10 Great Meals for Under $15 in the Lower East Side

They say less is more. But we think they're off base on that one: more is clearly more. (What kind of math are "they" doing, anyway?) Which is why even when our funds are low, we don't just want, we expect, a whole lot for our hardearned dollar bills. But where can you go to make each dollar bill count?

We took on the difficult job of eating our way through the entire Lower East Side, from Houston all the way down to Grand Street, to find you the best cheap eats on these downtown streets.

So don't lace up for the search just yet, just stroll through Complex's 10 Great Meals For Under $15 on the LES. And save your thank yous. You can send the all the green we save you straight to our office. Money talks, bitches.

RELATED: First We Feast - Formerly Homeless Mother Shows How to Feed Yourself for $1.60 a Day

Address: 113 Ludlow St. (between Delancey & Rivington St.)
Website: kumainn.com
Best Bet: Arroz Valenciana ($12.50)

Kuma Inn is one of those uniquely New York joints that you have to hear about to find. Its non-existent storefront is just a narrow doorway sandwiched between two shops, and the only indication of an entrance is the red spray paint on the doorway's trim. But beyond the doorway, at the top of a (slightly sketchy) stairwell, is the home of an amazing Flilipino tapas spot that is as cozy as it is delicious.

Don't be fooled by the tapas title Kuma Inn deceptively claims. The rations they serve up are far from meager, with "small plates" like their Arroz Valenciana ($12.50) heaping with moist, slightly sweet saffron rice and gluttonous amounts of chicken, sausage, shrimp, and mussels, or their hefty plate of signature sautéed Chinese sausage ($11.50) swimming in an aggressively zesty Thai chili.

Also a solid choice are Kuma's combos, which come with a mountain of white or garlic fried rice and your choice of creative proteins, like deep fried pork belly lechon or drunken shrimp, and flavors as big as their portions, all for under $12.

To add to this awesomeness, Kuma Inn is a BYOB spot, which means you can also drink for just as cheap as you can eat, if that's what your thirsty little heart desires. And just a heads up, cash is king at Kuma, so hit up the ATM in advance.

Address: 17 Clinton St. (Between Houston & Stanton St.)
Website: frankiesspuntino.com
Best Bet: Sweet Potato & Sage Ravioli in Parmesan Broth ($15)

How can you go wrong with a restaurant run by two Franks? The answer is, you can't, especially when the Franks in question are putting out deliciously simple and fresh eats with minimal damage on your wallet.

Frankie's atmosphere sets the stage for your appetite: the narrow, dark brick walls are lined with bottles of inexpensive Italian wines and enough flickering candles to earn the "cozy ambiance" label. But it's what's on the plates, not what's on the walls, that keeps us coming back. We're talking super fresh pastas with full flavored sauces like the sweet potato ravioli swimming in a sea of parmesan broth ($15) and pillow-soft gnocci in a zesty tomato sauce and fresh ricotta, which are both home runs.

Need some more carbs in your life? The prosciutto and pecorino sandwich ($12) is also a good way to go, and is a great way to hit your meat and cheese quota using fresh rosemary bread as the conduit. Just don't blame us for the carb-induced coma you fall into. At least you can sleep easy knowing you got a killer deal!

Address: 134 Ludlow St. (at Rivington St.)
Website: ordermikeys.com
Best Bet: BLT burger ($6.50)

Mikey is doing creative things between the bun on the LES. His quality, subtly inventive spins on the classics have inspired late night, crosstown quests and we know why. His burgers and dogs have a sought-after breed of tender, quality beef that comes so cheap you don't mind tacking on the extra $2.50 for the subway trip.

Mikey's self-named burger ($5.50) is a good place to start: a heavenly mound of corned beef and hash elevated by a perky Chinese mustard and a mess of sautéed onions on a Martin's potato roll. But the real scene stealer is the BLT burger ($6.50), a juicy burger with crispy Chinese bacon and a sizeable splat of kewpie mayo that takes the entire thing to another level.

Thinly cut, skin-on fries ($3) can be topped with unreasonable amount of cheese or some spicy chili if you're in the mood to get messy. But the burgers here meet their true match with the thickly churned shakes ($5.50) that offer the ideal end to your full-on beef indulgence. The avocado shake puts a slighty sweet spin on our favorite superfood, and the Asian-inspired sesame shake, a blend of vanilla ice cream perfected by a flurry of crushed bits of pistachio, will have you begging for more.

Address: 113 Rivington St. (at Essex St.)
Website: elgrancastillo.com
Best Bet: Mofongo ($7)

El Castillo de Jagua serves the kind of stick-to-your ribs staples that feel like they were whipped up by Mom just for you, if your mother was a Dominican Martha Stewart who spent hours slaving over the stove. Unfortunately for you, she probably wasn't, so you'll have to rely on El Castillo to provide you with the kind of soul-satisfying Latino grub you're looking for.

El Castillo is an every meal type of spot, with solid breakfast options like a legit mangu ($5.50) with fried cheese and salami, and what might just be the best cuban sandwich in the city ($5) as an awesome lunch option. But the real standouts don't appear till after dark.

Any night of the week, walk up to the counter, settle your culo onto one of the worn stools, and order the daily special: whether it be a perfectly seasoned pernil asado or the super-moist Pollo al Horno, it will somehow be exactly what you're in the mood for. Even the basics here shine, from the unreasonably huge portions of yellow rice and red beans that come with every dish to mountains of authentic mofongo—a fried plantain dish—($7.00) that have rich, decadent flavors with price tags fit for the poor.

Castillo's low key digs are not quite date-night worthy, but it's down home, dirt cheap dishes are enough to impress even the most high maintenance of taste buds. Even skeptics will turn believers when the bill comes, trust us.

Address: 277C Grand St. (At Forsyth St.)
Website: phograndny.com
Best Bet: Pho #9 Tai Gau ($4.95)

Pho Grand can be found off the beaten LES path, in bustling, borderline-Chinatown surroundings, on a street cramped with strange smells and sidewalks cluttered with forgotten produce. But somewhere amongst the madness is Pho Grand, whose clean, quiet, and cozy log-cabin interior contains full scale Vietnamese indulgences at prices that barely register with your billfold.

The rice and vermecelli plates (all well under $10) read like a choose your own adventure: most of the spice is self-administered by way of the fully-stocked lazy susan, with condiments as basic as sriracha, to unlabeled spices that pack an unidentifiable punch that are better left for the brave. Your best bet is basically anything with pork (and we're not just saying that because we're pork fanatics): it has a full-on sweet and savory flavor that hits the spot, every time.

And what of the pho? It comes in every option imaginable, each drowning in the PG's bangin' signature broth. But the brisket and beef, loaded with thinly sliced cuts of meat and floating atop a swell of tender noodles, are a standout. The spring rolls ($3.75) are also a score: an airy and weightless wonder that comes heavy with the flavor, especially if you soak them in the homemade fish broth it's served with.

Pho Grand is the stuff of hangover-curing proportions, with never-ending piles of noodles that force us to rely on our (non-existant) self-control to stop, because they never end on their own. But if you're the type of guy that thinks moderation is overrated, you've found heaven in Pho, pho sho.

Address: 69 Clinton St. (between Stanton & Rivington St.)
Website: n/a
Best Bet: Chive Pork Dumplings ($1)

Prosperity Dumpling, your business model is baffling. You turn out the kind of super-moist-on-the-inside, thick-n-crispy-on-the-outside pork dumplings that inspire serious cravings by the quad, all for a single dollar. You can even cop a bag of 50 frozen dumplings, ready to be thawed when the craving strikes, for just $10 (that's 20 freaking cents a dumpling!) How do you profit from this, C&C, let alone prosper?

We may never understand the logistics of your dumpling game, but honestly, we don't care, just as long as you don't stop anytime soon. Your dumplings are the ideal drunken snack (although, just as fine an option if you're stone cold sober), and your pork buns ($1) and sesame pancakes, sandwich-like and stuffed with beef ($1.75) are pure, slightly greasy satisfaction.

Our advice for first time C & C-ers? Don't be put off by the line, it'll move fast, and any waiting will be well worth it when you leave with a full stomach (and wallet). And if you can't snag one of the half dozen stools inside, don't sweat it: Use it as an excuse to do some impromptu al fresco noshing and take your snack to the streets.

Address: 253 Broome St. (between Ludlow & Orchard St.)
Website: barriochinonyc.com
Best Bet: Enchiladas Verdes ($13)

Barrio Chino literally translates to "Chinese hood," which explains why this close-to-Chinatown Mexican joint is decked out in Asian decor. Identity crisis aside, Barrio Chino's unique space is small, but their narrow kitchen turns out some of the most awesomely authentic eats at prices that won't set you back, which is why there's crowd of people waiting to eat here almost every night of the week.

Barrio sets itself apart from first bite, with three ultra fresh, zesty salsas and thick, homemade tortilla chips, but resist taking back the entire basket. Save room for the Tacos al Pastor ($9): juicy, full-flavored pork with a citrusy pineapple cilantro salsa. If you're looking to put down, Enchiladas Verdes ($13) do tomatillo right, and are topped with enough fresh black beans and queso fresco to leave even the most epic appetite fulfilled.

Barrio packs a lot of bodies in between their exposed brick walls, but eat here once and you'll know exactly why. If you're deterred by the wait, use it as an excuse to come back for brunch and take down some of the best Chilaquiles ($12) in the city.

Address: 84 Stanton St. (Between Orchard & Allen St.)
Website: themeatballshop.com
Best Bet: Meatball Smash ($8)

Some people might think that devoting an entire restaurant to a ball of ground beef is a little excessive, but those people have never experienced the ecstacy that is The Meatball Shop. Also, those people are dumb.

The Meatball Shop is a lively, well-appointed shrine to the simplest staple of Italian food, and we couldn't be happier such a place exists. Why? Because not only does TMS turn out the tastiest balls of meat imaginable, they do it at a price that not only has us wishing, but able, to eat here every night of the week.

The best ways to ball out here is hand down, with the Meatball Smash ($8) Not to be confused with a Snookie's smush, the smash is just what it advertises: a juicy meatball, smashed between soft brioche bread toppped with your choice of meat, cheese, and sauce, served with a light and tasty argula salad. Naked balls ($7) are also a good way to go: the sauce and meat are cusomizable, but go for the spicy pork topped with the family jewels ($1), a fried, over-easy egg that elevates any ball exponentially.

There is a drawback: the secret has slipped about this place, so waits can sometimes be hours deep. Our advice? Use the time to put a few brews back and work up a fierce appetite for meatball destruction.

Address: 35 Orchard St. (between Hester & Canal St.)
Website: cheekysandwiches.com
Best Bet: Braised Short Rib Sandwich ($8)

Cheeky's is not a sandwich spot you stumble upon, it's one you seek. Being unlabeled and unnumbered, it's hard to find unless you know what you're looking for, and what you're looking for is a bright blue door and white-washed picket fence.

No, you are not entering a suburban fairy tale. Instead, Cheeky's channels New Orleans, offering up lovely and legit NOLA sandwiches and muchables, all for under $10. Don't be thrown by the shabby (not so much chic) interior, Cheeky's is doing beautiful things on soft, billowy bread. Take the braised short rib ($8), a tide of tender beef and a horesradish zing all encompassed in a fresh, challah carb-pillow. The half shrimp, half oyster Po Boy ($8.50) is a unique eat too: its auntheticly awesome bread is imported straight from New Orleans and comes packed with heavily-dressed, freshly-fried sea fare.

Being relatively new to the streets of the LES, Cheeky's is lacking some things, most notably sufficient seating (there is one lonely bench), the inability to take plastic (cash only, kids) and a lack of adult beverages (a liquor license is on the way). For now you'll have to come equipped with cash and settle for a chicory coffee to wash it all down. The buzz that comes from knowing that you're dining in a relatively undiscovered den of New Orleans-inspired bliss, is enough, isn't it?

Address: 192 Orchard St. (Between Houston & Stanton St.)
Website: georgiaseastsidebbq.com
Best Bet: BBQ Ribs ($11)

Georgia is on our mind, and we're not talkin' the Dirty South that Luda crooned about. We're talking about the damn-good, dirt-cheap Southern specialities that Georgia's Eastside BBQ churns out.

Even in a city where you have over a dozen quality BBQ options, Georgia easily climbs to the top of the fried chicken and cornbread heap. And it's not just because it's dumb cheap, it's because it's dumb delicious.

Georgia's makes the best case known to man for the existance of cole slaw. After taking down the most ungodly amount of the moist, BBQ laden pulled pork that can fit on a bun ($8) or a wide platter of heavily shellacked, succulent ribs (and two sides, $11) the tangy, cool mayo goodness of Georgia's slaw was the ideal offset to the savory overload going down on your taste-buds.

And Georgia's accompaniments? Far from a mere side-piece, these gems are lust-worthy all on their own. Can't misses include the perfectly charred cornbread, with just enough butter to make your stomach sing but your arteries not cry out in fear, and their crispy homemade fries. Also, classy beers like PBR and Miller High Life are only $3 (those count as sides, right?)

Georgia's digs are a little cozy (read: small and narrow) and there may not be a credit card machine or a bathroom on premise (the spot across the street, The Sixth Ward, is cool with you using theirs), but her shortcomings will fade away when the first drop of her famous BBQ sauce touches your tongue. Believe that.