Here's Where to Find a Good, Cheap Lunch in Every State

Though many people don't put much thought into lunch, it's an underrated time to dine out. Restaurants usually aren't too crowded, it's a nice way to unwind if you've been at work, and best of all, it's usually less expensive than going out for dinner. There are lots of restaurants that cater to lunch-goers, from delis to pizza-by-the-slice joints, so you can find everything from hearty, comforting diner plates to healthy brown rice bowls. Here are some of the best spots to find a great, cheap lunch in every state, based on value and reviews from hungry customers and food critics. Bear in mind that inflation has flexed its muscle in the past three years, so don't be surprised by prices northward of $10 for some meals.

Related: Where to Find a Good, Cheap Breakfast in Every State

Montgomery
Open since 1930, Martin's Restaurant serves up a classic meat-and-three lunch. Choose from entrees like roast turkey and dressing, fried catfish, and chicken and dumplings, or opt for what Martin's is most famous for: "pulley bone" fried chicken, which is the top part of the breast that includes the wishbone. Picking your three sides will be difficult with choices like fried green tomatoes and pineapple cheese casserole, but it's hard to go wrong with anything. At $13, including free corn muffins and honey, you can afford a piece of homemade lemon meringue pie for dessert.

Related: Best Fried Chicken in Every State

Anchorage

Locals often line up and endure an hour wait for a table at Snow City Cafe, so you know there's something good cooking at this casual breakfast and lunch restaurant. Both the salmon BLT sandwich and the Beary Salmon salad have generous portions of local fish, and breakfast is served all day, in case you'd like eggs benedict at 2 p.m. No matter what you order, save room for a homemade cinnamon roll or sticky bun, just like President Barack Obama did when he visited in 2015.

For more great restaurant guides and dining tips, please sign up for our free newsletters.

Phoenix
You could easily walk right past this small, nondescript shop tucked away in a working-class Phoenix neighborhood — but don't make that mistake. In the world of amazing, cheap burritos, Kiss Pollos Estilo Sinaloa stands out, even in a Latin-infused border state where the locals are spoiled by a seemingly endless selection of great burritos. With a chicken burrito for $6.99, it's hard to go wrong. There's a fee for delivery, but take-out is free.

Related: Best Hole-in-the-Wall Mexican Restaurant in Every State

Marianna

One of the most famous lunches in the state is from a two-table restaurant on the first floor of a home in this east Arkansas town. Jones Bar-B-Q has been around for over a century, and they only sell one thing: chopped pork. You can get it by the pound, or as a sandwich on white bread with or without coleslaw. It's such a local institution that it received an American Classics James Beard Award in 2012. It opens around 7 a.m. and closes by 2 p.m. — or whenever the pork is gone.

Related: 28 Eateries Famous for One Amazing Dish

Fresno

Reviewers on Yelp claim that "prices are fair and the portions are generous" at this eatery, which offers a lunch special that gives you a choice of four kinds of kebabs, stir-fry, spicy chicken, or lula lavash. The plate also comes with rice pilaf and vegetables. This Middle Eatern restaurant, which closes at 2:30pm and isn't open on weekends, has burgers, sandwiches, and salads, too. 

Littleton
Hot dogs are a quick, inexpensive lunchtime staple, but they can get a little boring. Switch things up and get a creative dog at Harley's. The fried pickle dog, for instance, has fried pickle spears and jalapeno ranch on an everything bagel-seasoned bun, or get your dog topped with gyro meat and tzatziki sauce. There's plenty of other types of sausages, too, and none of them are more than $12.

Related: Famous Franks: 30 Best Hot Dog Stands Across America

New Haven
It doesn't really get any better than Louis' Lunch for a tasty and historic midday meal in Connecticut. This iconic spot claims to have invented the hamburger sandwich, and it's still the only meal they serve. The beef patties are cooked in an original upright cast iron grill from 1898, then put on toast with tomato and onion slices. The cost — $8 — is a small price to pay for a piece of history.

Related: The Surprising History of the Humble Hamburger

Wilmington
In operation since 1967, Angelo's Luncheonette is an old school diner with lots of Elvis, Coca-Cola, and Campbell's memorabilia for a walk down memory lane. Breakfast is popular — especially the chunky hash browns — but don't overlook the Italian sausage sandwiches with peppers and marinara, grilled cheese and Campbell's tomato soup, or a beef and cheese hoagie. Get an old fashioned chocolate Coke to wash it down.

Related: Best Old-School Italian Restaurants in America

This famous black-owned business has been around since 1958 and it's gotten the POTUS seal of approval: just 10 days before his inauguration, then President-elect Barack Obama visited in 2009. Though the eatery is best known for its chili, burgers (as well as hot dogs, fries, milkshakes, and salads) are offered, too. Consider getting chili on your burger for the best of both worlds.  

Tampa
While hot soup may not be first come to mind in steamy Florida, Stone Soup Company has won lots of awards for its homemade soups. You can get anything from Ybor chili with mojo pork to classic matzo ball soup and everything in between, including cold gazpacho. It's not just soups here though, and Yelpers rave about the meaty Cuban sandwiches and the empanadas filled with guava. 

Related: Best Place for Hearty Soup in Every State

https://blog.cheapism.com/best-places-for-soup/

Duluth

Located adjacent to Rexall Drugs, Rexall Grill has been operating as a breakfast and lunch counter for 50 years. The menu is large for such a humble restaurant and includes patty melts, chef salads, country fried steak and gravy, and meatloaf sandwiches. Options change daily but expect items like roast pork, chicken and dressing, black-eyed peas, and potato salad.

Honolulu

Hawaii is known for the plate lunch, a carb-heavy serving of rice, macaroni salad, and a main, like fried mahi-mahi or barbecued beef. You can get a number of variations on the plate lunch at Rainbow Drive-In, an iconic spot since 1961. The Loco Moco plate here is especially good and has been named the best in the state by Hawaii Magazine. For $11.75, you get two scoops of rice topped with two hamburger patties, two eggs, and brown gravy, all served with a side of macaroni salad. It will more than fill you up until dinner. 

Twin Falls
A hole-in-the-wall diner in southern Idaho, Buffalo Cafe is popular with tourists and locals. Customers on Yelp describe the ambiance as "divey" but say this breakfast-and-lunch spot is always busy, the staff is hardworking and friendly, and the food is excellent. Be sure to try the homemade jams that come with the toast and biscuits. Since it is the Buffalo Cafe, a hefty 1/3-pound buffalo burger like the one shown above might be in order. 

London Mills
Though most closely associated with Indiana, the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is a favorite in many parts of Illinois, too. Spoonies is one of the rural restaurants known for its tenderloin, which is pounded flat to a comically large size, deep-fried in a thick, crispy breading, and put on a bun. It's massive and only $11, but if you plan to split it with someone (and there's plenty of food to go around), the price goes up by a buck, but it's still a steal.

Related: Bucket-List Food Experiences in Every State

West Lafayette
Despite its unusual name, Triple XXX is a family-friendly diner that's been a favorite of Purdue University students for 90 years. Hamburgers are the specialty, and many are named after famous Purdue athletes, like the Duane Purvis All-American, a steak topped with peanut butter, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions that was featured on the Food Network. Order a Triple XXX root beer in a frosted mug to wash down the peanut butter.

Clear Lake

There's a cute little cafe and bakery in the small town of Clear Lake that is only open for a few hours each day to serve lunch. The menu at Starboard Market focuses on sandwiches, and you order them by number, with 25 total. The No. 1 is their signature and made with pastrami, ham, salami, Swiss, green pepper, and garlic spread on pumpernickel. The roast beef is made fresh, so it's a sure bet, as are the homemade soups and dessert bars. 

Wichita

Open only for lunch, Tanya's Soup Kitchen has at least four homemade soups on the menu every day, plus a long list of sandwiches and salads. Tomato bisque and chicken tortilla soup are the favorites of Yelpers who give the restaurant 4.5 stars, but there are also more unique options like chilled strawberry bisque with balsamic drizzle. If you can't decide which soup you want, grab a flight of four soups for only $6. 

Mammoth Cave

Conveniently located near Mammoth Cave National Park,  this very reasonably priced local gem serves up all the usual diner fare like burgers and chicken strips, but it also boasts a batch of German classics, including giant Bavarian pretzels, schnitzel, currywurst, and bratwurst, and their desserts are described as out of this world. Jawohl! 

Metairie

Many people think po-boy sandwiches only have fried seafood as a filling, but in Louisiana, roast beef po-boys are just as popular, and R&O serves these, as well as other sandwiches, salads, and pizza since 1980. In its ranking of the best roast beef po-boys, the Times-Picayune chose R&O's version as tops. The crisp, seeded bread is dipped in the beef's thick gravy for extra flavor, loaded with tender roast beef, and then heated in the oven to bring it all together into one incredible sandwich. 

Old Orchard Beach

Who says you can't make an entire meal out of french fries? When they're as good as the ones at Pier French Fries, it's easy. They've been serving up the same crinkle-cut fries since 1932, and the most popular topping is malt vinegar, though you can get hot nacho cheese, chili, and gravy if you like. If you cannot live by a box of fries alone, there are also hot dogs, chicken fingers, and sweet fried dough. 

Catonsville

Pit beef is a classic Maryland sandwich, with charcoal-grilled beef roast piled onto buns. Pioneer Pit Beef, a little shack only open until 5 p.m., serves up one of the best, according to Eater. They ask how you'd like your beef cooked (medium-rare, for instance), then shave it fresh and right onto the roll or sub. Horseradish sauce is the classic topping, but barbecue, cheese, mayo, and other goodies have been added to the mix. 

Worcester

Restaurants tucked in the back of international grocery stores are nearly always a good bet, because you know the ingredients will be fresh and traditional. Bahnan's is a Middle Eastern grocer and counter service restaurant that makes fantastic shawarma, according to Mass Foodies. You can get beef or chicken shawarma sliced fresh off the spit or grab a combo meal for just a little more with a side and drink. 

Douglas
Located on the western shores of Michigan, The Farmhouse Deli is a quaint little storefront that sells gourmet pantry items as well as a full menu of sandwiches, baked goods, and other deli favorites. Local ingredients are used as much as possible, including local roasted turkey breast, Michigan cheeses, and bread from a local bakery. Grab a ham and gruyere sandwich on a croissant, and try the colorful curried carrot salad on the side.

Duluth

Uncle Loui's Cafe, an old-fashioned diner, has been in operation since 1933. A devastating fire in 2007 means that the interior is no longer original, but the welcoming atmosphere remains the same. You can get a delicious short order breakfast all day if you're so inclined, but there's also tempting lunch items like burgers and onion rings, open-faced roast turkey and gravy sandwiches with mashed potatoes, and even gyros, almost everything for $10 or less. 

Pascagoula

Located in a Gulf Coast town, Bozo's sells fresh seafood retail but also has a deli counter in the back of the store. There's often a line to order, but the wait is worth it for just-caught, inexpensive seafood. The po-boys are huge and full of fried shrimp, oysters, and catfish, or get a smaller version on a bun. The gumbo is dark and a 6-inch shrimp po-boy is just $8.

Kansas City

Located in the Historic City Market, Burrito Brothers makes Mission-style burritos on the cheap and comes recommended by local food critics. All the burritos are under $10, and plenty stuffed for a full meal. Choose from fillings like chorizo and egg, shrimp, and grilled portobello mushrooms. Spice it up with one of five salsas, including a five-pepper version and an extreme ghost pepper salsa. 

Missoula
Burns St. Bistro has a rotating menu, offering new items with the changing seasons. Many sandwiches are under $14, and reviewers report that the optional candied bacon is a must.

Related: Mouthwatering Bacon Dishes Across America

Omaha

The dining room at Shirley's Diner is big and bright, with lots of windows, rock-n-roll memorabilia, and strings of lights overhead. They serve up large portions of standard diner fare, with one big standout: the cheese Frenchy, a deep-fried grilled cheese sandwich that's popular in Nebraska. Shirley's version is coated in corn flakes cereal before frying, giving it a little sweetness and a whole lot of crunch. With fries or mashed potatoes, it's an extra hearty version of a classic lunch for less than $11.

Reno
We're suckers for a good lunch special, and Bangkok Cuisine has a great one. For under $12 you get two entrees plus rice, a fried appetizer, and a cup of soup. There are five rotating entrees to choose from each day, including pork with chiles and Thai basil, chicken pad Thai, and spicy string beans.  

Glen
The Sunrise Shack was determined to have the best lunch specials in the state in 2018, according to New Hampshire Magazine. It's hard to argue when the specials are things like a sweet and spicy steak torta and pulled pork sandwiches, but the regular menu of items like Greek salad, chili, and homemade veggie burger shouldn't be overlooked. They sell beer, too, if you're so inclined for a liquid lunch. 

Ocean City

A classic pizza shop offers one of the cheapest, fastest lunches you can get. Try a slice or two at Manco & Manco on the Ocean City Boardwalk since 1956. Thanks to its crispy crust and swirl of sweet, tangy sauce, it was named "the best slice you've never tasted" by Esquire Magazine. Slices range from $3.50 to $9.50, so have a few to prepare for a long afternoon on the beach.

Albuquerque

Located inside a full-service pharmacy, Duran's is a lunch counter that specializes in Southwestern fare. It's one of the 17 essential restaurants of Albuquerque, according to Eater, in part because of the fluffy flour tortillas that are made every day by hand. You can't go wrong no matter what you order, but if you're not sure whether you want green or red chile on your stacked enchiladas, order it "Christmas" to get half and half. 

Niagara Falls

You don't have to go to the big city (and pay high prices) to get great deli sandwiches and bagels. Power City Eatery boils and bakes their chewy bagels fresh every day and cures their own pastrami. A quick bagel and schmear makes for a light lunch, or get a heartier pastrami with brown mustard sandwich on homemade caraway rye bread. Eats like these have earned the deli 4.5 stars on Yelp.

Mount Airy
Andy Griffith was from Mount Airy, and Snappy Lunch is the only real restaurant from the city ever mentioned on the Andy Griffith Show. The 98-year-old restaurant that only serves until 1:45 p.m. is known for its iconic pork chop sandwich, which you can watch being made in the window. A thin, tenderized pork chop is lightly battered and cooked on an oiled griddle, then placed on a bun and topped with thick tomato-based chili sauce, chopped coleslaw, yellow mustard, onion, and tomato.  

Grand Forks

This tiny restaurant doesn't have much indoor seating, but visitors on Yelp say it's a great choice for carryout if you can't get a seat. While known for its breakfast offerings, Darcy's Cafe has lunch specials (including a hot turkey sandwich), burgers, salads, and traditional diner offerings. 

Toledo

In 1932, Tony Packo opened a sandwich shop with a $100 loan. Today, you can still get Tony Packo's famous Hungarian-style hot dogs at his iconic Toledo restaurant. The Hungarian sausages are big and a little spicy and topped with chili sauce, mustard, and onions for $4. If you're especially hungry, try the signature chicken paprikas or stuffed cabbage for a few dollars more. Before you leave, make sure you check out the displays of signed hot dog buns. 

Chickasha

Onion burgers are the diner burger of choice in Oklahoma, and J&W Grill serves up a great rendition. A ball of fresh beef is smashed on the griddle and piled high with shaved onions that cook and caramelize, flavoring the beef. The sandwich ends up being almost as much onion as beef. They can be a little messy, but they range from a regular 1/8-pound burger to a half-pounder. Get a large side of hand-cut, fresh fries on the side for a bit more.

Bend

A menu full of sausages from around the world is sure to please everyone, and that's exactly what Bangers & Brews specializes in. The counter-service restaurant has British bangers, German bratwursts, hot smoked andouille, and even an Alaskan reindeer sausage, plus lots of toppings to choose from. The herbal, bright green chimichurri sauce is a favorite topper and helped propel their Yelp rating to 5 stars. 

Pittsburgh
Catering to mostly downtown workers, Apollo Cafe offers a super-fast, fresh counter-service lunch. It's been around for over 30 years and is family-owned, and you'll feel like family yourself if you become a regular. They offer the usual diner dishes, like tuna melts, but it's the Mediterranean specialties that stand out. Try a gyro sandwich, hummus, fresh tabouli, or stuffed grape leaves, all for super cheap prices.

Warwick

Seafood is a must in Rhode Island, but it can get pricey, even for lunch. Head to Iggy's Doughboys and Chowder House and indulge in some relatively inexpensive seafood. If the market price on fried clams is too high, get the amazing clam chowder instead. It comes in three styles, white, red, and clear, and it's only $8 a bowl. For $4 more, add three fried clam cakes on the side.

Related: 20 Amazing Seafood Shacks Across America

Hemingway
Whole hog barbecue is a way of life in South Carolina, and you can get some of the best at Scott's Bar-B-Que. It's a quintessential barbecue shack and not much to look at, but the pork smoked over local wood is out of this world. Get it as an overflowing sandwich with white bread, or opt for the plate with two sides like slaw and beans. If you're lucky, they'll have crispy, crackly pork skin left to go with your tender, smoky meat.

Related: Best Hole-in-the-Wall BBQ Joints Across America

Custer

Some of the best burgers in the country are found at Black Hills Burger & Bun. It's not far from Mount Rushmore, so the restaurant is full of tourists in summer, but the burgers are worth the wait. The beef is ground in the restaurant every day, and the buns are baked on-site, too. The 6-ounce burgers all run about $14 or less and come with toppings like bacon, cream cheese, jalapeno, blue cheese, and garlic aioli. The restaurant even won TripAdvisor's 2014 Best Burger in the Nation award.

Memphis

Dyer's Burgers is a restaurant known as much for its grease as its burgers. The century-old grease is what the burgers are cooked in. It's strained every night, but it's never been replaced since they opened in 1912. The thin, smashed patties are essentially deep-fried in that cast iron skillet of beef fat, making for incredibly succulent little burgers with crispy edges. Dyer's has been featured on countless television shows and websites, and you can try your own for just $5.50. 

Sabinal

Ask a dozen Texans which restaurant has the best tacos, and you'll probably get a dozen different answers. According to Food & Wine, some of the best tacos in the state are at Nora's Tacos, a counter-service cafe that grew from a roadside stand. They specialize in a litany of breakfast taco combinations (which are great for lunch), but you can also get huge beef fajita tacos on handmade flour tortillas, crispy tacos with ground meat, and sets of four mini-tacos for cheap.

Related: The Most Extreme Tacos in America

Springdale

MeMe's Cafe is a cute, quirky cafe focused on healthy foods that challenge customers to step outside of their culinary box. They specialize in crepes both sweet and savory, and everything is made from scratch. You can get a vegetarian crepe or a burger for $13.

South Burlington
Parkway Diner is an old-fashioned '50s diner car with tile floors, long counter with red vinyl stools, and lots of shiny chrome. The menu is full of simple, classic diner favorites, most of which are perfect for a comforting lunch. Get a big BLT or 50/50 (half pork/half beef) for about $15 or a barbacoa wrap. There's also homemade ice cream. 

Richmond
Who says biscuits are only for breakfast? At Early Bird Biscuit Co., you can get their homemade, freshly baked biscuits full of savory fillings for lunch. Try the homemade chicken salad with apples and walnuts, pimento cheese and bacon, or bacon, arugula, and roasted red peppers. Heed the name though and don't take your lunch late, because it's only open until 1 p.m. (noon on Saturdays).

Tacoma

Part deli and part convenience store, MSM Deli offers East Coast-style Italian hoagies and lots of other sub sandwiches. The Italian cold cut sandwich is packed with capicola, genoa, ham, and mortadella and provolone cheeses with and oil and vinegar dressing. Or try a hot meatball and marinara sub or pressed Cuban sandwich. Sandwiches come in four different sizes, all the way up to 26 inches, so you'll find an option to fit any budget and appetite. 

Fairmont

West Virginia has a unique and delicious lunch treat: the pepperoni roll. Designed to be a portable miner's lunch way back in the 1920s, it's now become a ubiquitous snack and lunch food in the state. Country Club Bakery was the first to come up with the roll, and it's still made the same way today, with three or four stacks of hand-cut pepperoni rolled in a soft white bread. They're baked fresh every day and only cost $2, so grab a few for lunch and a few for tomorrow because you're going to want more.

Glendale

In operation since 1950, Kopp's is a Milwaukee area institution for butter burgers and frozen custard. The cheeseburgers are huge with lots of gooey American cheese and a pat of butter melted under the top bun. They're famous for having one of the best burgers in the country, but if you want to make a lunch out of custard, no one will think it's strange. It's creamier and smoother than ice cream and is served minutes after it's churned. There are two special flavors each day, like grasshopper fudge and turtle sundae.

Related: 27 Indulgent Ice Cream Sundaes Across America

Cheyenne
The Bread Basket offers a bread-of-the-month club and sells fresh baked goods daily. Try  a sandwich combo for lunch ($8 to $10). On Tripadvisor, one reviewer says the bakery is "very much worth finding if you are just passing through; all the locals are already there."

Related: The Best Hole-in-the-Wall Diner in Every State