Bourbon n' Toulouse
Two Full Orders of Cajun, $18 — Every Entrée $9
Lexington's cheap-eats institution, founded in 2004 on seven maxed-out credit cards and still the best math in town: every full order — the signature chicken étouffée, jambalaya, red beans with smoked sausage, white chili, Chicken Creole, Cajun red chili, plus four vegan and vegetarian pots — is $9 on their own menu, served over rice. Two full orders, $18 even. Half orders run $7 and the half-and-half is $10, so two half-and-halfs sample four dishes for $20 flat. Cajun chili dogs — two dogs and chips — are $8. The Euclid Ave original sits on the campus corridor; Sharkey Way adds a drive-thru.
Tolly-Ho
Two ¼-lb Burgers, $10 — Campus Classic Since 1971
"The Ho" has fed UK students since 1971, and its own menu keeps the math easy: the Tolly Ho Burger — a quarter-pound single, ground fresh daily and never frozen — is $5.00, so two burgers are $10 even. Step up to the half-pound double Super Ho at $7.50 and two still land at $15. The undercard is pure campus-counter value: Little Burgers $2.25, hot dogs $2.60, grilled cheese $3.49, a fish sandwich $6.25, and the spicy fried chicken sandwich with habanero cheese at $8.99. One steer: the $16.25 Philly steak is the splurge that breaks the theme — stay on the burger side of the board.
Puccini's Pizza Pasta
Two Lunch Specials, $19 Flat — Drinks Included
The Chevy Chase neighborhood classic posts its prices on its own site, and the lunch special is the headline: a jumbo slice, a garden salad, and a large drink for $9.50 — lunch for two at $19 flat with nothing left to add. Daily jumbo slices are $3.95, lunch pasta with salad and garlic bread starts at $9.25, and a 16-inch large is $16 if you'd rather split a pie. One stale-list correction: the Boston Rd location is permanently closed — Chevy Chase Place is the one to drive to.
Joe Bologna's
Two Pasta Dinners ≈ $20 — Inside a Former Synagogue
Lexington's story restaurant: since 1973, Joe B's has served pizza and pasta inside an early-1900s former synagogue with the stained glass still in place — the cheapest 'feels like a real date' room in the city. Fettuccine Alfredo runs $9.90 on their menu and every dinner comes with a forearm-sized garlic breadstick and a side, so two pasta dinners land right around $20. Tuesdays add a 6-inch pizza-and-salad lunch special from 11 to 3. Closed Mondays.
Sedona Taphouse
Monday Half-Price Steak — Burger + Beer + Fries, $15
Monday's Dine Out for Charity is the best steak math in Lexington: flat iron steak, salmon, or grilled chicken entrées at 50% off, lunch and dinner, with $1 a plate going to a local charity — steak dinner for two in the low $20s that also does some good. The Palomar location's Burgers + Brews deal pairs a burger with a draft beer (or wine or soda) plus fries for $15 dine-in, and kids eat free all day Sunday with an adult entrée. Happy hour runs weekdays 2–6:30. Both deals are posted on the restaurant's own location pages.
LaRosa's Family Pizzeria
Two Medium Pizzas, $15.98
The Cincinnati family pizzeria's standing Medium Pizza Deal — any two or more medium one-topping pizzas at $7.99 each on larosas.com — puts two pizzas at $15.98, ordered online. The Richmond Rd full-service location sits literally next door to Skyline Chili, and the same local franchise group runs both — the Cincinnati value corridor, translated 80 miles south. A second location covers Southland Drive.
Goodfellas Pizzeria
16-Inch Pie, $19 — One Dollar Under the Line
The New York-style giant-slice joint that started right here on North Mill Street before spreading across Kentucky and Ohio — and its own ordering page keeps the math clean: a build-your-own 16-inch pie starts at $19, feeding two with a dollar to spare, and the 12-inch runs $14. Can't agree on toppings? The half-and-half pie is the same price at either size. It's a campus late-night staple, and the Wiseguy Lounge — the bourbon speakeasy upstairs — turns a $19 pizza into a proper night out.
Fazoli's
Hometown HQ — Family Pasta Bundle, About $5 a Head
No other city page gets this hook: Fazoli's was founded in Lexington in 1988 and is still headquartered here. The Family Pasta Duo — family-size Alfredo plus family-size spaghetti with eight breadsticks, around $17–20 depending on the store — serves four at roughly $5 a head, and dine-in still means unlimited fresh breadsticks. For a table of two, the everyday menu keeps a pasta dinner apiece under $20 at the hometown chain's own stores.
Skyline Chili
Coneys & Ways Under $20 — Kids Eat Free Tuesdays
Half of Lexington's Cincinnati-chili corridor: cheese coneys and 3-Ways keep two people comfortably under $20 any night of the week, and on Tuesday evenings kids 10 and under eat free with a $5+ adult purchase — hours are cited as 4–9 or 5–9 depending on the source, so it's worth a call to the Richmond Rd store. Skyline also holds Nicholasville, Georgetown, and Richmond if you're outside the city.
Gold Star Chili
Kids Eat Free Tuesdays 4–9pm — Own-Site Verified
The other half of the chili corridor, out at Hamburg: Gold Star's own site confirms a free kids' meal — drink and side included — with any $8+ adult meal every Tuesday from 4 to 9pm, and it works dine-in, drive-thru, carryout, and online. Signing up for Gold Star Rewards adds a buy-one-get-one cheese coney. The coneys-and-ways menu keeps a two-person tab under $20 the rest of the week too.
Sonny's BBQ
Power Plate, $12 — Drink Included
Sonny's own deals page prices the Power Plate — a half-pound of smoked pork, chicken, or turkey with a sidekick and a drink — at $12 at every Sonny's. Two plates run $24 all-in, a couple of bucks over our line but with both drinks already inside, which most $20 dinners can't claim. BBQ Bowls are $11.99, and the Richmond Rd store's Facebook runs weekday Big Deals around $10–11 that pull the math back under $20.
Cinco de Mayo
Two Quesadillas, $17.98 — Or Quesadilla + Shared Nachos Under $19
The quesadilla board on Cinco's own menu is the whole strategy: each one comes dressed with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and tomato on the side — cheese $7.99, beef, shredded chicken, veggie, or mushroom $8.99, pork or grilled chicken $9.99 — so two of the $8.99 picks land at $17.98 and even the top of the board tops out at $19.98. The shareable route is just as good: Boom Boom Nachos are $6.99 and grilled chicken nachos $9.99, so a quesadilla plus a plate of nachos down the middle clears under $19. A kids-eat-free deal with an adult entrée has been reported here too — call to confirm the current days before counting on it.
McAlister's Deli
Two $9.69 Melts, $19.38 — Order Off the Right Side of the Board
Deli chains have mostly priced out of this list, but McAlister's own Lexington store menu still keeps three sandwiches under $10 — led by the Four Cheese Melt and the Ham & Cheese Melt at $9.69 apiece. Two melts, $19.38, one penny of headroom per sandwich. The rest of the Classic board hovers just over the line ($10.49 for the Grilled Chicken and Harvest Chicken Salad, $10.99 for the Turkey Ranch BLT and Horseradish Roast Beef & Cheddar), so the melts are the play — and the famous sweet tea will tip you over, so split one.
💡 Pro tip: All deals are community-verified but prices and availability change. Always check the restaurant's website or app before making a special trip — and if something's expired, flag it on our main directory so we can update it.
Lexington’s cheap-eats roundups age badly, and the stale entries still rank. Puccini’s Boston Rd location is permanently closed but keeps showing up in lists — Chevy Chase Place is the survivor. Goodwood Brewing at Lexington Green still pours and still runs its kids-eat-free Tuesday, but its website domain has literally expired — their Facebook is the live source now. And the 2017-era “kids eat free” lists still circulating include restaurants that left town years ago (Shoney’s, Spaghetti Warehouse).
Two more to double-check before you drive: Pazzo’s $1.50 Sunday jumbo slice has been quoted in roundups since 2011 — call before you build a Sunday around it — and Texas Roadhouse’s Early Dine has crept from $8.99 in 2021 to $12.99 now. Trust the restaurant’s own menu, or a page with a date on it. This one was checked in July 2026.
Lexington’s chain rows run along Richmond Road, Nicholasville Road, and out at Hamburg — and these three hold the line at or near $20 for two when you want a sure thing.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Pick Six — 2 Entrées + 2 Sides + 2 Drinks, $19.99
A literal 2-for-$20: the Pick Six bundle on bww.com feeds two people — two entrées, two sides, two drinks — for $19.99 dine-in (limited time). Thursday is BOGO free boneless wings for everyone, dine-in or takeout through the BWW app and site (no third-party apps), and Tuesday runs a traditional-wing BOGO for Rewards members — terms shift, so check the app for current fine print.
Texas Roadhouse
Early Dine — Full Steak Dinners ~$11–13, Mon–Thu 3–6
The early-bird steak date: Monday through Thursday, roughly 3 to 6pm, the Early Dine menu prices full entrées — steak included — with two sides and the endless rolls at about $10.99–12.99, putting two dinners near $22–26. Fair warning from our price tracker: this deal has crept from $8.99 in 2021 to $12.99 now, so confirm the window and price on the Lexington store page before you build an evening around it.
Applebee's
2 for $25 — Or Two $9.99 Big Meal Deals Under $20
The reliable fallback. The 2 for $25 gets a shared appetizer plus two full entrées (premium picks add $2–3), and if you want to stay strictly under the line, two $9.99 Really Big Meal Deals come in at $19.98. Pricing varies by store, so confirm in the app before you order.
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