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Dining in Las Vegas can bring you to your knees. With 16 Michelin-starred restaurants and casinos with enough cash to round up the best chefs in the world - all with full metal fantasy kitchens and dining rooms that literally float over the neon - it can be difficult for a visitor to indulge in a celebratory meal for two for under four digits.

The good news is it is still possible to find the venerable dollar hot dog, even the $3 steak and eggs special in this city that built its rep on “the deal.” Here are the top ten dining bargains to be had in Vegas for under $10.

Mr. Lucky’s Gambler’s Special, Hard Rock Hotel

This is one of Sin City’s primo segretos. And you won’t find it on the menu. Mr. Lucky’s is Hard Rock’s 24-hour café. It’s got the walk-up counter and the comfy booths. The space is open and airy and the walls have the telltale remnants from rock star lives hanging in glass. But best of all it has the “Gambler’s Special.” It’s a bit of a wink-wink, low voice order you have to request. It comes with steak prepared to order, three shrimps, veggie dish of the day or potato, and a salad. The price is all about lucky sevens, any hour of the day, for $7.77.

‘Wichcraft at MGM Grand

This is Craftsteak’s Tom Colicchio’s tour de force as a restaurant for the rest of us, providing creative sandwiches and full plate meals with artisan breads, premium cheeses and meats, and fresh, seasonal veggies for around $10. Colicchio opened Gramercy Tavern in New York in 1994, moving onto his Craft restaurants, managing to earn five James Beard Foundation Medals along the way. At ‘wichcraft find signature works such as Fried eggs with bacon, gorgonzola and frisée on ciabatta roll; Roasted Pork Loin with red cabbage, jalapenos and mustard on ciabatta roll; Sicilian Tuna with fennel, black olives and lemon on baguette; all for less than a minimum hand at the Blackjack table.

Canter's Deli at Treasure Island

This mini version of the legendary Canter’s in Los Angeles lacks in the original salty ambience but brings on the copious cured meats and pickles to those with wide enough mouths and big enough appetites. The fare comes with LA prices – easily $11 or $12 for a pastrami or corned beef sandwich– but frankly they are meant to be shared. Add fries and a seltzer and feel full for the next four hours for under $10 each.

Dona Maria, 910 Las Vegas Blvd., Downtown

Tip: if you want to find the best Mexican food in town, go where the locals go. And that would be Dona Maria, known for savoury (and cheap!) tamales. The ambience is south-of-the-border; make that just over the border, with Pepto-pink walls and leatherette booths. Tamales come in four styles: Red (pork in a mild sauce), Green (chicken in a spicy sauce), Cheese (Monterey jack and green chilis) and Sweet (pineapple and raisins); all for around $4 a piece and served with complimentary chips and fresh salsa. The jalapenos are fresh, the tortillas oven-warm, and the fajitas dishes are much too large for one person. Order margaritas by the pitcher and stay a while.

Chicago Brewing Company at the Four Queens in Downtown Las Vegas

This casino hole in the wall serves a pretty good meal for under $10, along with Gold Medal microbrews straight from the tap. The bar runs seven house brews with names like All Nighter and Ramblin’ Reck Amber Ale. Plus it has seasonal brews, some pilsners and scotch ales and some new brews on the way (how ‘bout a Hawaiian Honey?). Sit in a row of cushioned banquettes or bar stools at the counter. The 10-inch build-your-own pizzas ($6.95 plus $1 per topping), a trio of tenderloin fillet sliders ($8.95 including mushrooms and onions), or nearly authentic Wrigleyville Vienna hot dogs ($6.95) keep the place hopping.

Café Cortez at the El Cortez

Downtown Las Vegas is cheap eats central for those looking for deals in dining. The circa 1941 El Cortez Hotel runs a 24-hour Prime Rib on its menu: 8-oz or the 12-oz cut for $7.95 and $9.95 respectively. You can also have pork chops for $9.95, fried or grilled chicken for $8.50 and catfish with hushpuppies (cornmeal dumplings) for $9.50 – all with soup or salad, plus potato and veggie du jour.

Bay City Diner at the Golden Gate, Downtown Las Vegas.

This 104-year-old hotel casino at the head of Fremont Street has been ensuring its survival with a few old school tricks – make that cheap tricks. It serves the $1.99-cent shrimp cocktail at the bar, up from 49-cents just a few decades ago, and 99-cents just a year ago. You’ll get a few worthy bites out of this glass of mini-shrimps in a tangy cocktail sauce. But if you are looking for the beef here you’ll find it at Bay City Diner. The hotel’s 24-hour coffee shop serves big fat burgers ranging from $5.99 to $8.99 (including fries, potato salad or coleslaw), plus an 8-oz prime rib dinner, slow cooked with veggies and potato for $7.99.

Sushi Roku at the Forum Shops at Caesars

If eye candy counts as an appetizer, consider it free at Sushi Roku. Sushi Roku at the Forum Shops adds windows over the neon to its Dodd Mitchell décor and California twist sushi menu. The pricey restaurant runs a not-so-pricey “Red Sun Hour” daily from 4-6 pm. Cut rolls that usually cost $8 to $26 are $4; hand rolls are $3. Appetizer mélanges that run well over $20 can be enjoyed for $2-$5. And it all can be topped off with a $2 mini chocolate volcano dessert. Kirins and sakes go down for $3 at sunset, just when the lights go on over the Strip.

Triple 7 Brewpub at Main Street Station in Downtown Las Vegas.

This may be the only establishment in Vegas more famous for its bathroom than its casino attractions. The men’s room near the Brewpub sports a handsome chunk of the Berlin Wall. The pub itself serves offers -brewed micro-beers made on the premises and a variety of pizza and burger options on the side, all for under $10. But make that a $7.95 8-oz New York Steak or a petite prime rib and you are still well within your budget.

Ellis Island Café at Ellis Island Casino

If you want to find the deals, you may have to travel. In this case it would be to Koval Lane, parallel to the Strip one block east where you will find Old Vegas in a 24-hour café off the casino that serves a 6-oz top sirloin steak dinner 24/7 for $6.95. A $3.99 Breakfast Special can be ordered between 11 pm and 6 am if you like scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy and choice of bacon or sausage.

For more information on Las Vegas, visit our destination guide