Travel writers reveal the best cheap eats they have tried around the world

A good meal doesn't need to cost the earth. From the Macanese version of a hamburger to Japan’s deliciously saucy savoury pancakes and a moreish scallop-filled pie, these dishes are worth travelling for.

Risking Delhi Belly for this savoury street snack is a no brainer.

You can find several different varieties of this around India but essentially it's a spicy, tangy, sweet and salty mix of puffed rice, various vegetables (tomato, potato and onion are typical), chaat masala, tangy tamarind sauce, coriander and lots of chilli. It's all mixed together and served in a cone made out of old newspaper.

You'll find the best kind at street stalls around the country, but bonus points if you can eat it by the sea in Mumbai, where it's said to originate from.

According to legends, chaat was first created in the kitchens of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan when his doctor advised him to eat light and spicy foods. So it's delicious, good for your health and at around $1 (Rs.50) a plate a bargain too! –

There are only two elements in Macau's most famous snack, but it provides a satisfying explosion of flavour and texture that will have you running back for more.

The pork chop bun is just one of the delicious leftovers from the Portuguese colony that ruled there for more than 400 years, and it didn't take me long to track one down around the ruins of the St Paul cathedral - vendors can be found all around this teeny autonomous region of southern China.

After waiting in a small queue, I secured two of the sandwiches in a plastic bag before devouring them both right there on the church's 17th century steps. The sandwich comprises a generous hunk of melt-in-your-mouth deep-fried pork chop inside a crispy, buttered bun. And the best thing about the Macanese version of a hamburger is it’ll only set you back around $6.

Yeah, yeah, we’ve all waded into the debate about whether steak and cheese is the best pie around. But have you ever tried a curried scallop pie? Before you turn your nose up, this seafood treat is fresh, not fishy. It’s piping hot, but not too spicy. And the pastry is puffy and crispy and oh-so-buttery - soggy bottoms are not welcome here.

Tasmania is known for its impeccable seafood, and it’s no surprise this particular pie is best enjoyed while wandering the Salamanca Market on Hobart’s waterfront, and only from the unassuming Smith’s Specialty Pies van, if you can.

The scallops are big – monsters, in fact – and they jam those juicy suckers in there, while the curry sauce is perfectly balanced. For $10, it’s a very tasty bargain.

Okonomiyaki is often described as a “savoury Japanese pancake”, but that really doesn’t do it justice. The name basically translates to “what you like, grilled” - and the result is a delicious mound of fillings, sauces and toppings.

Meat, seafood and vegetables are common fillings, but you can also get some more unusual additions, like mochi (rice cakes) and cheese. Then there are two main types of okonomiyaki - Osaka-style, and Hiroshima-style. The former sees all the ingredients mixed into a batter and cooked on a griddle, while the latter sees ingredients - including noodles - cooked and stacked in layers. Both types are smothered in a thick, sweet, brown sauce and zigzagged with mayonnaise.

A unique place to sample okonomiyaki is Okonomimura in Hiroshima - a food hall consisting of three floors of okonomiyaki restaurants. You sit down in front of a hot plate and have it cooked in front of you, and depending on the fillings you go for, it will cost between 1000 and 2000 yen ($12 to $24). –

When in France – and this works anywhere in France, from the smallest country towns to the middle of Paris – go to a market and get yourself a baguette de tradition and a nice soft round of fresh goat cheese, or chèvre, from the fromager.

Then go sit on a park bench or riverbank and enjoy one of the most delicious and idiosyncratic meals there is.

It will probably come in at under €5, leaving plenty of budget for a bottle of Beaujolais.

Rich, sweet and loaded with carbs, mango sticky rice makes for a satisfying meal at any time of day.

While the typically generous mound of rice cooked in coconut cream and topped with fresh, juicy mango and more coconut cream is commonly served for dessert, I also found myself ordering it for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a trip to Thailand – largely because I’d developed an addiction and felt compelled to eat as much of it as I could before I flew out.

While you can order it here, nothing compares to the authentic Thai version made with the meat and juice of a fresh coconut and a pink-orange mango newly plucked from a tree.

I’m not the only one who’s a fan. Sales of mango sticky rice have soared across Thailand since rapper Milli ate the sweet treat on stage at the Coachella festival in California. You can get your hands on one yourself from about 30 Thai bhat ($1.50) across Thailand.

When on a great Kiwi road trip, one must always re-fuel at a pie shop at one of our many great State Pieways. If you’re heading towards the Abel Tasman National Park, then you must stop at Little Dynamite (formerly Ginger Dynamite) for their award-winning hand-crafted pies.

Choose from an array of flavours such smoked fish, potato and lentil, chilli mince, mince and cheese and chicken and vegetable. These tasty fillings are packaged up in a delicious parcel of handmade pasty - nothing too greasy or too buttery, but a beautifully encapsulated filling with the bottom and top creatively joined with a pastry twist, inspired by the shape of a Cornish pasty.

A filling lunch for under $10 that won’t leave you regretting your choices.

Wandering the streets of Buenos Aries you cannot miss the Argentinian take on a pie – an empanada.

Baked or fried, these perfect moon-shaped savoury pockets fit in the palm of your hand – ideal for munching on the go. You’ll see them in bakeries and market stalls all over the city. (Empanadas are also popular outside of Argentina – originally from Spain, you can find variations on them all over Latin America).

Each flavour has a special pastry fold – that’s how you know what you’re getting. My picks are beef (carne), ham and cheese (jamon y queso) and corn (humita). Other popular fillings include chicken, eggs and onion.

One is snack, grab three or so to fill a gap in your belly – they’ll only set you back about NZ$2 each so try one of each. –

It's a pretty well known fact that they don't skimp on portions across the Pacific pond. Having ingested many a meal in many a US city, I don't think I have ever been left wanting for more, and mostly they are ridiculously well priced for the amount you get too.

Your best bet is to grab a big brekkie in a diner away from the main tourist traps, and follow the locals. If the diner looks a bit rough around the edges, and it's full of people who don't look like they just came off a plane, then grab a booth or stool and be blown away by how many ways you can get your eggs done.

It'll set you up for the rest of the day and won’t break the bank.