⚾ Where to Eat in St. Louis
Carl's Drive-In
Burgers + Root Beer — ~$16 for Two
A 1950s Route 66 drive-in in Brentwood (16 stools, cash only) for crispy-edged griddle burgers, footlong dogs, and house-made IBC-recipe root beer in frosted mugs. A burger runs a few dollars; two people eat burgers, fries, and root beers for under $18.
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
Frozen Custard Concretes — from ~$5
A St. Louis institution since 1929 on old Route 66 (Chippewa) for concretes so thick they're handed over upside down — Cardinal Sin (tart cherries, hot fudge) and more. Two concretes run around $12–16. The quintessential STL treat.
The Vine Mediterranean Café
Lunch-Basket Sandwich — $6.99
A South Grand Lebanese counter where the lunch basket — any sandwich plus fries for $6.99 — runs 11am–3pm only. Two baskets at lunch is $14; after 3pm the regular menu still keeps two near $20.
La Vallesana
Al Pastor Tacos — $4.11
A Cherokee Street taquería-and-neveria that grew from an ice-cream shop into one of the street's busiest spots — al pastor tacos (smoky pork, grilled pineapple) are $4.11, plus tortas and homemade aguas. Two people each build a taco plate for under $20. Closed Wednesdays.
Taqueria El Bronco
2 Tacos — $7
A Cherokee Street institution for super-cheap tacos — al pastor, chorizo, carnitas, carne asada — at about two for $7, plus tortas and pozole. Two people stack a full taco spread for well under $20.
Diana's Bakery
Half-Dozen Tamales — $17.20 (Feeds Two)
A Cherokee Street Mexican bakery for handmade tamales — a half-dozen (pork in red, chicken in green) is $17.20 and feeds two, plus a case of conchas and pan dulce. Two people share a tamale feast for under $20.
Pizza Head
Slices — $3.50
A punk-rock South Grand pizzeria slinging 20-inch New York pies by the slice — slices are $3.50 (a slice-plus-drink deal from $6.95), all vegetarian with vegan options. Two people each grab a couple of giant slices for under $16. Card only.
Truc Lam
Banh Mi $3.50 · Pho $7
A Tower Grove South Vietnamese spot on Gravois since the '80s — a banh mi dac biet is $3.50 and a bowl of pho tai around $7. Two people eat banh mi and pho for around $14. A genuine cheap-eats gem.
Gyro House
Gyro Sandwich — $8.99
A 40-year Delmar Loop Greek spot for hand-carved gyros — a gyro sandwich is $8.99 (jumbo $10.99) and a Greek salad with meat $7.99. Two gyros run about $18, each their own.
Taste of Bosnia
Cevapi — $7.99
A Lemay Bosnian spot (St. Louis has one of the largest Bosnian communities in the U.S.) for grilled cevapi sausages in lepinja flatbread — a small cevapi is $7.99 and burek $9.49. Two people eat cevapi plates for around $16. Closed Mondays.
Affton Diner
Slinger Skillet — $10
An Affton diner on Gravois serving the St. Louis slinger — two eggs, chili, two burger patties, potatoes, and cheddar in a skillet — for $10, with skillets and breakfasts from $10. Two people eat a classic STL breakfast for around $20 (lighter plates keep it under).
Mai Lee
St. Paul Sandwich — ~$6
The first Vietnamese restaurant in St. Louis (now in Brentwood) with a 200-dish menu — the local St. Paul sandwich (egg foo young on bread) runs about $6 and spring rolls $3.95. Two people each get a St. Paul for around $14. (Pho bowls run higher.)
💡 Pro tip: Carl's Drive-In is cash only — there's an ATM on site, but come prepared. Ted Drewes runs seasonal hours and can close in winter, so check before making a special trip. Pizza Head is card-only (no cash), and Cherokee Street — La Vallesana, El Bronco, and Diana's Bakery — is the city's best taco-and-tamale stretch to walk. If a deal has changed, flag it on our main directory.
📍 Regional Chains
Bigger than one storefront, smaller than the home-page national list — regional chains with real St. Louis addresses.
Imo's Pizza
St. Louis-Style Pies — Medium $13.70 · LG Cheese $16.95
The Imo family has been slinging St. Louis-style pizza since 1964 — cracker-thin crust, sweet sauce, gooey Provel cheese and the square cut, 'the square beyond compare' — now ~95 stores across Missouri, Illinois and Kansas per its own locator. Its own locator lists 18 stores under St. Louis — Downtown's 4th Street, Delmar Blvd, Forest Park Ave, Tower Grove, Gravois and both Hampton Ave shops among them, blanketing the city and near county; verified July 2026. Prices from our read of the chain's own Downtown St. Louis (4th Street) online menu (July 2026): a medium 12" cheese or one-topping pie is $13.70 and every medium on the board stays under $20, the large 14" cheese is $16.95 and splits easily for two, and CrunchImos are $9.99, baked pastas and sandwiches $9.40, toasted ravioli $8.05. Prices vary by store, so confirm on yours before ordering.
White Castle
Sliders À La Carte · Breakfast Combos — Two Under $20
The 1921-born slider empire keeps 9 castles across St. Louis. Our July 2026 cart read at the chain's Las Vegas castle sets the pattern: Original Sliders $1.39 à la carte — ten built one by one is $13.90, cheaper than the bundled Shareable Meal unless you want its fries and drinks — the Breakfast Bun combo (sausage-egg-&-cheese slider, hash brown nibblers, coffee) $7.97, two breakfasts for $15.94, and the Crispy Chicken Combo $9.56, two for $19.12, while beef combos run past the line. Prices shift castle to castle, so run the same math on your store's menu in the app before you order.
Jet's Pizza
$5 Off Any Specialty Pizza Online — Medium All Meaty $17.87
The Detroit-style original — Sterling Heights, Michigan, 1978, the chain that made the buttery, caramel-crusted square a national thing — keeps a city store plus Ballwin and Brentwood — and Fairview Heights across the river. The play is the $5 Off Any Specialty Pizzas deal built into the chain's online ordering menu: a medium All Meaty (pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, bacon, hamburger) listed at $22.87 on our August 2026 read at the chain's Denver store and rang up $17.87 with the deal applied — under the line with room for tax, and a medium is eight big slices, plenty for two. It's a deals-menu item so it can rotate out — and if it does, texting your order to your store takes 15% off menu-priced pizza. Prices vary by store, so run the math at yours before checkout.
🇺🇸 Also Valid Nationwide
These chain deals work anywhere in the country, including St. Louis.
Firehouse Subs
Two $5 Snackers — $10.75 · Born in Jacksonville 1994
Jacksonville's biggest food export reaches here too: founded in 1994 by two firefighter brothers, now 1,200+ stores — and its own locator lists 2 stores inside St. Louis. The $5 Firehouse Snackers (BLT, Cordon Bleu, Sweet & Spicy Ham, Turkey Jalapeño half-subs) feed two for $10.75 all-in, and two small 4-inch Hook & Ladders run $12.78. The 8-inch mediums most people order run $10-plus — the only medium pair that stays near the line is the build-your-own ham or turkey. Priced on the chain's own ordering system at its Jacksonville San Marco store, July 2026 — prices vary by store, so confirm at yours.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Pick 6 — Meal for Two from $19.99
The Pick 6 lets two people build a shared meal — choose six items across wings, tenders, and sides — starting around $19.99. A reliable two-for-$20 play at any BWW. Dine-in or takeout; pricing varies slightly by market.
Applebee's
Two $9.99 Really Big Meal Deals — $20
Each $9.99 Really Big Meal Deal pairs an entrée — Classic Bacon Cheeseburger, Big Cluckin' Chicken Sandwich, or Big Bangin' Burger — with endless fries and a fountain drink. Two combos feed two for about $20, dine-in.
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