Photography by Jessica Turner.

THERE ARE CUPS of coffee that cost close to $10 in Oak Cliff nowadays.
Lunch could easily run you $20, and dinner with drinks practically requires a credit check.
But there are still places where a fiver can tide you over. Here are four local restaurants whose
hearty $4 menu items are just enough.

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Beef legacy

Chopped beef on a bun is low-key the sandwich of Dallas, with a heritage as relevant as the Baltimore pit beef or a New York City chopped cheese.

Get them from a guy pulling a smoker behind his pickup, out of a festival food truck window or from one of Oak Cliff’s Black-owned barbecue spots.

Odom’s Bar-B-Que in West Dallas has been one since 1968, when it was built as Hardeman’s Barbecue. No one remembers when Hardeman’s first went into business, but Chester Field Hardeman had two restaurants in Dallas by 1948, and there are still two operating in Oak Cliff today.

Another branch of the family bought this building and opened Odom’s in 1990, and it’s still run by Belinda Odom Gaston and members of her family.

Odom’s was renovated this past summer after someone in a white F-250 pickup truck backed into the front of the restaurant, while it was closed, in a burglary attempt. The place lost some of its old kitschy charm in the makeover but is now set up for future generations of barbecue eaters.

Odom’s Bar-B-Que, 1971 Singleton Blvd.

Small chopped beef sandwich, $3.99

Ain’t that stuff enough

Beer is great, but it’s not for everyone.

At Manhattan Project Beer Co., that’s just fine.

This West Dallas brewery opens at 7:30 a.m. Monday-Friday for coffee and pastries. A macchiato costs $3.50, and a latte is $4.

Tucked behind the old Jack’s Backyard, with a dog-friendly patio, it features a simple lunch and dinner menu that includes fried chicken — a two-piece costs $4.50 — plus burgers, steaks, salads and cheeseboards.

Arepas are stuffed with black beans with crumbled cheese and avocado, braised pork, smoked salmon, pickled green tomato with white cheddar, or bacon, egg and cheese. Each costs $4.

Other inexpensive snacks on the menu include pork rinds for $4, and Belgium-style fries for $5.50.

Manhattan Project Beer Co., 2215 Sulphur St.

Arepas, $4

Cowboy lifestyle

Here’s one for all the single people.

It’s a cheap, hearty meal that fulfills many dietary requirements, without a lot of calories.

The bowl of beans from Norma’s is a serving of the “beans of the day,” and hear us out.

This is not about a legume. They’re a good source of fiber and will fill you up while providing a vehicle for cornbread.

Each order comes with two corn muffins or yeast rolls.

Norma’s Café, 1123 W. Davis St.

Bowl of beans, $3.99

Gaucho hand pies

Argentinian restaurant Chimichurri recently added lunch service Wednesday-Friday, featuring an abbreviated menu and some of the Mexican street tacos that made owner Jesús Carmona famous.

His Tacos Milagro is now open in Trinity Groves.

But empanadas are on the menu at Chimichurri all the time.

The restaurant, in the old Tillman’s Roadhouse space, offers six varieties of handmade stuffed pastries.

Just one is fairly filling, but it’s fun to try them all. Bring extras home to reheat for a savory breakfast treat the next morning.

The varieties are beef, spicy beef, ham and cheese, lamb, mushrooms, and the newest and most popular, chipotle chicken.

Chimichurri Argentinian Bistro and Bar, 324 W. Seventh St.

Empanadas, $4