Cheap as chips but taste is the key to success

Sydney's hatted restaurants might get the most column inches, but it's often the humble suburban eateries and bargains they offer that stand the test of time. No matter the suburb or cuisine, the secret to success seems to be to keep standards consistent and prices low.

''Customers are smart,'' says Andre Estephan, owner of the phenomenally popular El Jannah charcoal chicken restaurant at Granville. ''It's important to never cut corners, or they will know right away,'' he says.

The queues at El Jannah are proof that Estephan's pride in his product and respect for his customers has paid off. ''We have never advertised,'' he says, explaining that word of mouth is the most effective publicity. ''We have regular customers coming from as far as the Blue Mountains.''

Echoing the rave reviews from El Jannah customers is The Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Under $30 guide, which considers the Granville institution as part of a bucket list of bargain eats in Sydney. Good food is an essential qualifier, as is affordability.

El Jannah and its charcoal roasted chooks and garlic sauce are shoo-ins for the list. Also up there is the hole-in-the-wall Marrickville Pork Roll and its Vietnamese baguettes, and Paul's Famous Hamburgers at Sylvania, which opened in the 1950s.

Faheem Fast Food, a low-key Pakistani restaurant in Enmore, was once a well-kept secret of Sydney taxi drivers. In more recent years its popularity has skyrocketed with punters crowding in for great tandoori meats, haleem curry and a fiery lambs' brain masala for the more daring diner.

New Shanghai at Ashfield, Chatswood and Bondi Junction is one of the few stalwarts to have shed its no-frills feel with more upmarket fit-outs. This hasn't deterred loyal customers who readily queue for the restaurant's dumplings and Shanghai specialities.

At El Jannah there's more of an ''if it ain't broke, don't fix it'' philosophy. Estephan has made few changes to the business, with the exception of expanding the Granville store, the addition of burgers to the menu, and extra outlets at Punchbowl and - soon - Blacktown.

Prices also rarely change. Estephan says that their product is sought after enough, and cheap enough, that business remains strong.

The bucketlist of bargain eats

Bau Truong
42 John Street, Cabramatta 9727 4492
Go for bun cha gio - vermicelli noodles with vegetables, mint and fried spring rolls

Billu's
62 Wigram Street, Harris Park, 9687 7785
Go for masala,dosa

El Jannah
4-6 South Street, Granville 9637 0977
Go for charcoal chicken and garlic sauce

Dondon
80 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst 9331 3544
Go for super cheap sushi rolls

Faheem Fast Food
194-196 Enmore Road, Enmore 9550 4850
Go for haleem ''king of curries'' made with lentils and beef

Marrickville Pork Roll
236A Illawarra Road, Marrickville 0479 000 445
Go for banh mi thit - pork roll

New Shanghai
B-038 Chatswood Chase, Chatswood 9412 3358
Go for dumplings, every which way

Paul's Famous Hamburgers
12 Princes Highway, Sylvania 9522 5632
Go for a burger with the works

Spice I Am
90 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills 9280 0928
Go for ho mok - steamed fish curry with banana leaf

Silvas
1/82-86 New Canterbury Road, Petersham 9572 9911
Go for charcoal chicken with peri peri, and chips

CORRECTION: The phone number for Marrickville Pork Roll was incorrectly listed. This has been updated with the new number.