Everything's expensive, not just in Venice Beach, but everywhere and not just rent, but everything.
I thought I put together some low cost food options. Right now I've only listed food, but if I find events of note, I'll list them. I don't get anything out of this, I'm just tired of how crazy expensive everything is now.
On Washington Blvd. there's Hinano's famous burgers and a few doors down Washington Square Pizza.
They both over charge for beverages, so buy your burger or pizza but get it to go. Take it across the street to Bay Gardens, a convenience store with a patio out front, buy a 20 ounce beer for $5 from Bay Gardens and sit in their patio and eat and drink there.
I've been eating at McDonald's for about a year now, and their $5 dollar meal was a great bargain. There's also a McValue meal where you buy on item and get a second item for one dollar.
To get the most value, you need to order through the app (Apple App or Google/Android App). The app is great because you sit down with a table number and order what you want and your food is brought to you. No need to wait in line behind someone that didn't start thinking about what they want until the cashier asks them "can I help you?".
When you order through the app, you get points that you can then use to order food and pay for the food using these points alone.
The best McD's in Venice Beach is on 2809 Lincoln Blvd. (Hours and map). With all the homeless in Venice, all McD's bathrooms require a code to enter and use, but not this location. I'm out on the road all day and it's really helpful.
This location also has self-serve drinks. So I order a small drink and refill it about twice with no hassle.
When ordering with the app, I also order a cheeseburger with points I've acquired (not money).
So for about $5 dollars, I get get a McChicken sandwich, french fries, small chicken nuggets, small soda with free refills and a cheeseburger. That's about 1,000 calories and gets me through the day.
