours. They do a 10% student discount and a wide range of flavourful dressings.
It is a haven for spice lovers with hot salsa (be careful with the naga chilli sauce) options and also a range of hot sauces that are waiting there for you to try (for free!). Their burritos are very filling and can easily serve as a dinner size meal.
With the student discount, I paid around €8.50 for a vegetable burrito.
This place also has a very cool funky vibe and is a great place to test your spice tolerance with friends!
2. KC Peaches – student discounts & close to campus
This one is no doubt the go to place for all Trinity students. It offers student discounts, and a buffet-like arrangement to choose from.
There is a salad bar and a hot food counter. You just need to choose a box of your choice, from three options and you pay according to the size of your box. You can add whatever you want to your box from a wide variety of dishes available ranging from mac and cheese to beetroot and feta salads.
I took a medium salad bowl that cost me about €9. The food is of high quality and there is plenty of space to sit in with the ambience of the place quite lively and friendly.
It is also located very close to the campus and usually takeaways are cheaper than eating it in, so if the weather is nice, it is often a great opportunity to enjoy some delicious food under the sun on our beautiful campus grounds.
3. Tang – sustainable and budget friendly
Tang is a sustainable food joint with a Middle Eastern twist located on Dawson street (a five minute walk from campus).
Their most famous dish is a flatbread wrap where they make the flatbread fresh in front of you. My friends never stop praising their middle eastern chicken wrap, but as a vegetarian, I can wholeheartedly recommend the crispy Lebanese bean option.
Don’t forget to ask for the student discount.
BEWARE! The wraps are not served on the weekends!!
4. Chopped – healthy and affordable
With plenty of shops all around the city centre, Chopped is indeed my favourite place to grab a quick healthy wrap when I am in a rush.
They do a variety of salad bowls, smoothies, wraps, and burritos. Usually the wraps can be anywhere between €8-10 but do not forget to ask for a student discount which can bring the cost down by 10 %.
Their wraps are loaded with fresh vegetables, dressings, protein and they also do vegan/vegetarian options.
I highly recommend this place if you are looking for something healthy on the go!
5. Dunnes Food Hall – the salad counter
This place is the cheapest lunch option that I have found so far in Dublin. It is quite similar to KC peaches, but the options are more limited and less fresh.
There are differently sized boxes to choose from.
You pay for the box and then can fit in as much food as you want.
They do some really good pesto and pine nut salads along with mexican rice and a side of mash.
Usually the boxes start from around 3€ and can go up to about 5€. It is also super helpful to get a Dunnes card which can give you more discounts and offers.
Because the city is so expensive for students, it can be hard to budget. But it shouldn’t stop you from exploring and trying out new, inexpensive joints.
These are just a few examples of places I have come to grow fond of but there are plenty others which are very student friendly and offer great options for everyone!
For even more food choices choices around Trinity, check out Best places for lunch close to Trinity.
