Eateries that won't break the bank

So you're heading to A.C. to hit it big? Maybe you will, maybe you won't. But either way, ya gotta eat.

While Atlantic City has more than its share of swank dining establishments, the town also delivers plenty of eateries that won't break your budget.

Check out these lucky seven restaurants, each guaranteed to feed you good food and leave you change leftover for the slots. These spots aren't in casinos, but they're within walking distance of the action.

Who knows, a change of scenery just might turn your luck.

Angelo's Fairmount Tavern

Located in A.C.'s Ducktown neighborhood since 1935, this family-owned, ramshackle trattoria is the real deal - it's what those big-portion commercial joints are trying to be but can't quite manage.

The difference between the chains and Angelo's is that the pictures on the walls are real family, and the recipes are handed down from three generations of Mancuso cooks.

The décor is nothing fancy, but the staff and regulars are friendly and the welcome mat is genuine. Ample portions let you fill up on fabulous pasta and have a glass of house red for less than $15.

For lunch, you'll find the (free) parking lot full of contractors' trucks, proof enough that the $7 lunch specials rock.

Best bets: Ravioli with sausage, $11.25; pasta aglio e'Olio, $9.75; and lasagna with meatballs, $12.95.

Mississippi and Fairmount avenues

609-344-2439, angelosfairmounttavern.com

Back Bay Ale House

Watch the sun set and the fishing boats come in on the deck of this convivial little watering hole and restaurant near Harrah's and Trump Marina.

The food is a step above the usual pub grub, offering options like the oversized seafood Cobb salad, ($11.99), an excellent blackened mahi mahi sandwich garnished with homemade lime mayo ($9.99), and even a snappy grilled link of Polish kielbasa, smothered with sautéed onions and served on a crusty roll ($7.99).

Best bets: The 8-ounce petite Delmonico steak with Caesar salad, for $14.99.

800 N. New Hampshire Ave.

609-449-0006, www.backbayalehouse.com

Flames on the Boardwalk

A hefty Angus burger with an ocean view - for less than 10 bucks. There are lots of reasons to visit Flames, which is not far from the Tropicana on the Boardwalk. Menu items (besides the $9.99 burger) include a tasty cheesesteak wrap, an oversized Greek salad and a feta and artichoke "pizza" on a pita.

There's never a wait - the place seats 400 - and the huge deck gives you a ringside seat for Boardwalk people-watching (and that ocean view).

Best bets: The vegetarian Mediterranean sampler offers healthy portions of garlicky hummus, stuffed grape leaves, grilled eggplant, pita and a tangy tzatziki sauce, all for $12.

2641 Boardwalk, 609-344-7774

Irish Pub

Rub elbows with cops and local politicos at the AC sister of Philly's Walnut Street locations. Open 24/7 since 1972, the Irish Pub is a slice of the Old Sod, with prices way cheaper than you'd ever pay in Dublin, Ireland.

Nightly blackboard dinner specials are $6.95, with choices like fish and chips, chicken tenders and crab cakes. The ambiance is old-school Irish tavern, complete with black-and-white pictures of boxers and baseball players on the walls.

Health food types need not apply - fried is one of the major food groups here, so if that's a problem, keep moving.

Best bets: The fried shrimp platter with fries and slaw, $7.95.

164 Saint James Place

609-344-9063, www.theirishpub.com

Teplitzky's

With executive chef Thomas Munster at the helm - last of Thomas' Kitchen in Wayne - this former kosher nosheri has been reinvented as a funky coffee shop and deli in the hip Chelsea Hotel, which opened last year.

Munster oversees all of the hotel's food service as part of the Starr Restaurant Group, including Chelsea Prime, the high-end steak house a la Barclay Prime.

But the coffee shop offers nonstop bargains, starting with a four-egg spinach and feta omelet for $8, more than enough food for two.

The all-day menu offers one of the best bargains in town: a $10 "make your own" Dagwood, with a choice of meats (turkey, pastrami, corned beef, etc.), cheeses (cheddar, Swiss, provolone, American) and style (Reuben, special, triple decker), plus a choice of salad or fries. Have a $4 Yuengling and you're still under $15.

Best bets: The pastrami cheesesteak with peppers and onions for $12.

111 S. Chelsea Ave.

800-548-3030, www.thechelsea-ac.com

Tony's Baltimore Grill

You haven't tasted Atlantic City until you've had pizza at the Baltimore Grill. A cross between an old-head bar and a diner, Tony's opened in 1963, and the décor hasn't changed since.

Never mind that.

The crowd comes for the pizza (plain cheese, $7.80), hot roast beef ($6.05), spaghetti with anchovies ($8.80) and $2.25 draft beer. The cash-only bar is always open and the kitchen cooks until 3 a.m.

And you're just around the corner from the Trop.

Best bets: Three meatballs with fries, $6.90; ravioli and sausage, $8.15.

2800 Atlantic Ave.

609-345-5766, www.baltimoregrill.com

White House Subs

Famous since 1946, this sub shop - that's Atlantic City speak for hoagie - gets raves and lines out the door for its overstuffed deli sandwiches on fresh-baked Italian loaves.

Supposedly even Ol' Blue Eyes got takeout when he was in town.

Depending on your hunger, a half of one of these two-handers will do you just fine ($7 for a turkey sub). Or go for the gusto, and spring for the $10 White House Special, jam-packed with Italian meats and cheeses and dressed with hot peppers, lettuce, tomato and onions.

With more than 20 million sold, this White House is doing something right. If you're walking, the sub shop is three blocks from Trump Plaza. By car, it's an easy detour from the entrance to the AC Expressway.

Best bets: The tuna with provolone is a winner; half, $7.01; whole, $14.02.

2301 Arctic Ave., 609-345-1564