You might want to get something to go (the decor is strictly plastic and formica) and skip the coffee (it's awful), but the $3 and $4 breakfast specials are hearty and the pancakes are good enough to take home and reheat.

Technically a place to drink rather than eat - unless you count chewing on the massive pearl tapioca beads in the endless variety of flavored teas, slushes and smoothies.

A local chain with occasional ridiculously low specials (like 99 cents for a Frito pie) and some of the hottest red chile ever to sear your lips.

The first of a number of national "healthy Mexican food" chains to hit the Duke City. The grilled asparagus burrito is a winner, as is the nachos and salsas bar, free with any meal purchase.

Consuelo Flores is the Burrito Lady and a busy lady she is, assembling giant burritos and other New Mexican specialties for a steady stream of regulars. The tiny storefront is squeezed between an auto parts shop and a pet store; most people get their meal to go.

Eat in or use the drive up window for New Mexican favorites heavy on the queso, papas and crema. Regular visits - easily affordable - may make you a gordita too.

You want authentic Chinese? Skip the standard menu items -- which, admittedly, are still darn good and a real bargain (lunch specials under 5) -- and order any of the oddities touted on the little signs lining the walls. Pickled kohlrabi and pork belly fat anyone? Beware, when they say spicy, they mean it.

Regulars are workers from the surrounding office parks, who come for the flavored coffees, fruit-filled smoothies and standards like tuna salad, club and turkey sandwiches, all at rock bottom prices.

It's an order-at-the-counter sandwich/latte/scones kind of place but regulars - and there are plenty of them - swear by the quality of the ingredients and the friendliness of the staff.

They didn't just throw that "gourmet" in the title for advertising purposes; they oughta find a fancier name than pizza for these glorious pies. A Tribune top Cheap Eats pick for 2005, Take out only.

You gotta go, not only for the classic barking dog neon sign, but for the best chile dog in town. For you tube steak snobs, the green chile cheeseburger is decent too.

An import from across the border with some non-English speaking employees and build-your-own tacos. Choose your meat and tortilla at the counter, then head to the self-service bar, where six fiery salsas, as well as veggies and cilantro, await.

One of the Trib's top new Cheap Eats spots for 2005. The burritos are huge, the fillings are authentically Mexican and the misspellings on the menu are hilarious. Plus the prices are ridiculously low and they're open 24 hours.

The paletas (frozen fruit bars), tortas (sandwiches) and corn cups will make you think you're on a street corner in Juarez. Don't miss the fresh fruit cups sprinkled with chile, lime and salt.

From the owners of Annapurna, the ayurvedic restaurant next door, comes this tiny vegetarian lunch spot that's less extreme in dietary restrictions. The interior is tiny and congested, but the tree-shaded patio is a lovely place to enjoy a hearty salad, a creative veggie entree -- or just a specialty coffee and a gluten-free pastry.

In the '80s you could get four burgers for a buck here, but it's still under 2 for a green chile cheeseburger that puts a Whopper to shame. Plus you get the neon sign/drive-thru/teen servers nostalgia rush.

Lots of Chinese for a little price, and it shows in the use of second-rate meats and bountiful fillers. Still, any place that can fill up an impoverished UNM student's wooden leg for 5 can't be all bad.

Breakfast all day, Mexican and American standards and the Original Disaster burrito buried in French fries. Don't miss the fresh limeade.

Strictly for penniless University students and those easily entertained by an open kitchen and a bunch of kung fu posters. It's fast, it's cheap and it's very ordinary.

It's a tiny purple stand with orange trim in the heart of the South Valley and its burgers have been voted best in the city many times over. Try the double-meat Cuca burger with either red or green chile, sit in the parking lot and watch the real Albuquerque pass by.

Granted, finding this rolling crepe/sandwich cart and its crusty owner, Richard Agee, is a hit or miss thing. But what he's serving is a sure fire winner, be it a savory crepe, a stuffed pastrami sandwich or a water-boiled, salt-sprinkled pretzel. One of the Trib's top Cheap Eats picks for 2005.

A very short menu of Asian appetizers, noodle and rice bowls, wraps and curries - and a very long one of endless variations of boba teas, slushes, smoothies and coffee drinks.

A combination of hamburger hangout for students at the nearby middle school and pit stop for Americanized Chinese takeout, this menu may be the only one in town with nothing over 5 and most items under 3. Try the Egg Fu Young Burger, known elsewhere as a St. Louis sandwich.

A favorite with the young habitue‚s of the city's skate park across the street, who go for the reasonably priced sandwiches and salads - or just a bag of Poore Bros. chips and an ice cream cone.

Hero sandwiches and hot Italian standards are available daily, but we recommend you wait for the Friday lunch buffet, which gets you a little bit of what seems like everything - plus a glass of iced tea - for just under 6.

For those days when you need a little more pep in your step, Robeks offers healthy fruit smoothies kicked up a notch with nutritional boosts like creatine, echinacea or ginkgo biloba. (Whatever they are.) Short list of ready-made salads and sandwiches as well.

We love this place - from the black-and-white tiles on the floor to the thick milk shakes and fountain favorites with homemade root beer. Plus, though it's the last place you'd expect to find a crab cake. . .they're terrific.

Worth the trip for the wonderful wall mural alone - depicting everyone from Albert Einstein to Bugs Bunny - and the pizza and specialty salads aren't half bad either. A favorite with UNM students from across the street.

Both traditional and eclectic burritos, made before your eyes. Nothing's over 6 and everything's on a large scale. Strictly takeout - unless you like eating in a gas station convenience store.

It's a family-owned place, famous for its "belly bustin'" sandwiches, bigger than most mouths can manage. Take the second half home.

We'd have to argue with the menu's billing of "the best bagels above sea level" - the last time we checked New York was on dry land too. But these could be the best in Albuquerque and with some lox or a shmear, we'll happily forego the plane fare.