Best Cheap Food Downtown

Café Quebec
121 E. Broadway

STAFF PICK: From its no-nonsense interior featuring '50s-style dinette sets, to the consistently strong coffee and huge plates of food, Café Quebec provides a solid, informal spot to grab a bite to eat downtown. The burritos are gigantic, the quesadillas huge; the hummus plate is creamy and the soup's so thick as to be confusing. And it's all fast and dirt cheap! Plus, a revolving mix of artists, chess-players, worthless slackers and distracted business people makes for fascinating people-watching while you tackle your mountain of food. Recently they've started opening in the morning, serving up customarily huge portions of omelets and waffles. So the question arises: Why cook ever?