Prince's Hot Chicken
Two Pieces + Sides
Legendary Nashville hot chicken — the original, since 1945 — fried fiery and rested on white bread with pickles. A quarter-chicken (leg and thigh) runs about $10.75, so two pieces with a shared side land right around $20–22. The original Ewing Dr shack has closed; the Nolensville Pike "South Shack" is the flagship now. Worth the wait.
Hattie B's Hot Chicken
A Half-Bird Plate to Share — about $15
The modern face of Nashville hot chicken (heat from "Southern" to "Shut the Cluck Up"). Individual plates now run $13–14 each, so the budget move for two is to share a half-bird plate (about $14.50) — a big pile of chicken plus two sides and white bread. The Midtown original is the flagship; multiple locations.
Mas Tacos Por Favor
Tacos for Two
An East Nashville taco institution on McFerrin Ave — tacos around $4–5 each (the fried avocado and chicken tinga are favorites), plus tamales, soups, and horchata. Two people build a great meal for under $20. Now takes cards (3% cash discount); there's always a line, always worth it.
Arnold's Country Kitchen
Two Meat-and-Three Plates
A SoBro meat-and-three institution since 1982 and a James Beard America's Classics winner (2009) — slide your tray past fried chicken, roast beef, catfish, and a wall of Southern sides. A meat-and-three plate runs about $13, so two people land in the low-to-mid $20s; order a meat-and-two or a veggie plate to keep it near $20. Cornbread included; pie if you've got room.
Degthai
Thai Lunch for Two
A South Nashville Thai street-food spot that landed at #28 on Yelp's 2026 Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. Lunch bowls and plates run around $12, so two people eat genuinely acclaimed Thai for about $20. One of the city's most buzzed-about affordable kitchens, on the Nolensville corridor.
Robert's Western World
Two Recession Specials
The best value deal in all of Nashville — $6/person gets you a crispy fried bologna sandwich on white bread, a bag of chips, a cold PBR, and a moon pie. A Broadway honky-tonk institution that locals consider the real Nashville. Live country music, no cover, and two full Recession Specials for $12 total.
Pupuseria Reina La Bendición
Pupusas + Torta for Two
Nashville's best pupusas — thick, chewy, and perfectly charred at $3.25 each, stuffed with pork, beans, ayote, or loroco with cheese. Add the $8.75 torta de asada (pillowy crisp bread, sliced beef, tomato, mayo sauce) to share. Two people build a complete Salvadoran meal for well under $20. One of Nashville's most unique cheap eats.
Five Points Pizza East
Two Slices + Garlic Knots
East Nashville's most beloved pizza joint — New York-style thin crust with a rotating cast of serious toppings (Italian sausage, prosciutto & basil, meatball). Slices plus a shared order of garlic knots lands two people right at $20. Reviewers specifically rave about hitting $20 for two. Walk-up window + indoor seating, always a line.
Brown's Diner
Two Burgers + Tots
Nashville's oldest dive bar, in a converted house near Hillsboro Village, claiming the city's original burger. The classic cheeseburger runs about $11.44, so two burgers land near $23 — split a side of tots to keep it close to $20. Red plastic tumblers, full bar, zero pretense; The Infatuation calls it one of Nashville's best cheap meals.
The Smiling Elephant
Thai Lunch for Two — about $20
A beloved family-run Thai kitchen on 8th Ave South (just east of 12South), turning out pad thai, drunken noodles, and curries from a tiny dining room. Most noodle dishes land in the low-to-mid teens, so two share lunch for around $20 (the pricier curries push higher). Tue–Sat; go early, it fills up.
Dino's
Two Cheeseburgers — $16
East Nashville's oldest dive bar, slinging what regulars call the city's best cheap cheeseburger. The Dino's cheeseburger is $8 (cheddar, lettuce-tomato-onion-pickle on the side), so two run $16 even with a side of fries to split. Late-night hours, cult following, and a Bon Appétit darling.
Bobbie's Dairy Dip
Two Burgers — under $20
A walk-up burger-and-soft-serve drive-in on Charlotte Ave since 1951. Classic griddle burgers run roughly $6–8 (the black-bean burger is a sleeper hit), so two eat for well under $20 — and you'll want a hand-dipped shake or a twist cone after. A nostalgic West Nashville landmark; seasonal hours.
Elliston Place Soda Shop
Two Plates — about $20
One of Nashville's oldest restaurants, a soda fountain running since 1939. Build-your-own burgers and meat-and-three veggie plates run about $9.99, so two land around $20 — and the hand-spun milkshakes are the whole point. A genuine Midtown time capsule with spinning counter stools.
Slim & Husky's
Two Lunch Pizzas — about $20
A Black-owned Nashville startup turned cult pizza brand, born on Buchanan Street in North Nashville. The weekday lunch combo — a personal one-topping "Slim" pie — runs about $9.99, so two eat for around $20. Hip-hop on the speakers, build-your-own pies, deep community roots.
Martin's Bar-B-Que
Two Pulled-Pork Sandwiches — about $22
Pitmaster Pat Martin's West-Tennessee whole-hog barbecue — a James Beard nominee and Food Network regular. The pulled-pork sandwich is $10.99 and comes with a side, so two land around $22, close to budget and worth it. Hush puppies, "redneck tacos," and a downtown patio.
VN Pho & Deli
Pho & Rolls for Two — under $18
A no-frills favorite on West Nashville's Charlotte Pike Vietnamese strip. Pho starts at $6.50 and spring or egg rolls are $3, so two slurp a full meal for well under $18. House-made Vietnamese sausage is the tell that this place is the real deal. Cash only; closed Tue–Wed.
Kalamata's
Mediterranean Plates for Two — about $17
A beloved Green Hills Mediterranean spot from the Fawaz family, leaning healthy and Lebanese-Greek. A falafel plate ($7.95) and a chicken or lamb gyro plate ($8.95) — both with Greek salad and pita — feed two for about $17. Bright, fast, and a longtime local favorite.
Edessa
Kurdish Doner & Gozleme for Two — about $17
A flagship of Nashville's Little Kurdistan — the largest Kurdish community in the U.S. — on the Nolensville Pike corridor. The doner/shawarma sandwich ($7.95) and a stuffed gozleme flatbread ($8.95) feed two for about $17 (the sit-down kebab plates run higher). Get pide and kunefe if you're splurging.
Gojo Ethiopian
A Shared Ethiopian Combo — about $18
A long-running South Nashville Ethiopian kitchen praised by the Nashville Scene. The vegetarian combo — an array of stews on spongy injera — is generous enough to feed two for roughly $17–19, with a full coffee ceremony if you linger. A great-value, hands-on meal off Thompson Lane.
💡 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.
These chain deals work anywhere in the country, including Nashville.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Pick 6 — Meal for Two from $19.99
2 entrees + 2 sides + 2 fountain drinks starting at $19.99. Entrees: 10 Boneless Wings, All-American Cheeseburger, 3 Crispy Chicken Dippers, or 3 Spicy Chicken Dippers. Sides: fries, tots, or wedges. Dine-in or order online via the BWW app. Higher pricing in AK, CA, HI, NY, OR, WA.
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