Fast-food restaurants have been quietly axing dollar menus over the past few years in favor of combo meal deals. You pay more, but get multiple items at a discount from the regular menu price. Family-friendly restaurant chains, too, are cutting back on coupons and specials.

Just remember that many are offered for only a limited time. The golden arches logo of the largest chain in the country is just as iconic as its Big Mac and Happy Meals.

Though fans of Taco Bell are upset about recent menu reductions, you can still grab some cheap meal deals , even late at night.

The home of the Whopper always has meal deals available, and they change often; navigate to the " Offers " section of the BK app to see what's good.

For more great restaurant guides and deals, please sign up for our free newsletters. Square burger patties? You bet. But Wendy's is better known for its spicy chicken sandwiches and nuggets now, not to mention a cult following for chili and Frostys.

Though the 11 herbs and spices in the seasoning are still a mystery , it's no secret that KFC is one of the go-to fast-food restaurants for fried chicken. Related: Fast-Food Deals to Feed the Whole Family. Related: Best Cheap Pizza: Deals and Price Comparison.

The things that make Papa Johns' pizza so good are the extras you get in the box: creamy garlic sauce for dipping the crust, and tangy pepperoncini peppers. Popeyes created a phenomenon when it released its chicken sandwich, but the restaurant's classic fried chicken pieces are still the star of the show see how we like to pair them with Popeyes sauces.

Related: From Cajun Fries to Buttermilk Biscuits: 6 Popeyes Side Dishes, Ranked. Detroit's Little Caesars is well known nationwide for selling inexpensive pizza that's always hot and ready to be picked up. Panera has made a name for itself with fresh breads and bakery items, sandwiches, coffee shop beverages, and great soups.

Related: Secret Menu Items at Your Favorite Family Restaurants. Probably America's favorite Italian chain , Olive Garden has been dishing up pastas, salads, and those famous breadsticks for decades.

Tex-Mex is king at this casual sit-down chain with a chili pepper in its logo. Chips and salsa, queso dip, and barbecue ribs are favorite menu items.

Dairy Queen isn't just for soft serve and Blizzards, especially in rural areas where there's a DQ in practically every town. Found mostly in the western United States, Del Taco is another reliable bet for cheap, fast Mexican eats.

Almost everyone has celebrated a special event at Red Lobster, a seafood chain that's as good for families as it is for date night. Which one of these two names you'll see on the sign depends on which part of the country you're in, but whether it's known as Hardee's or Carl's Jr.

The first location was at the Chelsea Market where you can sit and munch your tacos with a gorgeous view! This small hot dog shop in the East Village has a big list of toppings for their franks, which are deep-fried in oil instead of grilled.

Choose from pickles, cream cheese, hummus, sour cream, tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, sauerkraut, coleslaw, and more. Or opt for one of their signature Crif Dogs. NY Dosas. Join the wait for one of the large, delicious dosas.

This Hong Kong-style fast food restaurant specializes in, you guessed it, rice rolls. The result is a translucent, chewy, and very tasty roll that can be topped with soy sauce, peanut sauce, or hot chili oil. So what is halal food? And what do these guys serve that has, made them so popular they now have more carts and storefronts around NYC?

Halal is the set of standards that meat must be produced to meet Islamic religious laws. The Halal Guys' signature dish that locals and tourists wait in line for is the Chicken Platter.

First, they start with Halal chicken marinated for 12 hours in their magical seasoning of fragrant spices. Next, they grill it to perfection, chop it up and serve it over yellow rice with hot sauce and their special white sauce.

And just like you, we love great food at great prices. The Halal Guys also has carts on the Upper West Side and Union Square. You may too, from the movie "You've Got Mail". Come for the best Roasted Pork Bun in Chinatown. Stay for the Pineapple Pork Bun.

The baked buns are a bit smaller than the size of a fist, with a firm, yet lightly flakey shell. Inside is a tangy roast pork filling. If you are going late in the afternoon, you may want to call ahead as they may sell out of them as devotees snatch up 5 boxes at a time!

This tiny no-frills diner-style restaurant has been serving old-world comfort food since It's one of the best restaurants in the East Village given the amazing food and equally amazing prices. Other terrific dishes on the menu are sweet cheese blintzes, boiled pierogies, borscht, and crispy potato pancakes.

Be sure to check the menu if you crave something in particular. Each day of the week has its own specials and soups. This hidden gem hole-in-the-wall in Chinatown is little more than a counter where you order. Stick with their specialty. They are served on a paper plate with a fork, and you can use soy sauce or hot sauce found at the counter.

Once you get your order, you will have to take them outside of the shop to eat, but it won't take you more than 5 minutes to finish them all -- they are just that good! Ess-a-Bagel has been making huge, delicious bagels in Midtown Manhattan since My favorite and the best oyster happy hours in NYC are:.

There are countless bottomless brunches, so it would be impossible to include them all here, but below are some of the most affordable and best value bunches in the city:.

NYC and pizza go together like white on rice. Below is a list of my favorite dollar-slice joints and a couple non-dollar slices just because they are that good :. Chinese dumplings are another one of the best value meals in the city because you can get huge plates of dumplings for literally just a few dollars and if you get them frozen for later, they are even cheaper.

This is the real deal here. Hot dog shops litter the street corners of New York. They might not be the healthiest meal but they are super cheap and make for a quick lunch.

Though the hot dog has been around for centuries, the modern dog was popularized by Nathan Handwerker, a Jewish immigrant from Poland , living in NYC. In , he worked at a hot dog stand at Coney Island.

Here are the best hot dog shops in New York City:. They tend to be located near big parks like Central Park or Union Square, Midtown, or the big squares in the financial district.

Their cheap, quick eats are what we have for breakfast and lunch though many are around during the evening too. Sure, New York City has tons of delicious and expensive restaurants, but go to the supermarket, grab either a premade meal or ingredients to make your own, and head to one of the parks and eat outside.

Or back to your Airbnb to make your meal. Most supermarkets also have areas where you can eat inside too. My favorite grocery stores in the city are:. Monday through Friday at lunch you get to choose a preset meal from thousands of restaurants.

Think of it like a lunch menu at your fingertips.