8 best cheap eats in Alabama

From Huntsville to Mobile, creative chefs prove every day that budget-friendly fare can be delicious, surprising, even iconic—and never boring. We’re talking bao sammies, legendary barbecue classics, and homestyle cooking of all stripes. So, skip the drive-through, support local, and spend that tenner on the eight best cheap eats in Alabama. 

This unassuming storefront, which opened on Huntsville’s northeast side in 2017, serves the traditional flavors of owners Mark and Karen Blake’s native Jamaica. “Someone can come here and have a great full-course meal,” Mark says.

M & K Jamaican Restaurant’s signature jerk chicken with peas and rice, caramelized plantains, and vegetables comes to just north of $10. The wildly popular vegan version of the entrée and the rave-worthy (but decidedly not vegan) oxtails go for more but are worth the splurge.

Diners will find the menu chock-full of tasty and affordable wraps, savory hand pies, robust vegetarian options, and killer $9 lunch specials—all with an authentic flare. “We were born and raised in Jamaica,” he adds. “We’ve been eating this ever since we were growing up.”

There may not be much new at the family-run Archibald and Woodrow’s Barbecue, but that’s kind of the point. Now with two locations, the Alabama institution has been serving its legendary hickory-smoked meats for 62 years.

Opt for the tiny, soot-streaked building in Northport where the magic was born, or visit Archibald’s latest locale in Tuscaloosa. Happily, two of the most popular offerings—fall-off-the-bone ribs and savory pulled pork—come in sandwich form for $9-plus and $7, respectively.

While not strictly traditional Mediterranean fare, this local chain out of Mobile offers a feast for a bargain with wild flavor combos to boot. Try the Redneck Gyro, which pairs the classic beef-lamb rotisserie meat with Conecuh sausage, gooey cheese, and Cajun tzatziki for a little more than $10.

Hefty sandwiches and paninis come with sides such as stuffed grape leaves or creamy bacon-carbonara orzo, a bestseller. Locations in Daphne, Tuscaloosa, Mobile, and Fairhope.

With locations in Montgomery and Pike Road, modern Mexican hot spot Sol Restaurante and Taqueria has mastered the build-your-own-meal menu. Choose from among four items—burritos, crispy tostadas, chiles relleno, and more—from the traditional lunch menu for just $12.95.

Or take a walk on the wilder side with wallet-friendly street food choices like pineapple pork tacos ($3), cheese and chile-lime elote ($3.50), or handmade sopes piled high with everything from savory steak to pork belly ($6.50).

With a name like Chef “Panini” Pete Blohme, you know you have a character on your hands. And the menu at the culinary mad scientist’s new Mobile gastropub—Squid Ink Eclectic Eats & Drinks—is just as inventive.

Luckily for the budget conscious, there are plenty of sub-$10 dinner options, including mouthwatering bao sammies. A pillowy bao bun is filled with your choice of hot-sauced fried chicken, umami bomb tuna poke and spicy mayo, or grilled chicken thighs garnished with all the bánh mì fixings, all for $8 and served with skinny fries. Double the bao for just $3 more.

Other wallet-friendly options include a burger and an avocado BLT topped with plenty of fixings, including gyoza. See? Mad! Happy hour at the restaurant’s historic downtown digs offers discounts on drinks and bar snacks, too.

Demonstrating that everything old is new again, one of Opelika’s newer bakeries, Tart & Tartan, has brought back family-style dinners with house-made take-and-bake casseroles that feed up to four.

You’ll always find poppyseed chicken on the menu, but check Instagram (@tart_and_tartan) for new, weekly offerings like barbecue bacon chicken ranch. “Some of these recipes are from a family cookbook that my mom and I compiled about a decade ago,” says owner and accountant-turned-baking whiz Mary Kathryn Whatley. 

Fans can reserve a casserole—ranging from $10 to $17—online, but they’ll have to pick it up in person. That means facing down the case filled with cupcakes and other fresh-baked goodies that anchors Whatley’s sweet little European-style dining room downtown. Good luck resisting the cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies.

In a case of local boy done good, what began as a Birmingham farmers market pop-up has grown to nine locations—including the newest in Nashville—across Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. But the success hasn’t inflated proprietor Wil Drake’s head or his prices.

Traditionalists can opt for the classic burger, an all-beef patty topped with American cheese and standard accoutrements for $11. Or go big with the super crunch, a juicy fried chicken breast slathered in cracked sauce and pepper jam. Breakfast buns aren’t more than a 10 spot—impressive considering crafting the buttery brioche buns fresh is a three-day, in-house process.

Painted across the side of a small takeout shack off Highway 59 is a sign exclaiming, YOU CAN SMELL OUR BUTTS FOR MILES! And at this little, locally beloved barbecue joint in Foley, the deals scream just as loudly.

While most sandwiches range from $7.50 to $12, the Southern food masterpiece—the jalapeño cornbread sandwich—will set you back $14.30. Hefty portions of pulled pork, or your meat of choice and slaw fill two griddled hoe cakes.

Fortunately, diners can enjoy the admittedly messy fare in the open air at shaded tables nearby. Or grab a sack of sandos and a few heaping sides of mac or mustard potato salad ($3.50–$4), and the family’s beach picnic is ready.

The only thing travel pro and guide author Jessica Fender loves more than a good deal is a great meal. Follow her adventures—gastronomical and otherwise—at travelerbroads.com.