Low-cost, high-class lunch deals

Lunch deals from top-tier restaurants are making eating out an everyday possibility.

There are fast and affordable meal deals in some unexpected places, acting like laneway access to high-end kitchens, and the word is spreading via Facebook and Twitter.

Brunswick's Hellenic Republic was unsure whether a lunch deal would fly considering its suburban location, so it tested the water with a souvlaki-and-soft-drink deal.

People bit – so much so that since January, Hellenic has offered a cracking three-course takeaway lunch for $12 – updated weekly on Facebook and Twitter.

"We're getting a phenomenal response from social media," says Lauren Calleja from Made Establishment, the umbrella group behind Hellenic and other restaurants. "It's going gangbusters." Between 40 and 60 followers respond to each new menu post.

In the city, there are luxury lunchboxes for under $20 from the Vue crew and at Simon Denton's Nama Nama, as well as daily specials offered on particular dishes that are like restaurants' version of "casual Friday".

Here's a guide to some of the best.

Friday to Sunday

Hellenic Republic
434 Lygon Street, Brunswick 9381 1222

Twelve bucks might buy: salt cod fritters with skordalia and hand-cut chips, Greek salad, and salted caramel rice pud. Check the menu, updated weekly on Facebook.

Monday to Friday

Maha
21 Bond Street, Melbourne 9629 5900

Duck down to Maha's bar for a burger-and-beer deal; $15 buys a burger made with a house-mince lamb patty, spicy tomato relish, olive mayo, onion rings, bastourma and kefalograviera cheese in a brioche bun. Oh, and a bottle of Efes. There's also a falafel version, and takeaway, without the beer, for $14. You won't find it on Maha's website; check Facebook.

Daily

Cafe Vue
430 Little Collins Street, Melbourne 9691 3899

Vue de Monde's daytime cafe does $18 lunch boxes (eat-in or takeaway) that include a starter, a salad, a savoury and a sweet. They come three ways: regular, vegetarian and gluten-free. The menu changes monthly (and is posted online), and might be lavosh with lentil and cumin dip, freekeh herb salad, salmon on sweet potato bread and yoghurt with toppings.

Monday to Saturday

Nama Nama
31 Spring Street, Melbourne 9639 9500

Nama Nama, has the same smarts as its high-end predecessor, Verge, which ran from the same site until late 2011. Nama Nama's bento box lunches cost $18 eat-in and $16 takeaway. The bamboo boxes are boomerangs (returnable), to reduce waste and increase the quality of your lunch experience. Fill them with five portions of your choice (from about 15 daily options): a cabbage and daikon salad, sashimi, five-grain rice onigiri, teriyaki eel and miso-marinated salmon with rice maybe?

Monday, Tuesday and Friday

Hare & Grace
525 Collins Street, Melbourne 9629 6755

What the deal is depends on the day. Monday is "Bugger Monday" when a wagyu burger, fries on the side and a pot of Carlton costs $18. On Tuesday, $14 buys steak and fries, and Friday, if the weather is fine, you can buy a wagyu burger barbecued on the Weber in the courtyard for $10 (cash only); add chips and gravy and a beer for a $20 combo deal.

Monday to Friday

PM24
24 Russell Street, Melbourne 9207 7424

With 30 minutes' notice, you could be tucking into half a Milawa organic rotisserie-cooked chook, marinated in rosemary and preserved lemon, served with sauteed potatoes and chicken jus for $25 – takeaway only, also available for dinner.

Daily

David's
4 Cecil Place, Prahran 9529 5199

Ring up, then run in and pick up two takeaway bao – those lovely, light, steamed Chinese bread-buns – for $10 at the recently refurbished David's. Choose from four sorts: spicy pork belly; shredded Peking duck; green soy beans, bok choy and chilli; and spicy lamb with spring onion and chilli.

Monday to Friday

Izakaya Den
Basement, 114 Russell Street, Melbourne 9654 2977

Daytime at the Den there's a $20 set lunch that includes house-made tofu, miso, rice, pickles and salad, and your choice of main. The mains change, but three choices include a meat, a fish and a veg dish.