Want to know all the best cheap restaurants in Dayton, Ohio where you can get a meal for $15 or less? We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know!
The best cheap restaurants in Dayton offer complete meals for $15 or less and I’m not just talking about the McDonald’s drive-thru.
Each restaurant on this list is either local to Dayton or is a regional chain that you can’t get just anywhere.
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Best Cheap Restaurants In Dayton, Ohio
Here are some of our favorite cheap restaurants around Dayton.
For each place we tried to choose restaurants where you can get an entree and a drink so that you’d have a complete, filling meal.
1. City BBQ
Dayton Area Locations: Beavercreek, Kettering, Centerville, Dayton (Miller Lane)
At City BBQ, you can get a sandwich, side, and drink for a little less than $15.
If you add a second side, your order will just be closer to about $15.50.
My go-to order is the pulled pork sandwich with sweet tea as my drink.
Sides are always hard to choose just one or two, but I love the corn pudding, mac n cheese, green beans, and baked beans.
Here is some photo proof of these prices I pulled from an order at the Beavercreek location:
2. Skyline Chili
Dayton Area Locations: Beavercreek, Fairborn, Huber Heights, Miller Lane, Englewood, University of Dayton, Xenia, Kettering, Moraine, Bellbrook, Centerville, Dayton Mall, Springboro
The prices can vary slightly by location, but in general, there’s quite a bit you can order from Skyline for less than $15.
Drinks are about $3.90 and a regular 3 Way goes for about $11.25, so you could get both of those for $15.15.
Cheese coneys cost a little less than a drink, so you could also get a coney and a 3 Way (or 4 Way or 5 Way) for $15.10-$15.35.
Here is some photo proof of these prices I pulled from a Door Dash order since Skyline doesn’t list prices on it’s website (due to each location/region having slightly different prices:
3. FUSIAN
Dayton Area Locations: Beavercreek, Dayton, Centerville
10 piece sushi rolls range from $10-$12.
Rice bowls range from $13-$15.
Their in-house beverages are $2.99, but you can also get a can of coke or diet coke for just $1.99.
So you could reasonably get an order of sushi or a bowl with a drink for just about $15 depending on which ones you pick.
Here is some photo proof of these prices I pulled from their online ordering system at the Beavercreek location:
4. Joe’s Pizzeria
Location: 4313 Airway Road, Dayton, Ohio 45431
You can get a small 9″ inch cheese pizza for $9.25 or a large 12″ cheese pizza for $14.45.
Deluxe pizzas, which come with cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage, onions, and bell peppers are $11.65 for a small 9″ pizza.
A variety of sandwiches are available for only $5.75 for 5″ sandwiches and $8 for 8″ sandwiches.
They also offer spaghetti for $7 and wings for $4.75 for 1/2 lb and $9.50 for 1 lb.
All of their prices are listed directly in their menu on their website.
5. Cherry House Cafe
Location: 1241 Meadow Bridge Drive, Beavercreek, Ohio 45434
Every single menu item at Cherry House Cafe is less than $15.
The best deal is their $8 drive thru specials.
The breakfast special consists of a breakfast sandwich, potato cakes, and a coffee, while the lunch and dinner drive-thru special is a double cheeseburger, fries, and a soda.
In general, their lunch and dinner entrees go for $10.95-$13.95, so depending on what you order you should be able to get a drink for $2.50 with your meal and spend less than $15.
Additionally, their breakfast entrees are only $9.95.
Their breakfast options have everything you’d expect like pancakes, bacon, sausage, omelettes, eggs, fruit, and muffins.
Some lunch and dinner entrees include country fried steak, cheeseburger pie, meatloaf, chili spaghetti, cold sandwiches, hot sandwiches, salads, and burgers.
Many orders come with a side or a cookie too.
You can check out their full menu and specials with pricing on their website.
6. Young’s Dairy Farm Dairy Store
Location: 6880 Springfield Xenia Road, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
All entrees are less than $10 except for a couple salads that are $10.75.
They come a la carte, so to add a side is another $3-$5 depending on the side you choose.
There are several sides that are only $3.85: large fry, tater wedges, or homemade chili.
Then there are a couple more premium sides that are $5.35: onion rings and cheese curds.
Some of the entree options include a cheeseburger for $5.35, a pulled pork bbq sandwich for $5.50, or a hotdog for $3.65, among several other options.
Here are some photos from their online ordering system to get an idea of what the added price would be for various sides or drink options you can add onto your entree.
This first one is one of their cheapest options, the pulled pork bbq sandwich for $5.50.
If you add on a premium side like cheese curds and a large drink, your whole meal comes out to just $13.04.
Now for one of the “pricier” entrees, the bacon double cheeseburger.
The burger alone is $8.95, so if you want to keep your total under $15 you can do any combo option except for the ones that are $7.54.
However, the option I recommend is to get something cheap like the cheeseburger for $5.35 with a side of fries and a drink for an additional $5.94.
Then, you still have some money in the budget left over for a scoop of ice cream for dessert for just $4.65, which brings the total to $15.94.
7. Kung Fu Noodle
Location: 2801 S Dixie Drive #3, Kettering, Ohio 45409
If you’ve never been, Kung Fu Noodle was ranked as one of the Top 100 Restaurants in America on Yelp this year, so it’s a must visit.
You’ll get the most bang for your buck with their lunch menu.
The entrees are $8-$11 each and drinks are only $2.50, which leaves room to add on some of their $1-$3 appetizers or their $3 desserts.
I highly recommend trying the pork stir fried hand pulled noodles or the pork fried rice as your entree.
8. Marion’s Piazza
Dayton Area Locations: Shroyer Road, Dixie Drive, Dayton Mall, Town & Country, Centerville, Beavercreek, Englewood, and Troy
Marion’s is obviously best known for their pizza, many of which are less than $15.
But they also have a full menu of sandwiches, pastas, and salads that are also less than $15.
Here are some examples from their menu.
9. King Garden
Location: 2495 Commons Blvd, Beavercreek, Ohio 45431
King Garden has all your traditional Chinese dishes.
Pretty much every entree is less than $15 and their lunch specials are less than $10.
Our go-to order is fried or steamed dumplings for $7.95, which comes with an order an 8.
I love their wonton soup which is only $2.75 for a small and $4.95 for a large.
Those two things alone could be a whole meal for less than $15.
We also like to get the beef chow mein which is $8.25-$10.95 depending on the size and the pork fried rice which is $7.50-$9.50 depending on the size.
Here is a sample of some of the menu items, including the lunch specials.
10. Fricker’s
Dayton Area Locations: Woodman Drive, Miller Lane, Huber Heights, Miamisburg, Centerville, Vandalia
Fricker’s is known for the wings, but they have a ton of menu items that are less than $15.
One of their “Frickin’ Deals” is 3 tacos for $9.99.
They have regular chicken tacos and Mississippi bbq tacos.
You can also get an order of 10 piece chicken wings for $12.99.
Drinks are $3.29, so it would put you slightly over $15 if you got wings, but here are some other popular menu items that stay under the $15 budget:
- sliders
- chicken & pasta
- beer battered fish
- sandwiches
- burgers
- pizza
- quesadillas
- wraps
You can check out their full menu for exact pricing.
More Great Restaurants in Dayton
In addition to these cheap eats, here are more of our favorite restaurants around Dayton.
✅ Romantic Restaurants in Dayton
Whether you’re looking for a place to go out for Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, a birthday, or even just a first date, Dayton is home to plenty of romantic restaurants for these special occasions.
✅ Best Italian Restaurants in Dayton
If you’re like me, a good bowl of pasta is your idea of the perfect dinner.
Dayton has its fair share of Italian restaurants, specializing in pizzas, pastas, and family recipes.
✅ Best Mexican Restaurants In Dayton
Dayton has quite a few popular Mexican restaurant chains that are local to the area and some authentic mom and pop restaurants.
These are some of our favorites that even JP enjoys as someone that was born and raised in Southern California.
✅ Best Seafood Restaurants In Dayton
You wouldn’t normally associate an inland city like Dayton with seafood, but it has it’s fair share of fine dining seafood restaurants and even quite a few sushi spots.
✅ Best Restaurants in Dayton
If you’re just looking for the best restaurants overall, we’ve got a list of over 30 of our favorites.
From local chains like Milano’s, Donato’s, and Skyline, to popular mom and pop restaurants.
Fun Things To Do In Dayton
Did you know Dayton is in the path of totality of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse?
No matter what time of year you’re here though, there are so many festivals, special events, and tourist attractions that are open year round.
We’ve got you covered all year!
Check out our Dayton travel guides for Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring.
If you’re interested in venturing outside of town, check out our guide on the Best Day Trips From Dayton or take a day trip out to Cincinnati or Columbus.
But if you’re wanting to explore the whole state, read up on The Ultimate Ohio Bucket List: Top 5 Things To Do In Ohio.
Tips For Planning Your Trip To Dayton, Ohio
If you need help planning your trip to Dayton, check out our Tips For Planning A Trip To Anywhere (A Step-By-Step Guide).
Read our Best Tips For Staying Safe When Traveling During Extreme Weather if you’re traveling during tornado season in the Spring or the snow in Winter.
Also check out our Best Tips For Staying Well While You Travel if you’re prone to getting colds or have allergies when you travel or have other ailments.
Lastly, if you’re traveling on a budget, read up on our Best Tips For Traveling On A Budget: Your Guide To Planning An Affordable Trip.
Conclusion: Best Cheap Restaurants in Dayton, Ohio
The best cheap restaurants in Dayton offer a variety of cuisines from pizza to Chinese food to local chains.
You can get just about anything here for less than $15 for a complete meal, drink included.