Cool topic, especially given the price constraint
Italian homemade is great and the portions are big. The tortellini costs the same as their other pastas. I like their calzone-like cassoni, which comes with a side of bechamel.
Tanguito has good empanadas. I’ve not tried any of their other argentine food
Maykadeh has solid Persian food, and it is $15 minimum per person. You can always get take out. On a visit two weeks ago, my favorite dishes were the feta cheese with olives, feta cheese spread, and Lamb shank with Baghali polo, which may have been a weekend special. Both their eggplant dishes are fantastic, And the fesenjun, though sweet for my taste, was enjoyed by others I went with. Note that lunch it too early in the day to get tahdig, rice crust from the bottom of the pot.
Some tips I haven’t followed up on yet:
A location of Chennai Kings recently opened at fisherman’s wharf
Mario’s bohemian cigar apparently lets you combine their chicken and eggplant sandwiches, which are served on Liguria Bakery’s focaccia. Speaking of Liguria, you can always stop in there before work and get their pizza focaccia
The Grant location of Henry Hunan has a separate, but translated, Sichuan/Hunan menu In addition to their (mostly) Chinese American dishes available at their other locations. This might be a couple of bucks more than you were hoping for
