Bento box, steak sandwich, noodle bowls, cheese fondue

The third edition of Specials Board, a new series helping you get more bang for your dining buck, is all about levelling up your city lunches – without having to spend up big. Newsflash: some of your fave CBD restaurants have deals worth getting out of the office − or indeed crossing town − for.

$15 bowls of goodness at Maha

Seven days a week – until the end of June – Shane Delia’s hatted Maha flagship, a CBD staple for Middle Eastern cuisine, is serving wholesome, generously filled lunch bowls for just $15.

Every week, a different chef contributes a recipe based on their heritage or food experiences while travelling. Between June 10 and 16, for example, group head chef Daniel Giraldo has chosen a Latin-inspired braised beef spiced with harissa, tamarind and ancho chilli, served with pickled carrots, coriander and herb cous cous.

21 Bond Street, Melbourne, maharestaurant.com.au

$15 noodles at BKK

Lonsdale Street’s multilevel, multifaceted Her all but guarantees late-night good times. But there’s a great reason to ascend to BKK, the fire-powered Thai diner on level three, at lunchtime: $15 noodles. On weekdays from 11.30am to 3pm, chef Sungeun Mo has a few different options on offer: perhaps egg noodles with grilled char siu chicken and garlic-and-chilli oil, or pink noodle soup with fermented bean curd, squid and fish balls.

Level 3, 270 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, her.melbourne/bkk

$18 soup specials and $27.50 cheese fondue at Arbory Bar & Eatery

Arbory Afloat is in hibernation for the winter, but you can still rug up and head riverside to its more permanent sibling, Arbory, for some decent-value dining deals this month. From 11am daily, there are three protein-packed soups (served with warm rolls) to choose from, including lamb shank and pearl barley and seafood chowder with bacon. Or dial up the decadence with a three-cheese fondue of Swiss gruyere, truffle pecorino and fontina that comes with baguette, pretzels, pickles and crudites for dipping. Technically, it’s $55 a portion, but it serves (at least) two, so we’re counting it here.

1 Flinders Walk, Melbourne, arbory.com.au

$19 chicken katsu sandos and $26 bento boxes at Robata

Yet to check out Robata, the hatted Japanese grill restaurant in the former Gazi site? Or want to save some cash next visit? Make a lunchtime booking to make the most of its daily special, available from noon to 4pm. Bento boxes are stacked with freshly sliced sashimi, robatayaki (or charcoal-fired goods) of the day, yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls), house-made pickles and miso soup – and they can be mixed and matched to suit most dietary requirements. Got more of a one-track mind? Try the hulking chicken katsu sando.

2 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, robata.com.au

$25.50 off-menu steak sandwich at Grill Americano

Hatted glitzy city steakhouse Grill Americano was made for power lunching and pushing the boat out. But those in the know can get their steak fix for less when dining at lunchtime. Scouring the menu, you won’t find a steak sanger because it’s a limited-edition special. It’s only available for lunch at the bar, so park yourself there and hope it isn’t sold out.

12 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, grillamericano.com

$29 thalis at Tonka

At the front of Duckboard Place’s hatted modern-Indian restaurant Tonka, its in-house Thali Bar promises a more casual (and cheaper) experience. Perch at the bar to find traditional circular, stainless-steel thali platters loaded with your curry of choice (lamb rogan josh, butter chicken or a vegetarian option) plus dhal, raita, rice, naan and a salad. Make a booking or just walk in to claim the offer from Tuesday to Friday, noon to 2pm.

20 Duckboard Place, Melbourne, tonkarestaurant.com.au

$29 worker’s lunch at Bomba

Looking for an excuse to elongate your lunch break? Look no further than Spanish joint Bomba. From Tuesday to Friday, its wallet-friendly worker’s lunch lets you choose your own adventure with one small tapa, one slightly larger racione and one vegetable dish. So, your trifecta could be a leek-and-manchego croqueta; a fried calamari bocadillo (sandwich) with guindilla pepper; and a hearty serve of crowd-pleasing patatas bravas. It’s $29 for three plates, but you can add on wine, sangria or vermouth for $8 a pop.

103 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, bombabar.com.au

$29.50 lunch sets at Kisume

At $265 a head, Kisume’s two-hatted chef’s table is worth saving for a special occasion. But if you want to get the best of the Flinders Lane Japanese diner – for less – daytime dining is the way to go. Visit from noon, Tuesday to Friday, and you can spend less than 30 bucks on a lunch set. They’re all served with miso soup and options might include a chirashi-don (sashimi-topped rice bowl, pictured above) or a teriyaki-chicken katsudon.

175 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, kisume.com.au

$45 feed-me lunch at Taxi Kitchen

A feast for less than $50 a head? Any day of the week? That’ll blanket the whole table? That’s the reality at reliable, hatted restaurant Taxi Kitchen, upstairs at Fed Square’s Transport Hotel – as long as you’re there between noon and 3pm. The deal includes three small plates and one large plate per person from a menu with Chinese and Japanese flourishes. Our tip? Go with a group of mates, and all order something different.

Level 1, Transport Hotel, Federation Square, Melbourne, transporthotel.com.au

$50 express lunch at Meatmaiden

Fancy a lavish but not-too-long lunch? Descend into moody subterranean steakhouse and cocktail bar Meatmaiden from Wednesday to Friday for an express special that includes an entrée, a main, two sides and a house beer, wine or soda – all for $50. You might start with a smoky brisket taco and progress to a Nashville-style fried chicken sandwich alongside a handful of hot chips and a citrusy salad. Then, back to work.

195 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, meatmaiden.com.au

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