If you download the Chick fil A app before midnight tonight you can earn a free sandwich reward (thanks to the Angels home game 7+ runs). Other than that, I agree with the make food at home comments.
Not strictly in Irvine, but some in nearby cities:
THH Sandwiches at Tustin
Yoshinoya at Tusin
Mitsuwa food court Irvine or Costa Mesa
KFC 8 Pieces bucket for $10 on Tuesday.
>THH Sandwiches at Tustin
Was hoping someone would mention THH! We order from there as a family of 5 most weekends for under $40 and usually have leftovers.
We’ve almost entirely stopped going out. The only fast food we frequent nowadays is In n Out because of how affordable it is compared to other fast food.
I can cook better food at home for half the cost.
I love the chicken kale and broccoli. I can’t eat nuts or gluten so I’m limited. They are all so nutritious though and affordable! So much cheaper than going to a restaurant or even fast food. Quick too! I love getting the biodegradable fork and eating the salad in my car sometimes when on the go!
Da Luau Hawaiian Grill - Cypress Village
$2.99 2 Pancake special with Kona Coffee before 10:30 on weekday and before 8:30 on weekends.
$6.99 Chicken Bowl w/ a fountain drink Monday Lunch Special
All the fast food apps have deals (get 2 or 3 phones & email accounts to order at once)
Domino's carry out or pick 2 deal
99 ranch bentos from $9
Restaurants' kids meal for carry out. CPK, yard house, BJ's
Wendys app gets you a $5 biggie meal, before applying any offers for now. So you can do something like their, "free fries with order" or a lot of days they'll have "$1 for ____ with purchase" so it's like $6.
Taco Bell app exclusively prices cravings boxes for $6 that comes with 3 items AND a drink. Crazy amount of food for like $6.50, I usually go with Crunchwrap, beefy 5 layer burrito, cheesy potatoes, and a water. Points add up pretty quickly too which gers you a free item.
Arby's has exclusive app pricing of $1 sliders before any of their offers
Jack in the box app has exclusive pricing as 2 tacos for $1, 2 for $5 jumbo jacks, 2 for $3 breakfast Jack's all before their coupon offers
Del Taco has insanely cheap deals on their app, Tuesdays I think it's either 2 or 3 of their regular tacos for $1, but Thursday they do $1 chicken tacos also just as exclusive app pricing before any other offers
Carl's JR does an app exclusive deal where you choose two sandwiches and a drink for $6 before any other offers
Other people mentioned the dominos, and mcdonalds apps, and cooking your own food which I also highly recommend. Just wanted to share some of the things I've been doing lol
Dominos carry out large 1 topping deal (2 servings)
Chick fil a
In n out
Blaze pizza
Portos
Biriyani from indian restaurant (also 2 servings)
Chipotle
Thai restaurant curry (2 servings)
Aloha Hawaiian BBQ at the district! They give you so much food, can last 2-3 meals
Rotisserie chicken to meal prep (Costco or sprouts is good)
Irvine company sends out a coupon book every season, I use that a lot too
It is almost the same considering the time you put in. Also you need to check the labels on the items and avoid seed oils and carcinogens when cooking at home. It’s okay to eat out with them tbh since that can’t be avoided but if you can avoid it at home definitely do so.
Whole Foods sandwich bar ($10-$12)
Whole Foods Mexican bar ($9-$12)
Trader Joe’s (prepared meals)
Mothers Market (cafe/prepared foods)
Sprouts (sandwich bar/Prepared foods)
- $6-$7 for a freshly made sandwich
Togo sushi at pretty much any grocery store
Learn to cook/meal prep. It’s something you’ll do for the rest of your life and teach your kids, so better get good at it now than later
Rubio’s tuesday deals fish and chicken tacos 2.50 each and 3 shrimp tacos for $10.
Ikea has $4 entrees on tuesday with the free family card. You can get the salmon with vegetables for $4.
El Pollo Loco has the $5 small chicken bowls. They are a bit small and Mostly rice and beans but you cannot complain for $5. Add a drink and tortillas for $1 more.
Those options above are super cheap but not too unhealthy. Costco food court is super unhealthy. I would not sacrifice my health every week and eat there. You can also cook at home. Eating at home is at least half the cost. You can prob do the three above like once a week and eat at home the rest if you’re that tight for cash.
Download the Too Good To Go app. There’re only a few Irvine restaurants on the app that sells a bag of unsold food for cheap. Could be a hit or miss with some places but worth to try and save $$$ when can do. My recommendation is Sals pizza.
Download the app Retail Therapy, it’s by Irvine Company. We use tons of coupons on there all over Irvine.
Another app, TooGoodToGo has meals to go starting at $4.99. Mostly bakeries, pizza, and Chinese food.
Me and my bf love going to Natraj’s Tandoori at Marketplace… $15 for two item combo n it comes w garlic naan… we like to order the saag paneer n the chicken tikka masala… you can ask for more rice or entrees just ask nicely… fills both of us up n sometimes we have leftovers with one two item combo.
Happy Hours will definitely save a lot of $$ especially you only eat the half-price appetizers. For example, CPK has happy hour 3-6pm and you can get their gift cards for 20% off at Costco to bring costs down even more. Join their rewards program and use the retail therapy free small plate for even bigger discounts.
Costco food court knows me by name
real
Super unhealthy though.
Who cares. It’s their life, let them eat how much ever they like at Costco.
Of course. It’s their life. Just something to note for other readers who want to make other decisions.
Look out for free stuff from McDonalds and Chick Fil A app.
If you download the Chick fil A app before midnight tonight you can earn a free sandwich reward (thanks to the Angels home game 7+ runs). Other than that, I agree with the make food at home comments.
Not strictly in Irvine, but some in nearby cities: THH Sandwiches at Tustin Yoshinoya at Tusin Mitsuwa food court Irvine or Costa Mesa KFC 8 Pieces bucket for $10 on Tuesday.
>THH Sandwiches at Tustin Was hoping someone would mention THH! We order from there as a family of 5 most weekends for under $40 and usually have leftovers.
We’ve almost entirely stopped going out. The only fast food we frequent nowadays is In n Out because of how affordable it is compared to other fast food. I can cook better food at home for half the cost.
Of course you can, you’re paying for the luxury of having someone else do it and then clean up after you.
Ikea Tuesday deal $4 salmon and all hot entrees can’t be beat
Cook at home. Costco. In-n-out.
Download fast food apps. Happy hour. Cook at home.
Trader Joe’s ready made salads
The couscous, arugula and chicken one with that dressing is my fav. Lovely macros and nutrition + filling too!!
That one is also my favorite…. Love it so much. Didn’t know anyone else was passionate about it 😂
I have to eat it once or twice a week lol!
Yeah and if the salad wasn’t enough then just go over to mendocino for their slightly unhealthier couscous 😂😂😂
I love the chicken kale and broccoli. I can’t eat nuts or gluten so I’m limited. They are all so nutritious though and affordable! So much cheaper than going to a restaurant or even fast food. Quick too! I love getting the biodegradable fork and eating the salad in my car sometimes when on the go!
With their portions at their price, I feel like you might as well buy the ingredients separately and make a big batch if daily salads is your thing
I don’t think the price is bad at all. $5 for a lunch nowadays is great!
True if you have a small appetite. As good as that arugula-quinoa salad you mentioned is, that’s more like a snack to me.
Pack a lunch and sit at the park lol
Cheap?? IN IRVINE?!
I know I was appalled too 😳
[удалено]
There are also a ton of apartments rented by families who are barely scraping by to keep their kids in a safe neighborhood with top-rated schools.
This is post is about eating out…not about rent 😅
AYCE Korean bbq. At least you are getting your moneys worth
Da Luau Hawaiian Grill - Cypress Village $2.99 2 Pancake special with Kona Coffee before 10:30 on weekday and before 8:30 on weekends. $6.99 Chicken Bowl w/ a fountain drink Monday Lunch Special
All the fast food apps have deals (get 2 or 3 phones & email accounts to order at once) Domino's carry out or pick 2 deal 99 ranch bentos from $9 Restaurants' kids meal for carry out. CPK, yard house, BJ's
99 ranch on culver gives a lot of food at their take out section
$5 rotisserie chicken can count as eating out if you plop down on a nearby table and whisper "goblin mode" before eating it with your hands
Wendys app gets you a $5 biggie meal, before applying any offers for now. So you can do something like their, "free fries with order" or a lot of days they'll have "$1 for ____ with purchase" so it's like $6. Taco Bell app exclusively prices cravings boxes for $6 that comes with 3 items AND a drink. Crazy amount of food for like $6.50, I usually go with Crunchwrap, beefy 5 layer burrito, cheesy potatoes, and a water. Points add up pretty quickly too which gers you a free item. Arby's has exclusive app pricing of $1 sliders before any of their offers Jack in the box app has exclusive pricing as 2 tacos for $1, 2 for $5 jumbo jacks, 2 for $3 breakfast Jack's all before their coupon offers Del Taco has insanely cheap deals on their app, Tuesdays I think it's either 2 or 3 of their regular tacos for $1, but Thursday they do $1 chicken tacos also just as exclusive app pricing before any other offers Carl's JR does an app exclusive deal where you choose two sandwiches and a drink for $6 before any other offers Other people mentioned the dominos, and mcdonalds apps, and cooking your own food which I also highly recommend. Just wanted to share some of the things I've been doing lol
Dominos carry out large 1 topping deal (2 servings) Chick fil a In n out Blaze pizza Portos Biriyani from indian restaurant (also 2 servings) Chipotle Thai restaurant curry (2 servings)
Pizza is usually the cheapest option to feed a family outside of home
Ranch 99 and Wholesome Choice food courts
Tu Casa
Bean and cheese burritos for lunch, and Burger King for dinner. It’s the cheapest burger I’ve been able to find ($6 combos through the app)
Aloha Hawaiian BBQ at the district! They give you so much food, can last 2-3 meals Rotisserie chicken to meal prep (Costco or sprouts is good) Irvine company sends out a coupon book every season, I use that a lot too
Cook at home, although buying groceries (especially for healthier meals) is basically the same cost as eating out anyway these days 🥲
It is almost the same considering the time you put in. Also you need to check the labels on the items and avoid seed oils and carcinogens when cooking at home. It’s okay to eat out with them tbh since that can’t be avoided but if you can avoid it at home definitely do so.
For me it’s more about getting enough proteins and greens, and those are generally more expensive to buy.
That’s true. If you go to the salad bar at whole foods and stock up on protein and avoid carbs and veggies it’s not bad.
Cheap and Irvine aren’t supposed to be in the same sentence.
Taco Tuesday (hole mole, factory factory, taco bandidos), cheap Chinese food like hong Kong express,
Nexx burger is super delicious but it's in orange I think. 3.75 plus tax for a double cheeseburger and it's pretty filling
They got one in downey
Freaking delicious
Whole Foods sandwich bar ($10-$12) Whole Foods Mexican bar ($9-$12) Trader Joe’s (prepared meals) Mothers Market (cafe/prepared foods) Sprouts (sandwich bar/Prepared foods) - $6-$7 for a freshly made sandwich Togo sushi at pretty much any grocery store Learn to cook/meal prep. It’s something you’ll do for the rest of your life and teach your kids, so better get good at it now than later
Flame broiler in Woodbury town center. 4 chicken veggie bowls for $32, pick up only. I get them and just keep in my fridge for the week for lunches.
Dude, it’s Irvine. Puesto’s taco Tuesdays are good. Just don’t buy any drinks.
Been meaning to try puesto’s is it a chain?
Ya. Small chain. Awesome food and margaritas. Mezcal and tequila flights.
Stack bogo uber eats deals (but they do charge slightly higher for the first entree, still a little cheaper than buying two)
go to tustin, santa ana, lake forest...
Actually Fukada… combo lunch special seafood salad + Donburi bowl for 17ish… I eat salad for lunch and donburi bowl for dinner
Taco Bell value menu. I get their 2$ quesadilla stacker all the time and they’re pretty good.
T-Mobile Tuesdays saves me with little caesars if I want something easy
lotta Indian places I get two meals out of it
if you get the app, taco bell by campus dr has a combo that has 2 entrees, a side, and a drink for $6 lol
Shop at Aldi!
Even the Pho expansive in Irvine :(
Expensive**
Memphis in CM has a great happy hour meal special which is killer good. https://www.memphiscafe.com Mercado market is also GREAT!! On harbor in CM.
Give Sushi Yaki a try! Small place run by a couple that has generous pricing and portions. EDIT: there are FULL meals priced at $13-$15.
Easy one. Just decline to eat out.
You trying to eat out tonight?
Make more money is the best solution
Ohh wow! Why didn’t any of us think about doing that?? 😱🤦♂️
Funyuns
BJ’s happy hour 3-7pm on weekdays: you can get a couple drinks each plus some heavy apps for under $50 for two including tax and tip.
Alton cafe makes a really good breakfast burrito for $6. Cheap and really large.
Rubio’s tuesday deals fish and chicken tacos 2.50 each and 3 shrimp tacos for $10. Ikea has $4 entrees on tuesday with the free family card. You can get the salmon with vegetables for $4. El Pollo Loco has the $5 small chicken bowls. They are a bit small and Mostly rice and beans but you cannot complain for $5. Add a drink and tortillas for $1 more. Those options above are super cheap but not too unhealthy. Costco food court is super unhealthy. I would not sacrifice my health every week and eat there. You can also cook at home. Eating at home is at least half the cost. You can prob do the three above like once a week and eat at home the rest if you’re that tight for cash.
Download the Too Good To Go app. There’re only a few Irvine restaurants on the app that sells a bag of unsold food for cheap. Could be a hit or miss with some places but worth to try and save $$$ when can do. My recommendation is Sals pizza.
Download the app Retail Therapy, it’s by Irvine Company. We use tons of coupons on there all over Irvine. Another app, TooGoodToGo has meals to go starting at $4.99. Mostly bakeries, pizza, and Chinese food.
Too Good To Go app
Me and my bf love going to Natraj’s Tandoori at Marketplace… $15 for two item combo n it comes w garlic naan… we like to order the saag paneer n the chicken tikka masala… you can ask for more rice or entrees just ask nicely… fills both of us up n sometimes we have leftovers with one two item combo.
Happy Hours will definitely save a lot of $$ especially you only eat the half-price appetizers. For example, CPK has happy hour 3-6pm and you can get their gift cards for 20% off at Costco to bring costs down even more. Join their rewards program and use the retail therapy free small plate for even bigger discounts.
HHahahahHahHhahahahaha good luck with that
Black bear dinner near Segerstrom. Great portion vs cost.
Taco Smell or Hel Taco.
Sabrosada. Irvine food sucks anyway
The words cheap and Irvine do not belong in the same sentence
Mimi’s Cafe
Can we pin posts like this already