Just like gas prices, the cost of eating out continues to creep up. But the $5 lunch is not yet a thing of the past. A wide range of restaurants, cafes and carryout spots still offer midday meals that won't empty your wallet.
Here are five places where five bucks can still fill you up.
Angelo's Carry Out
3600 Keswick Road; 410-235-2595
A massive 18-inch slice of cheese pizza and a can of soda only cost $4.39 at this Hampden eatery. The trick is figuring out the best way to eat it -- it's too big to pick up all at once. Because the inside seating area is small, a dozen diners can make it feel cramped. In warm weather, opt for one of the outside tables.
Taneytown Deli & Sandwich Shoppe
10 Mellor Ave., Catonsville; 410-747-2673
The proportions were spot on with the BLT we tried here. The bacon was just meaty enough, the bread browned but not burned, the lettuce crisp and the tomatoes tasty. We washed it down with a small cup of freshly brewed iced tea -- complete with sugar and a slice of lemon. The total: $4.88.
The Cafe at David's Natural Market
5430 Lynx Lane, Columbia; 410-730-2304
Soup has always been a sure bet for an economical mini-meal. Here, a 16-ounce bowl of vegan Indian spinach potato soup will run you $4.77. The soup's mix of potato chunks, carrot bits, spinach leaves and hearty broth make for an aromatic and filling midday meal. A pack of Suzie's 100 Percent Organic Crackers comes with the soup. Customers can sit and eat at one of the tables in the market's small, clean cafe.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
111 W. Centre Street; 410-244-5234; Other locations include Annapolis, the Inner Harbor and White Marsh; www.five guys.com
While value menus are standard at most fast-food chains, freshness and custom-made orders aren't. If you order shrewdly, Five Guys Burgers and Fries can provide a high-quality yet low-priced lunch. We got a Little Burger (their name, not ours) with sauteed mushrooms, fried onions and steak sauce (most toppings are free) for $2.99 and a regular fountain drink for $1.59. Burgers are made to order, so the wait is longer than, say, at a McDonald's, but while you wait you can enjoy a free appetizer -- peanuts in the shell.
Matsuri's Teppenyaki
Cross Street Market, Charles and Light streets, 410-727-4999
Try the chicken teppanyaki: Chopped meat and vegetables stir fried, doused in sauce and laid on a thick bed of sticky white rice. It only cost $4.77 and it's more than enough for two people. Plus, the cooks at this Cross Street Market stall can make the dish in only a couple of minutes.
sam.sessa@baltsun.com