Five budget conscious places to eat in the OC area.

Eaters looking for a good deal on tasty Vietnamese food can put 5 more places on their lists. For the budget conscious, here are 5 places to eat that will feed 2 people for under $15.

1. Com Tam Thuan Kieu (Westminster, CA)
   If you’re looking for good Vietnamese comfort food that you’ll enjoy from the first to the last bite, look no further. Broken rice goes for between $5 and $8, depending on how many toppings you get. You can choose from pork chop, shredded pork tossed with rice flour, Chinese sausage, egg-and-pork cake, grilled beef, grilled pork, tofu stuffed with shrimp paste, or chicken. Four toppings will be in the $6 range; seven toppings, which is a mountain of food, is about $8.
2. Banh Mi Che Cali (Westminster, CA)
   If you love sandwiches and you love bargains, you’ll love this place. Sandwiches are $2.25 each, but if you buy 2, you get 1 free. You can also buy che here, which is a Vietnamese dessert involving various sweets floating in coconut milk. There are several kinds – just point to whatever flavors you want. The cost is $1.50 each, but again, it’s buy 2 and get 1 free.
3. Van’s Restaurant (Garden Grove, CA)
   This place specializes in “banh xeo,” a crispy fried half moon shaped crepe. It is stuffed with bean sprouts, pork and shrimp. You slice the crepe and stuff it into a romaine lettuce leaf and add mint, basil, pickled and julienned carrots and white radish, roll it up and dip into your fish sauce. The crepe is nice and crispy and they give you a hefty serving of fresh leafy greens. For less than $5, you’ll be amazed with its size.
4. Pho Nguyen Hue (Westminster, CA)
   If you want something piping hot and as authentic as you can get then you’ll want to visit Pho Nguyen Hue. Pho Nguyen Hue is not known for nice décor or ample parking, it is known for its pho, more specifically, its pho ga. The pho ga is a combination of nice and tender chicken with perfectly textured noodles. Pho Nguyen Hue is the way to go if you are in the mood for some ph,o and for around $5 a bowl, you’ll be sure to return for some more.
5. Luc Dinh Ky (Westminster, CA)
   Free nuoc ,mat, what more can we say? The nuoc mat here is not only delicious, it’s free, and that’s always a good start. Luc Dinh Ky has a variety of cheap eats that include grilled rice plates that can be combined with salmon, beef, or chicken and sausage. There’s also the traditional bo luc lac dish, and the Luc Dinh Ky’s house special noodle soup that is a combination of a variety of delicious meats. All in all, Luc Dinh Ky is a great place for cheap eats and free nuoc mat.

In light of the recent of economy, you can still find restaurants that will fill up your stomach without denting your pocketbook. You can take your pick from sandwiches to noodles, all at a deal with a meal for two for under $15.

Source: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/570548