Cheap, affordable dining at restaurants in Kitchener/Waterloo
The benchmark for a cheap meal at restaurants in Southern Ontario is raising at an alarming rate. It can feel like one would be hard-pressed to find a satisfying meal for $10 when ordering off of a local restaurant’s menu. Rest assured, there are still some great cheap meals to be found at diners, fast-food joints, and restaurants in the Waterloo Region. Check out our picks for $10 (or less) meals in K/W.
To start, there are always some staples in K/W of diner-adjacent spots that generally offer sandwiches, wraps, burgers and breakfast all with options under $10. Here’s four great picks that each have all of these four options:
Checkerboard – Long standing staple in Belmont Village with an expansive menu. Hot & Cold sandwiches are all under $10 (except for their Triple Decker sandwiches)
Jimmy’s Lunch – Cozy spot on Victoria that is well known for their breakfast. Get Jimmy’s Original Breakfast for $8.50.
Slice’s Restaurant – Large variety of sandwiches for under $10 including cheesesteak, pork schnitzel, buffalo chicken. Everyday breakfast special for $9.99. “Slice’s Special” – 6oz. charcoal burger, fries & a small pop for only $9.99.
Bud’s Restaurant – A variety of sandwiches, burgers, and breakfasts available for under $10
Here are some curated picks, chosen specifically for this list, of mostly independent small restaurants in Kitchener/Waterloo that offer cheap meals all throughout the week that come in at the affordable cost of $10 or less.
Galito’s Way – Chicken Leg with 2 Sides for $8.95
King Fish & Chips – 2 pc pollock & chips for $8.99 (before 2pm)
1001 Nights Shawarma – Chicken Shawarma Wrap for $8.99
Dhaba on Wheels – Food truck with many meals under $10, including $7.99 Samosa Chaat
Mi Tienda Latina – Chicken Arepas for $8.50
East Side Shawarma & Kebabs – Vegetarian Wrap for $7.08
Chung Chun – Original beef rice hotdog for $5.49
Pho Dau Bo – Steamed Rice Flour Cake With Green Bean, or Steamed Rice Flour Sheets for $9.50
Pho Time – Steamed Rice with Pork Chop for $9.99
Z-teca – $4.99 Chicken tacos
Pupuseria Latinos – 2 Enchiladas for $6.99
Chuck’s Roadhouse – Chuck’s Burger for $9
Bao Sandwich Bar – Chicken Katsu Bao for $9.65
What you may notice is relatively absent from this list is pizza deals. Just about every pizza restaurant in Kitchener/Waterloo offers slices at a cost that would allow you to grab two slices (or a small pizza) for $10 or less. A great place to start for a journey through K/W pizza would be our list of The Top 25 Pizza Places in Kitchener/Waterloo.
In addition to cheap meals offered throughout the week, we also have curated lists of what restaurants offer daily deals in Kitchener/Waterloo. If you’d like to find the full lists of daily deals click on the headings below. There are a bunch of options on these lists that feature a meal for $10 or less. Here’s the options from throughout the week:
Mondays:
Dairy Queen (BoardWalk) – Grab a buddy and feast on 2 single cheeseburgers for $5 or 2 Double Cheeseburgers for $7.
East Side Mario’s – $10 pizza.
Chicago Pub Kitchener – Dive into 99 cent wings,
Penny’s Hot Chicken – 2 chicken tenders for $7.77
The Hemlock Barn – $1 Wings (minimum 10 wing order)
Mary Brown’s – $4.99 Chicken Sandwich
McCabe’s Irish Pub – Jumbo wings for $5.99
Molly Bloom’s Irish Pub – $6 burger (half pound of beef).
Kabob Shack – Get chicken biryani for $9.99, $2 off regular price!
Farm Boy – $7 for a chicken burrito with fresh chips.
Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen – Enjoy 3 pieces of chicken tenders for just $5.99.
Mary Brown’s – $4.99 Chicken Sandwich on Mondays.
Tuesdays:
Symposium – Flatbreads $9.95
Thirsty’s Bar & Grill – $2 Tacos
Montana’s – $5 tacos with the purchase of any beverage (dine-in only)
Piper Arms Pub – 99 cent jumbo chicken wings (minimum order of 6), veggies & dip not included
Philthy Philly’s – $6 for original poutine (regular size) or cheesesteak (Phil size)
Grand Surf Lounge – Mussels for $10 a pound
The Duke of Wellington – Signature burger and fries for $6
The Big Slice – $4.99 poutine
Penny’s Hot Chicken – $8.88 “daisy” chicken sandwich
The Gator’s Tail – $9.99 lb wings
Farm Boy – Shrimp pad thai for $7
Dairy Queen – $5.99 crispy chicken wrap combo
Wednesdays:
Ethel’s Lounge – $10 for barbequed wings tossed in your choice of sauce
Farm Boy – $7 Wing Wednesday, available in honey garlic, buffalo, maple BBQ or sweet chili
Howl at the Moon – Set of 10 wings for $9.90
Penny’s Hot Chicken – $8.88 Penny’s Classic chicken sandwich
Dairy Queen – $5.99 for two cheese deluxe single combo
Concordia Club – 1 lb of chicken wings or cauliflower wings for $10 (with beverage purchase, 4-10 pm)
The Falls Road Pub – 1 lb of chicken wings for $10
Thursdays:
Strykerz Kitchen and Bar – $6.50 local pints, $6 Moosehead tall cans, $10 fish & chips
Burrito Boyz – Vegetarian special: $6.99 for a small sweet potato burrito
Farm Boy – Halifax donair for $6
Penny’s Hot Chicken – $8.88 loaded fries
Lancaster Smokehouse – $6 slices of BOH pizza in the dining room and cheap drinks for their happy hour (4-6 pm)
Fridays:
Penny’s Hot Chicken – 2 chicken tender plate for $9.99
Saturdays:
Burrito Boyz – $9.99 for 6 pieces of fried battered calamari (served with fries, dip and lime)
Penny’s Hot Chicken – Any sandwich combo for $9.99
