While there isn't a shortage of food options in the United States, it can be difficult
to track down prepared food that isn't either overpriced or simply bland. But we've got
you covered! These are the ridiculously cheap and extremely delicious foods you need to try.
For less than two bucks, you can go to McDonald's and get your hands on a McDouble. If you've
never had one before, a McDouble features two beef patties, American cheese, onions,
pickles, mustard, and ketchup. It tastes really good, the quality from restaurant to restaurant
is consistent, and you get 390 calories to power you through the rest of your busy day.
Pro tip? McDonald's Double Cheeseburger is the same except it has two slices of American
cheese, so unless you really like cheese, save a few cents and go with the McDouble.
In colleges across America, there are students who are living off of Hot-N-Ready pizzas from
Little Caesars. Admittedly, these aren't the best pizzas you can find, but for $5, it's
a cheap food you should try at least once. In return for your five bucks, you get eight
slices of pizza that total more than 2,200 calories, enough food to last you a whole
day. For a dollar more, you can upgrade to a ExtraMostBestest pepperoni pizza that includes
both extra pepperoni and extra cheese. You can never have too much pepperoni or too much
cheese, so get the upgrade if you can afford it.
"Mmm, pizza! I didn't hear the delivery guy pull up…?"
"That's because it's not delivery."
"Really?"
"And it's not exactly pizza, either. It's Almost Pizza!"
While Raising Cane's is primarily known for its chicken tenders, don't you dare miss out
on the Texas toast. If you pass on your chance to try it, you'll never forgive yourself.
The Texas toast at Raising Cane's isn't from pre-sliced bread. Instead, they take pull-apart
bread topped with sesame seeds, and then coat it with a combination of garlic and butter.
Finally, the bread is grilled to make it crispy but never burnt. The result is a piece of
Texas toast that you'll remember for the rest of your living days.
When it comes to ridiculously cheap food, it's difficult to top the hot dog combo you
can find at Costco. For $1.50, you receive a quarter-pound hot dog and a refillable 20
ounce soda. The hot dog is not only big and fully capable of filling you up, it's absolutely
yummy. Costco actually loses money each time they sell a hot dog, however they have found
that it's worth it in order to keep their loyal customers happy and to increase traffic
in their stores. The next time you're hungry but don't want to spend much, head to Costco's
food court for this amazing deal.
Though prices vary by location, buying a McChicken at McDonald's for a dollar or two definitely
qualifies as ridiculously cheap. If you've never had a McChicken, you're missing out.
These sandwiches come with a fillet of crispy chicken, a toasted bun, shredded lettuce,
and mayo, and if you like your food spicy, you'll love the Hot 'n Spicy McChicken. While
you can taste the heat, it's not overpowering, and instead, it just adds to the joyous occasion.
Whether you go the spicy or regular route, you'd be wise to order two because you'll
be begging for more once your first one is gone.
The tacos at Jack in the Box are ridiculously cheap, and while they aren't authentic Mexican
food, they are better than you may be imagining. This popular deal can usually get you two
tacos for a total of 99 cents, and these tacos have a crunchy shell that contains taco meat
along with American cheese and shredded lettuce. Don't skip the taco sauce, as it adds a much
needed kick to take this pair of tacos to the next level.
If you have a $5 bill burning a hole in your pocket and you're in the mood for a scrumptious
meal, drive on over to KFC. Their $5 Fill Ups do just what the name suggests: it will
fill you up to the brim for only $5. The best $5 Fill Up gives you a drumstick, thigh, biscuit,
mashed potatoes, cookie, and medium drink. If you prefer white meat, you can opt for
a chicken breast instead of the drumstick and thigh. Either way, it's a total win.
The sliders at White Castle are a smart way to spend your fast food money. For less than
a dollar, you can buy an original slider. For about 20 more cents, you can get a cheese
slider. If you want an even better deal, you can purchase 20 original sliders for $10.99
if you go online or use the White Castle app. It's an experience that'll make your life
complete: taste one of these sliders with beef that was grilled on top of onions and
then served with a pickle slice inside of a yummy bun. You might find that you just
can't get enough of these delicious little burgers.
"Looks like you guys had some night, huh?"
"I want 30 sliders, 5 french fries, and 4 large cherry cokes."
"I want the same, except make mine diet cokes."
Sometimes you don't want to order an entire pizza. If you're by yourself or just want
a slice of pizza for the road, you don't want to have to deal with a box of pizza. That's
exactly when you should head to Costco. There, in their food court, you can find big slices
of pizza for only $1.99 per slice. You get to pick from cheese, pepperoni, or combo.
After you eat your slice, you may decide to go ahead and buy a whole pizza. If you do,
it'll cost you less than $10, and who doesn't love leftover pizza?
Sure, Burger King is known for its burgers, but the chain has other stuff worth ordering.
When it comes to cheap foods, the chicken nuggets are an unbelievable deal. The nuggets
at Burger King go on sale often and are sometimes only around $1 for 10. While these aren't
the best tasting nuggets on the globe, you can't beat their price tag. Plus, Burger King
has a number of yummy sauces to dip your nuggets in including Buffalo, BBQ, and Ranch.
When you see the hot light turned on at your local Krispy Kreme, don't hesitate to go in
and purchase an Original Glazed Donut. It only costs around a buck, and you can't beat
the quality, especially when it's still warm. If looking out for the hot light is too much
work, download their app and you'll get an alert on your phone when the donuts at your
favorite Krispy Kreme location are ready for you to devour. While they have many different
types of donuts that are worth falling in love with, start with the Original Glazed
Donut before you branch out.
A Frosty from Wendy's is a filling dessert or afternoon snack, if you're being honest,
even if you order the small. Not only will your sweet tooth be completely thrilled, a
small Frosty will only put you back 99 cents, with regular promotions dropping the price
even further. It's up to you to decide whether to go with chocolate or vanilla. However,
either way you decide to go, your Frosty will have some vanilla in it. The chocolate Frosty
is actually a mix of chocolate and vanilla, and now you know.
Wawa is a chain of convenience stores on the East Coast with more than 800 locations. You
can find sandwiches, soups, and snacks at Wawa, but what really stands out is something
they call a Sizzli. A Sizzli is basically a breakfast sandwich that comes in a range
of flavor combinations. If you have time to only eat one Sizzli at Wawa, go with the one
with sausage, egg, and cheese. You can find these hearty sandwiches near the register
and they are hot and ready for you to eat in exchange for only a few dollars.
While Chipotle Mexican Grill has a lot of fairly priced items on their menu, it's difficult
to beat the bang for your buck you get when you order their chips and guacamole. To start
with, Chipotle's tortilla chips are glorious. They are fried in the restaurant and then
topped with salt and a dash of lime juice. Chipotle's guacamole is also made fresh every
day, and has a variety of fresh ingredients including jalapenos, cilantro, onion, and
of course avocados. Dipping a still-warm tortilla chip to get a scoop of their made from scratch
guacamole is heaven on earth.
While people usually head to Subway for their sandwiches, their cookies are the sweet treat
you should try at least once in your life. One cookie costs less than a dollar and you
can save even more by purchasing three cookies, or even a dozen. The cookies at Subway are
impossibly soft and melt in your mouth, but they don't crumble in your hands. While they
offer a variety of flavors, go with either the Double Chocolate Cookie or the White Chip
Macadamia Nut Cookie.
If you're feeding a family and you're looking for ridiculously cheap food, the answer to
your prayers can be found at Costco. For an amazingly low price of $4.99, you can get
a plump and juicy rotisserie chicken that will please even the pickiest of taste buds.
Not only is this a great deal, the rotisserie chicken from Costco is actually the best rotisserie
chicken you can find at any grocery store. If you buy this bird often enough, you could
even justify the annual membership cost for Costco with this one item alone.
Dunkin' is best known for their coffee and their donuts, true, but the next time you
visit, take a good, hard look at their muffins. You can get one muffin for less than $2 or
four muffins for about $6. While their chocolate chip muffin and their honey bran raisin muffin
are good options, it's Dunkin's blueberry muffin that really takes the cake. All their
muffins are soft, chewy, and packed with flavor. The blueberry muffin has a lot of fruity flavor
within, and a sugary glaze on top to really steal your heart.
"Best part of my day is when I'm at Dunkin'. Is that sad?"
"Yes, very."
"Real customers know, the holidays run on Dunkin'."
On a cold night when only a hot meal will satisfy your hunger, chili from Wendy's isn't
an option that you should overlook. It's hot, fast, and the taste will hit the spot. Wendy's
chili is made with ingredients that include fresh beef, celery, onions, green peppers,
and red kidney beans, and the beef in the chili is actually leftover burger meat, which
explains why it tastes so good. And, while you can try to make Wendy's chili at home,
it's easier to go to the drive-thru window, hand over a couple dollars, and drive away
with a batch of ready-to-eat goodness.
If you're craving a bagel that won't break your budget, Panera Bread is the place you
should visit. From their cinnamon swirl and raisin bagel to their Asiago cheese bagel,
Panera Bread is sure to have a bagel that is calling your name. And while their bagels
are fancy and are of the highest quality, they only cost about a dollar. If you buy
6, 13, or 18, the price you pay per bagel drops precipitously. The best advice is to
go ahead and purchase 18 of them and share them with your friends and coworkers. Everyone
will thank you. You can get unlimited coffee at Panera too, making it a great place for
cheap breakfast.
If you're looking for the best bargain on Domino's menu, their Parmesan Bread Bites
are difficult to top. For around $3, you get 16 bites that you will enjoy until the last
bite is no more. The Parmesan Bread Bites are sprinkled with a blend of Asiago cheese
in addition to Parmesan cheese, and they have a distinct but pleasant garlic flavor. Be
sure you also get some marinara sauce for dipping purposes. Although, truthfully, these
Parmesan Bread Bites are good enough to eat on their own without any sauce.
Everyone loves the Whopper at Burger King. And while there's nothing wrong with ordering
a Whopper, they're not exactly cheap and, if you order them regularly, eventually your
bank account will be begging for mercy. Thankfully, Burger King has an often overlooked replacement
on their menu: the humble Cheeseburger. While it's not exactly like a Whopper, it tastes
similar enough to satisfy your cravings. Best of all, it only costs about a buck. The Cheeseburger
comes with a flame-grilled patty, American cheese, pickles, ketchup, and mustard on a
sesame seed bun.
While the fried chicken at Church's Chicken is middle of the pack when it comes to fast
food chicken chains, their biscuits are a completely different story. In fact, it's
worth it to go to a Church's Chicken just to order their biscuits. You can get one biscuit
for less than a dollar, or six for about $3. Biscuits at Church's Chicken are the perfect
texture, not too firm, not too flaky, but what sets them apart is the fact that they
are blessed with a coating of honey butter. The honey butter is sweet but not too sweet,
which makes it easy to eat one biscuit after another after another. You might feel just
a little guilty, but…
"But who cares when the food is this good?"
"Please stop feeding my son."
No, Taco Bell doesn't have authentic nachos on its menu. That said, Nachos BellGrande
is a great deal, even though you won't really find anything like this south of the border.
Nachos BellGrande comes with Taco Bell's signature seasoned beef, nacho cheese, refried beans,
tomatoes, and sour cream, on top of a bed of tortilla chips. Yes, you can find better
nachos, but for between $3 and $4, Nachos BellGrande are a ridiculously cheap food that
makes for a tasty meal.
If you're looking for an amazing breakfast option that you can get at a drive-thru restaurant,
it doesn't get much better than a Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit from Whataburger. The ingredients
look normal: a chicken strip topped with honey butter inside of a buttermilk biscuit but
there's nothing normal about the taste. This breakfast sandwich is something you should
put in your mouth at least once in your life. It's also priced very fairly, so you won't
feel bad if eating one for breakfast becomes part of your daily routine.
If all you want is some fries at a great price, Jack in the Box has the answer. Their seasoned
curly fries are reliably awesome. The seasoning can't be beat, the quality of the potatoes
they use is obviously high, and these fries taste great with or without ketchup. While
you can get a small order, save yourself the regret and go ahead and get the large. You
deserve to bask in the glory of these seasoned curly fries at least once in your life.
If you have a hankering for hot wings, don't forget about KFC. While their hot wings don't
get a lot of publicity, they're a perfectly tasty option that come with a very reasonable
price tag. KFC hasn't been selling hot wings for a long time, but they're slowly getting
the hang of it. While they offer many different flavor options, their Nashville Hot reign
supreme over the rest. These wings are legitimately hot, so you'll want a drink on-hand to cool
your mouth.
Food trucks in Austin, Texas, that sell tacos aren't in short supply, to say the least.
That said, if you want the best of the bunch, go to Cuantos Tacos. This food truck has fantastic
tacos for a price that will blow your mind. What allows Cuantos Tacos to stand apart from
the competition is the meat in their tacos that is always tender and amazingly juicy.
Their tacos usually cost $2, while they also sell quesadillas for $5. Be warned that Cuantos
Tacos only sells a limited number of tacos per day because they stop once they run out
of ingredients.
Eating food at a furniture store? Absolutely! Don't knock it until you try it. IKEA's food
court serves an amazing platter of Swedish meatballs for just $5.99. In addition to the
meatballs, each platter comes with lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes and, to top things
off, a layer of gravy is added to titillate your taste buds...and get you in the mood
to purchase furniture. Even if you have no need for another piece of furniture, you owe
it to yourself to go to IKEA and get a cheap order of Swedish meatballs.
While Del Taco has many economical choices on their menu, their Street Tacos really stand
out. Not only is the value remarkable, they taste just like they were made by your grandmother.
The Street Tacos come with your choice of grilled chicken or carne asada. Once you pick
the meat, the tacos are topped with avocado, cilantro, onions, and roasted salsa. While
the chicken tastes good, it's the carne asada that really shines and will have you reminiscing
about your childhood. If in doubt, buy one of each, you won't be disappointed.
Seattle has some of the best street food in America, and Spice Waala is arguably the best
of the best. This food stand serves authentic Indian food that will leave you licking your
fingers. While Spice Waala has a variety of rolls that are definitely memorable, their
Masala Aloo is what you should eat. Masala Aloo is basically perfectly spiced french
fries with a green sauce for dipping. It costs only $3 but this platter of fries is big enough
to serve as your entire meal.
You were probably bored with tater tots back in elementary school. Those tots were a mushy
mess that lacked much taste at all. However, don't give up on the hunt for the perfect
tater tot until you try what Sonic Drive-In has to offer. Their tots are amazing, as they're
crispy with the perfect amount of oil and salt. Additionally, they taste fresh and a
large order is all you need for a meal on the run. Before it's time to meet your maker,
be sure to go to Sonic to give these tots a try.
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