This ultra popular Boyle Heights shop specializing in tacos with stewed fillings is up to four locations now, including one in Downtown L.A. Their $7 sampler plate, featuring six mini tacos on their insanely good homemade corn tortillas, is not just one of the best lunch deals in the city but a windfall for variety seekers. Take the first six on the menu or mix and match as you like. Our current favorite is the charred basket cheese topped "quesadilla" taco.

Getting lunch for a 10-spot at this century-old market has become harder and harder over the past few years, as grass fed beef, oysters and smoked fish have encroached on the tacos, steam tables, and low grade produce. But there are still cheap lunches to be had, like Belcampo Meat Co.'s $5 "fast burger," a bacon egg and cheese at Eggslut, or a margherita pizza from Olio. Or you can always stick with the classics, like a bowl of wonton soup from China Cafe or a carnitas taco from Las Morelianas.

Grand Central Market gets all the press, but this completely underrated food court on Figueroa and 7th has quietly become host to a group of fast food concepts that would be the envy of any mall in the country. The famous Parks BBQ chose it as the first location of their fast food Korean concept Oleego, and Loteria Grill's Torta Company is making breakfast tortas like nothing you've ever had before. Gentaro Soba is a solid option as well.

Uncle John's Ham & Eggs may have moved into swankier digs five years ago, but their mash-up menu of American diner breakfast classics and classic Americanized Chinese food is still pretty cheap. For $7.25 you get a chashu omelette with homefries and toast, while salt and pepper pork chops and fried rice topped with over easy eggs will only set you back $8.75.

This burgeoning pizza chain from the founders of Umami Burger is now up to seven locations in Los Angeles (13 worldwide) including one in Downtown L.A. Keeping your pizza under $10 requires a small amount of restraint in the toppings department, but it's still the best quality, quick-fired pizza for your money in the city. It’s a steal that's made even better if you order their "Instagram Pie of the Day," a daily half-off special that ranges in prices from $4-6.

Parts of Koreatown are close enough to parts of Downtown to make the trek down Wilshire during lunchtime worth it for some. But for the rest of us, there's this great Garment District spot, which could hold its own against any of the well-known soup spots just to the west. Their namesake dish, sul lung tang is a murky white soup made from ox bones that comes alive with the addition of sea salt and chopped scallions. Alternate between bites of purple rice dipped in the hot broth and sweet kimchee for the perfect cold weather lunch. The short rib soup (galbitang) isn't too shabby either.

At this point no serious L.A. taco fan hasn't at least heard of the shrimp paste stuffed deep fried tacos dorados being served from this award-winning Boyle Heights food truck. But what a lot of taco fans might not know is they have a second truck that spends weekday lunches on 10th and Towne St. (between Central and San Pedro). You get the same crunchy $2 deliciousness within the boundaries of Downtown.

Lunches don't get much cheaper than a slice of pizza, and slices of pizza in Downtown L.A. don't get much better than Pizzanista! Sadly they don't have a two slices and a soda lunch special (for shame!) but they do sell saran-wrapped slices of pizza from the previous day in the soda fridge if that's your thing. We recommend spending the extra $1.75 on a fresh slice.

If you're careful with what you order you can probably make it out of Marugame Monzo with some amazing udon for under $10. But why stress yourself out over ordering when a great, even cheaper alternative is just up the street in the Little Tokyo Galleria shopping center. Located on the 3rd floor, Tsurumaro Udon Honpo is surprisingly good for how inexpensive it is. So go ahead and add on that mare-age fried chicken or curry topped mini bowl. There's no way you're spending more than $10 at this place.