Best Sydney Food under $20
$18.40 Tomatillo - Nachos ($9.90) & Margarita ($8.50)
Owner/chef Bill Komoroski makes his own hot sauce. And oh my, it's hellfire hot. A good sprinkling of this over your nachos made with house-cooked tortillas and plenty of guacamole, and a Mexican beer or Margarita on the side, and your guts are south of the border (in a good way). They pump out motown so loud, if you close your eyes you'll think The Rhondels are shimmying and shooping right at your table.
Tomatillo Kings Cross
$16.80 East Ocean Restaurant - Yum Cha
The closest thing to copping yum cha in Honkers is the iconic East Ocean Restaurant in bustling Chinatown. 
The open-plan dining room is buzzing with big groups and loaded carts narrowly avoiding head-on prangs in their endeavour to tempt you with their delicious cargo. While we happily allow the chicken feet cart to pass, we hail down prawn and pork dumplings ($5.50), fried octopus ($6.80) and barbecue pork buns ($4.50) fast. The dumplings are fluffy and fine-skinned, while the octopus ticks the deep fried box big time. For dessert, we can't go past a plate of fluorescent mango pancakes. They may look radioactive, but the faux mango flavouring and delicate texture makes this a Hello Kitty kind of dessert that hits the post-gorge spot. AG
East Ocean Restaurant Haymarket
$20 Ventuno - Beer & Pizza
Every Sunday evening there's a pizza and beer/wine (plus some culture) night for $20. It's right near the Sydney Theatre Company, so it's perfect for a sneaky pizza before the latest Cate Blanchett stage rage. The rustica is fantastic - tomato and mozzarella are sweet and gooey while hot salami spices up the show, bulked up with mushrooms and black olives. On a weekend arvo, it's laid-back, with a casual crowd, but evening it's more about the business end of theatre.
Ventuno Walsh Bay
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