Parkway Bakery & Tavern
Two Po'boys — about $16–18 ⭐ Michelin Bib Gourmand
A po'boy institution open since 1911, and one of the spots honored with a Michelin Bib Gourmand when the guide reached New Orleans in late 2025. Slow-roasted beef in gravy, fried shrimp, oyster, Creole BBQ shrimp — all on house-made Leidenheimer French bread. Two "small" po'boys make a proper meal for two and come in around $16–18. Neighborhood tavern vibes, outdoor patio, banana pudding for dessert.
Café du Monde
Beignets & Café au Lait for Two — about $14–16
Open since 1862 and almost never closed. An order of three beignets — pillowy, powdered-sugar-bombed fried dough — runs $4.53, and a chicory café au lait a few dollars more, so two people share beignets and coffee for about $14–16. Jackson Square, open-air seating, powdered sugar on everything you own. Cash only at the original. Worth every second of the line.
The Joint
BBQ for Two — about $16–20
Bywater's award-winning BBQ institution, featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and named one of the best barbecue spots in the country. Slow-smoked over pecan and oak: ribs, brisket, pulled pork, Chaurice sausage. A pulled pork sandwich with a side runs about $10 — two people eat smoked BBQ heaven for right around $20. Cypress-paneled corner spot with a full bar and backyard patio.
Dong Phuong Bakery & Restaurant
Bánh Mì for Two — about $12–16 ⭐ James Beard Award
A 2018 James Beard American Classic Award winner tucked into New Orleans East's Vietnamese community. They bake the bread that half the city's restaurants use for bánh mì — and their own sandwiches are absurdly cheap and excellent. Grilled pork, cold cuts, pâté chaud meat pies, pho, king cakes during Mardi Gras season. Two bánh mì plus a pastry runs about $14. A pilgrimage-worthy detour.
Melba's Po-Boys
Two Po'boys — about $16–18 🌙 Open 24/7
The only po'boy joint in the city open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — and the po'boys are actually delicious, not just convenient. Around $12 per sandwich, daily plates of red beans and rice or baked chicken for $11. The kind of place locals know about and tourists walk right past. If you're eating at 2am in New Orleans — and you should be — this is the move.
Camellia Grill
Two Diner Plates — about $16–20
New Orleans' most beloved diner since 1946, right on the St. Charles streetcar line. Counter-service, bow-tied waitstaff, and a menu built around cheeseburgers, omelets, pecan waffles, chili-cheese fries, and grilled apple pie. Two full plates come in right around $20 — and the atmosphere is worth every penny. A rite of passage for any NOLA first-timer.
Mandina's Restaurant
Creole Lunch for Two — about $16–20
The ultimate old-school Creole neighborhood joint — the Mandina family's grocery opened on this corner in 1898 and became a full restaurant in 1932, and the menu hasn't changed much in decades. That's a very good thing. Best homemade gumbo and turtle soup in the city, plus po'boys, jambalaya, and Italian-Creole mash-ups you won't find anywhere else. Two cups of gumbo plus a shared po'boy is an unbeatable lunch for under $20.
El Pavo Real
Tacos for Two — about $14–18
Widely considered the best non-Tex-Mex Mexican restaurant in New Orleans — which is a city that doesn't always do Mexican justice. A filling taco meal runs about $9 per person, most other generous entrées are under $12. Authentic flavors and fresh ingredients in a no-frills setting. Two people eat a proper Mexican meal for well under $20, which feels borderline impossible in a tourist city.
Dat Dog
Two NOLA Hot Dogs — about $18–22
Only in New Orleans can you get a hot dog topped with alligator sausage, crawfish étouffée, or pulled pork — and Dat Dog delivers all of it. Two dogs land around $18–22, so order the classic links rather than the loaded specialty dogs if you want to stay near budget. It's a cuisine category no other city in this directory can match. Locations on Magazine St and Frenchmen St, plus Metairie.
Café Reconcile
Creole Soul Food Plates — about $12–14 Each
A nonprofit café in Central City training at-risk youth in culinary and hospitality skills — and the food is genuinely outstanding. Fried chicken, red beans and rice, gumbo, cornbread, bread pudding — classic Creole soul food done with care and pride. Plates run about $12–14, so two come in around $20–24, and every dollar goes back into the community. The most feel-good plate lunch in the city.
McHardy's Chicken & Fixin'
10-Piece Fried Chicken to Share — $15.50
A 7th Ward takeout window that's become a New Orleans byword for value. The chicken comes out crackling and cheap — a 10-piece mixed order runs $15.50, a full meal for two with money left for a side. No frills, no seating, often a line out the door; it's purely about the chicken and the price. Cash-friendly.
Li'l Dizzy's Cafe
Two Creole Plate Lunches — about $19
A Treme lunch counter run by the Baquet family, longtime New Orleans Creole restaurateurs. The plate lunches are the move: a two-piece fried chicken plate with a side is $9.50 and a bowl of gumbo $9.75, so two people eat a proper Creole lunch for right around $19. Trout, red beans, and bread pudding round out the comfort-food board.
Liuzza's by the Track
Gumbo & a Shared Po'boy — about $20
A Mid-City corner bar a block from the Fair Grounds, mobbed every Jazz Fest and beloved the rest of the year. Creole gumbo starts at $6.95 a cup, and the famous garlic-buttered BBQ shrimp po'boy is $14.95 — two cups of gumbo plus a shared po'boy lands right around $20. Frosty schooners of beer, zero pretense, lines worth the wait.
Hansen's Sno-Bliz
Two Snoballs — about $10–14 ⭐ James Beard Award
The oldest snoball stand in the world, shaving New Orleans summers since 1939 on the same hand-built ice machine — and a James Beard America's Classics winner. Feather-fine shaved ice under house-made syrups like cream of nectar and satsuma. Two snoballs run about $10–14, the cheapest joy in the city. Seasonal, roughly March through October, and worth the line.
Johnny's Po-Boys
Two Classic Po'boys — about $18–20 💵 Cash Only
The oldest family-owned po'boy shop in New Orleans, dressing French bread in the French Quarter since 1950. The seafood po'boys climb in price, but the ham, cheese, and hot-sausage versions are the budget play — two modest sandwiches keep two people near $20. A tourist-and-local crossover that's stayed honest for 75 years.
Central Grocery
A Shared Muffuletta — about $15 for a Half
The Decatur Street Italian deli that invented the muffuletta in 1906 — a sesame loaf piled with mortadella, salami, ham, provolone, and the briny olive salad that makes it. A whole is enormous (and about $30), but a half runs roughly $15 and easily feeds two, which is how you turn a New Orleans icon into a sub-$20 lunch. Order from the counter and eat it on a bench by the river.
💡 Pro tip: New Orleans hours are notoriously unpredictable — some spots close randomly, keep jazz funeral hours, or go on vacation during slow season. Always verify on Google Maps before making a special trip. Dong Phuong in particular sells out of bánh mì by early afternoon, so go early. If a deal's gone stale, flag it on our main directory.
These chain deals work anywhere in the country, including New Orleans.
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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