Vancouver doesn't have as many fast food restaurants as you may be used to if you're from the U.S. Instead it has lots of small restaurants and cafés where you'll find many different kinds of food, much of it satisfying and reasonably priced. Here is a list of excellent, inexpensive cafés and restaurants frequented by locals.

If you're looking for the ultimate bargain meal, go to Vancouver Community College restaurant and cafeteria run by the Culinary Arts students at VCC. Lunch is served from 11:30-12:30 and dinner from 5:30-7:00. You can get cafeteria food most of the day. It's excellent, healthy and really cheap.

Vancouver Community College is located at 250 West Pender. For more information, call 604-443-8479.

Banana Leaf 820 West Broadway & 1096 Denman Vancouver 604-731-6333/604-683-3333 This brightly painted, popular place for Chinese/Malaysian/Singapore fusion dishes is most famous for its crab. But everything is excellent and inexpensive.
Elbow Room Café 560 Davie Vancouver 604-685-3628 What locals like best about Elbow Room, besides the great food, are the insults hurled at diners by the hilarious, irascible owner.
Habibi's 7-1128 W. Broadway Vancouver 604-732-7487 This is the vegetarian restaurant of choice for people who love cheap, fresh, delicious food.
Hamburger Marys 1202 Davie Vancouver 604-687-1293 A Vancouver institution, Hamburger Mary's not only has great burgers and fries but it's a great place to watch the world walk by.
Hon's Wun Tun House 1339 Robson Vancouver 604-685-0871 This place is big, clean, efficient, authentic and very popular. It is also perfectly located if you want an inexpensive lunch or dinner break while you're shopping on Robson.
Mandalay 1346 Burrard St. Vancouver 604-688-8719
Naam 2724 West 4th Vancouver 604-738-7151 This 24 hour Vancouver institution serves excellent vegetarian food. It's a holdover from the sixties when Kitsilano was Vancouver's hippy neighborhood.
Vera's Burger Shack 1935 Cornwall Avenue Vancouver 604-228-8372 Located in the Kitsilano neighborhood, Vera's Burger Shack has great hamburgers and fries.
Sophie's Cosmic Café 2095 West 4th Vancouver 604-732-6810 Sophie's is a old fashioned diner with an electic decor and fantastic, giant breakfasts.
Soupspoons 2278 West 4th Vancouver 604-734-7760
Stepho's Souvlaki 1124 Davie Vancouver 604-683-2555 This place is so popular with locals that it's best to come for lunch or an early dinner to avoid long lines.
Thai Away Home 1736 Commercial Drive Vancouver 604-253-8424 Thai Away Home is very inexpensive and very good. Besides the food, you'll find free recipes and hard-to-find Thai spices and herbs for sale, so you can make your own homemade Thai food whenever you want.
WaaZuBee Café 1622 Commercial Drive Vancouver 604-253-5299 Located on "The Drive," WaaZuBee's is popular with the hip and alternative crowd.