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Ali Khan is a natural born glutton whose passion for food began as soon as he was tall enough to ditch his high chair and commence eating out at fine dining establishments. Being the child of South Asian immigrants, he learned early on that exotic food to some is comfort food to others and has been “eating fearlessly” since day one, embracing new cuisines and cultures along the way.
It was inevitable that this passion for food would shape his professional career, and for those who knew him well, it came as no surprise that he would be named the Senior Editor of BlackBook Magazine’s Los Angeles Dining and Nightlife Guide at age 26. With online media taking center stage, Ali lent his writing skills to lifestyle sites such as Urban Daddy and LA TACO, and became a regular contributor to You Gotta Eat This. In that time he launched two successful series: Sandwich Spotting Los Angeles and Bang for your Burger Buck. In 2015, Bang for your Burger Buck launched as a standalone blog covering burgers nationwide.
In addition to food writing, Ali is a natural born performer trained in the Theatrical Arts at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Southern California where he earned his B.A. in Theater Studies. His passion for performance and all things epicurean eventually led him to Food Network, where his earliest appearances include Grill It with Bobby Flay and the Best Thing I Ever Made. Producer credits include Food Network’s $24 in 24, Thanksgiving Live and he helped develop projects for Jeff Mauro, Alton Brown and Simon Majumdar.
In 2015, Ali premiered his very own show, Cheap Eats, on Cooking Channel. As the host of Cheap Eats, Ali is right at home taking audiences on a culinary tour of America, on a budget almost anyone can afford. Cheap Eats is currently airing its 4th season with a 5th season in post production. In 2018 Ali joined Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship as the host for the 4th season. Ali has also appeared as a guest judge on Chopped and Chopped Junior, appeared in several episodes of Best Thing I Ever Ate, and has also worked with Tastemade, where he shot, edited and hosted his own food series under the handle “blackbookali.” When not cruising the country for Cheap Eats, Ali resides with his wife and son (who he weaned off the bottle and onto prosciutto and sashimi) in literally the hottest food city in the world: Austin, Texas.
Check out Ali looking legit over at Cooking Channel’s site
My husband and I absolutely LOVE your show and blog. We were wondering if you’d do a show about trying to feed a family on the cheap while out and about. We have 5 kiddos and while $35 a day seems cheap it adds up per person. Keep up the energy on the show.
Much love
The Reekie 7
Ali Khan I love your show. I don’t think I have ever seen you in Michigan though. I highly recommend you check out the food scene. There are several great foidie towns all over the state.
Hey Cheryl! We did go to Ann Arbor(Season 5), Detroit(Season 3) and Grand Rapids(Season 2). You can find posts about all three episodes here on the blog!
Thanks Sarah!! Great idea! We have a 5 YO and I already see the budget rising and we are just a family of three! Certainly food for thought. Family style restaurants where sharing entrees could be a big factor. And glad you are digging the show!!
Weird eating bacon?
Not at all!!
My husband and I just discovered Cheap Eats. We love the show and love your energy!
Thanks Lisa!!! I guess you could say its the perfect job for me!
I am looking for todays show they had a recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Baklava any help finding it? January 23, 2019. Thank you.
My wife and I L-O-V-E your show! I’m a food network junkie so it was just a matter of time before she became one too. We love to travel and have been marking the cities and restraunts you’ve been visiting so we can do the same. Keep up the great work and rocking those sunglasses like nobody’s business!!! #itKHANbedone
Thank you!! Keep checking the blog for more restaurants to check out and of course on instagram as well!!
Love your show!! You look like you are having such a good time!
Thanks!! I really am too! #dreamjob
I love your show cant wait till ya come doen south AL LA or FL will be nice to see those southern cuisine budgets !
Have you ever done your thing in Canada?
Haven’t yet! Got any reccos?
I hope you’re serious. Canadian cities are multicultural paradise(s) and with your fat American dollars it’d going to be really, really easy for you to keep to your US$35 daily goal. Why not start in my city, Calgary? Breakfast at Holy Grill, lunch at Cluck n Cleaver, dinner at, oh, Pure Vietnamese Kitchen? There are MANY MANY other options.
You can’t go wrong in any major or not-so-major city in this country.
My team does the transcription for Cheap Eats and it’s our absolute favorite thing to work on. I’m glad you got picked up for more episodes this round and we’re looking forward to following your adventures for season four and five! Never forget there’s a team of people who type your every word and celebrity impression.
Thanks James!! We try extra hard to add some funny to the Cheap Eats flavor! Hope you and yours have a happy Thanksgiving!!
I can’t believe you mentioned me and the team in Birmingham. That completely made our week! Have a great holiday break and we’re looking forward to you getting back to work in January.
I’m from Connecticut – when are you going to do New Haven?! Louis’ Lunch, Pepe’s, Yorkside Pizza. Love your show. It’s like comfort food for me, and sometimes you find the most outrageous deliciousness. I hope you’re always having as much fun as you look like you are!
Hey! We were just in New Haven!! #staytuned
Ali – you say you did New Haven, but only 1 place you did was actually IN New Haven. I’d like to see you come back and actually really do food in New Haven. Places like Panaderia Y Reposteria Pan Del Cielo, Claire’s Corner Copia and traditional places like Pepe’s Pizza would be a much better depiction of New Haven.
Hey Shire,
Yeah we did move around a lot when we were in the New Haven area. In addition to great food that fall in our budget, we also have to make sure the restaurants are willing and available during our small window in a given area. So sometimes we have to stretch the map to make it work. Thanks for watching!
Will you be doing a show on halal food?
I would LOVE to!! Right now Cheap Eats is focused on cities but the idea of exploring themes like BBQ, off the beaten path or food culture specific episodes(e.g. religious holidays, kosher/halal) would be really cool. Definitely check out https://www.youtube.com/user/sameerseats for great halal finds(he’s a cool dude too!)
Do you head to places off the beaten path or do you research some of the local places that come highly recommended?
Does your show also account for tipping or is that separate from the $35 budget?
We like to put in a mix of both: places that are iconic as well as trending. The $35 budget does not include tax and tip. While these are very important factors when calculating the cost of dining out(along with parking and sitters!), our take is similar to that of traditional restaurant reviews where entrée prices are listed. Our hope to showcase the very best restaurants and food we can find at an approachable price.
We travel a lot. Your show is our gastric road map! Thank you for sharing your finds. Super chefs Louisville. Crazy good. Never would have found it without you! Keep it up.
Eric
Thanks Eric!
My family and I love your show and think you’re hilarious! I was wondering if you’d ever make it to Denver? We’ve got a lot of crazy foods and unique restaurants!
Hey Nadja! Thanks for watching – we did do an episode in Boulder back in Season 1. Looks like we need to come back for Denver! Got any suggestions?
Watching your show and I am trying to place your accent? Where did you grow up? I can’t find it anywhere 🙄
Hey Melissa! I grew up in St Louis, moved to LA and lived there for 20 years and now im in Austin. So I tend to get around and I grew up watching a lot of TV and studied Theater where I received voice and dialect training. I you could say I have my “own accent”! LOL!
You are SO missing out by not coming through Nebraska after going to CO! We have such inexpensive, farm-fresh produce & beef! Lincoln, the capital, has Misty’s (which sells it’s seasoning retail, it’s so good) for prime rib (north, original location is best). We are also the home of the Runza restaurants which features a meat & cabbage pocket sandwich brought here by Polish/German immigrants. 9th Street Chargrill Restaurant is a small, local eatery with very high quality, higher end entrees at VERY reasonable prices (recommend the pork chop). Zesto is exclusive to Lincoln, and I recommend their malts. I won’t order ice cream in public because I don’t like melty ice cream, but their malts are SO thick you could burst a lung trying to use a straw…try a spoon 🙂
Hey Kathy! We went to Omaha in Season 2 and I loved it!! Coneflower Creamery could be the best ice cream I have ever had!! Check out the episode and if you search “Omaha” in the blog you will find my post on that episode!
Ali, your show is by far my favorite. You introduced me to some places that are minutes away from where I live, Portsmouth, NH, and am originally from Boston. I have ofcourse tour the restaurants that you visited, and can’t wait for you to do more episodes in New England. The fact that you are introducing to the world small mom and pops places to the spotlight is great, but your personality and jokes are what makes the show what it it’s. Huge fan, keep it up.
-Alex
Alex I have to say I love New England! Filming episodes in Providence, Portsmouth and Burlington during early summer last year were a dream! Row 34, which is a pricey restaurant in Portsmouth is a great splurge – I wrote about it on my blog post about Cheap Eats Portsmouth – check it out sometime if you want to seriously break your budget and thanks for watching the show!!
I wish you a , very Beautiful Holiday Always ……. THANK YOU . I. wwould like more Colors Everywhere , Please. Thank you very , much.
From : Jaclyn Alvarez
San Francisco , California
you are always welcome to be local atbour house in San Francisco . California. now
thanks for your wishes Jaclyn!
I am looking for todays show they had a recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Baklava any help finding it? January 23, 2019. Thank you.
Hey Margaret! That was from Ya Ya Sweets! You read all about it here: https://bangforyourburgerbuck.com/cheap-eats-jacksonville/
Hi Ali,
I love Cheap Eats and your personality and enthusiasm are such wonderful additions. I live in Portland ME and would love to have you visit here. There are many great restaurants to sample. I saw the shows on Burlington, Portsmouth and New Haven but have never seen one from Portland. I hope you and your show have continued success!
I have been wanting to go to Portland ME for a long while now. Ever since the Bourdain episode . . .
I love your show Cheap Eats! It’s one of my favorites. Keep on bringing us your awesome travels!
Thanks Becky!! And do check out my Official YouTube channel for two new series: Ali vs The Dome and Bite Size. Comedy + food + Ali Khan!! https://youtube.com/c/goodsauce