A restaurant value isn’t about how much you enjoy the dishes; it’s about getting a satisfying meal for the lowest possible price. While some dishes might include rice, potatoes, and beans to make them more filling, others can be considered “premium” options. We reveal the restaurant dishes that give you the most food for your money!
Burritos
Burritos are often a great restaurant option that offers a lot of food for your money. They are typically made with rice, beans, meat, cheese, and vegetables wrapped in a tortilla. For many people, a large burrito can serve as a meal for two light eaters. You can even skip the extras and simply pay for the burrito itself to feel full provided the restaurant includes rice, beans, salsa, and toppings in the base price. That makes them a strong restaurant value.
Chinese Combinations Plates
Combination platters at Chinese restaurants are often so generous that they frequently leave leftovers that can be transformed into a new meal. A Chinese food order might include an entrée, rice, an egg roll, soup, and another side dish. These lunch combinations are usually less expensive than ordering two separate dishes, making them worth considering for restaurant value.
Pasta Entrées
In many restaurants, pasta dishes are typically served in large bowls, resulting in generous portions that are reasonably priced compared to other menu items. Leftovers from dishes like ziti, lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, and chicken Alfredo can easily be transformed into a new meal once you get home. Pasta is one of the easiest dishes to repurpose for another lunch and can offer good restaurant value.
Diner Breakfast Platters
Breakfast dishes can include eggs, potatoes, toast, and breakfast meat, far more than many lunch entrées. Some restaurant dishes, such as pancakes and biscuits, may come with these aforementioned extras. This combination of items offers more variety than ordering individual breakfast components, adding to their restaurant value.
Chicken-Fried Steak
When you order chicken-fried steak at a restaurant, it is usually served with gravy and hearty sides, such as mashed potatoes, vegetables, biscuits, or salads, resulting in a massive meal. At Southern-style restaurants, in particular, you will often find dishes where the sides can be just as substantial as the meat itself. That can make the meal a good example of restaurant value.
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Barbecue Combination Plates
Barbecue combination plates allow customers to enjoy a variety of items on a single plate without having to order separate entrées, which would drive up the cost of the meal. These combination plates typically include beans, coleslaw, bread, and either fries or macaroni and cheese, resulting in a massive portion. You should check whether the barbecue restaurant charges extra for the side dishes, as this could completely change the plate offers good restaurant value.
Fried Chicken Dinners
Bone-in chicken meals tend to offer more substantial portions than many of the sandwich meals available at the same restaurant. A multi-piece chicken dinner might come with biscuits or two or three side dishes. If you visit one of these restaurants with your family, a chicken meal can be particularly economical, while also providing great leftovers for the next day. This can make it a practical restaurant value.
Pizza
If you know a pizza place offers large portions, it can be a better value than paying for individual entrées, since a single pizza might feed several people. At a pizzeria, it is worth comparing the price of a medium versus a large pizza, as those extra portions can mean significantly more food for less money if the restaurants’ serve really large pizzas. This meal could also provide leftovers for the next day. Comparing sizes is an easy way to assess restaurant value.
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Pho
Pho consists of large bowls combining broth, noodles, herbs, vegetables, and protein, all in a single meal. The sheer volume of food can be more generous than many restaurant dishes that offer smaller portions. In fact, at many places serving pho, the standard serving size is already more than enough to fill a person up. You wouldn’t even need to order side dishes to reach that point, which can make pho a good restaurant value.
Indian Thali or Combination Platters
Thali is a traditional Indian meal served on a tray with various small dishes that combine flavors and textures, making it feel like more than just a single course. You get a wide variety of foods for the price of one meal, making it a great deal. Plus, if you add beans or rice to the leftovers at home, you’ve got a whole new meal for later, increasing its restaurant value.
Gyro or Shawarma Platters
Gyro platters typically combine a large portion of meat with sides such as rice, salad, pita, and sauce. If you compare the amount of food in this dish to other menu items, like a sandwich, you’ll realize it offers a much larger portion. It costs only slightly more than a wrap, yet you get significantly more food on your plate. If you want even more leftovers, you can order extra meat and rice, while it costs a bit more, it essentially provides a whole extra meal for another day. That’s another way to get restaurant value.
Meatloaf Dinners
Meatloaf dinners are typically served as thick slices accompanied by mashed potatoes, gravy, and vegetables. As a result, this comfort food, often found in old-school diners, can amount to more than a single meal’s worth of food for one person. Since the portions tend to be substantial, it is the kind of meal designed to really fill people up and provide restaurant value.
Loaded Baked Potatoes
A potato can be a filling side dish to accompany a main course. However, a large “loaded” baked potato, topped with ingredients like chili, cheese, bacon, barbecue, or vegetables, can serve as a substantial main meal at a low price. Some barbecue restaurants even add meat, making it heartier still. When you compare the cost of a loaded potato to a full meal platter, the potato may offer better restaurant value.
Nachos
Depending on the restaurant, a plate of nachos might be served on a huge platter piled high with beans, meat, cheese, salsa, and other toppings. Sometimes this dish offers great value due to the sheer amount of food. It could easily serve as a meal for two rather than just an appetizer for a group. Plus, adding a premium topping can turn a pricey starter into a real bargain of a full meal.
Roast Chicken Dinners
When ordering roast chicken dinners, you don’t even need to order a whole chicken for the meal to be satisfying. Whether it’s a half or quarter chicken, paired with sides like potatoes, vegetables, rice, or salad, you can get a generous portion without paying the price of steak or seafood. A roast chicken dinner can provide a substantial amount of protein without costing as much as some other dishes, making it a useful restaurant value.
Family-Style Entrées
When ordering entrées at a restaurant with your family, you can think of them as full meals, since they often arrive as large platters of pasta, Chinese food, barbecue, Mediterranean meats, or fried chicken. These dishes can be shared rather than viewed as individual portions. Furthermore, if you compare the cost of a family-style entrée package to the price of four separate entrées, the former works out to be much cheaper.
Conclusion
Getting the most out of the money you spend on restaurant meals is a great way to make your hard-earned income count. Aim for large, affordable portions made with filling ingredients to get the best value. Pay attention to the side dishes included with your order and consider that you don’t always need a full entrée. Choosing the right main dish is often enough. Looking at portion sizes and prices can help you find better restaurant value.
