> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# DOLLAR$ Dining for
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/dollar-dining-for/
- Published: 2007-04-14T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:34:24.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Believe it or not, there are still ways to eat on the cheap in this town BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer*

W ith posh, bourgeois restaurants popping up in the west and north ends of the city seemingly every week, the challenge of grabbing dinner on the cheap in this town is daunting enough to scare away Rachel Ray and her 40 bucks a day.

Famous establishments such as Melisse, Three on Fourth and Michael’s, with their pricey menus and elitist air, have given Santa Monica the reputation as a destination for delicious, yet mad-expensive, cuisine. Residents and workers on a budget complain about having to brown bag it for lunch and cook their own dinners.

There is hope. Santa Monica still offers good, cheap eats.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 14, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041407.pdf?ref=smdp.com)