Lunch under $10 at Phoenix Public Market

By Lauren Saria Tue., Sep. 27 2011 at 12:10 PM

Categories: Budget Beat

Lauren Saria

The Market Cafe at the Phoenix Public Market

If you had been at the Phoenix Public Market when we came in for lunch, you wouldn't have guessed we'd never set foot inside been before.

Then again, maybe you would have if you'd noticed our confusion at attempting to make sense of the scribbled-on chalkboards that serve as menus... But technical difficulties aside, you would have definitely seen two customers being warmly greeted and happily served by what you might have confused for friends rather than employees.

The Phoenix Public Market, located near the downtown ASU campus at Central and Pierce, is open Tuesday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The breakfast menu ends at 11 a.m. and switches over to an offering of "Marketizers," salads, soups, and sandwiches.

So did the food stand up to the service?

Find out after the jump.

Two of us were unable to resist the half and half combination, which allows you to choose any combination of soup, half salad, or half sandwich for $6.50. Eat your heart out, Paradise Bakery!

Lauren Saria

At 112 degrees in the shade, it was hardly a soup day. We went with a sandwich/salad duo. The Everything salad offered close to that: egg, bacon, cherry tomatoes, cheese, and did we say bacon? No, not that thin, fatty junk. We're talking about real, thick bacon.

Lauren Saria

Back seating area and the Royal Coffee Bar at the Market

The other half of lunch comprised of the BLT sandwich (yup, more bacon.) Per the advice of our new friend behind the counter, we went all in and added avocado for fifty more cents.

When our food arrived, we were happy to see actual slices of green avocado, not the guacamole-ish sludge most sandwich places offer. Both halves of the combination were surprisingly filling and man, that bacon...

ASU students and staff also get an extra 10% off Market Café items if you show a school ID, so our tab came to a whooping $6.88.

Including bacon.

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