With food prices rising every day, saving money on meals has become a top priority for many of us. But cooking from scratch isn’t always the most budget-friendly option, and many popular dishes are actually cheaper to order from a restaurant than to make at home. Especially when you factor in the cost of ingredients, time, and effort. The meals in this article are proof that sometimes, dining out is the smarter and more affordable choice.
Tacos
I find that ordering tacos from a local taqueria or fast food restaurant is often far more affordable than making them at home, especially if you are only cooking for one or two people. At home, you would need to purchase tortillas, meat or beans, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, and all the other toppings that you love on your tacos.
Not only do all these ingredients add up quickly at the register, but many of them also go unused. You are probably only going to use a tiny bit of that big bunch of cilantro you had to buy! Restaurants already have all the toppings on hand and portion them perfectly, so you get all the variety you want without the waste or the high bill.
Rotisserie Chicken
Rotisserie chickens are one of the best meal deals at grocery stores or takeout counters. A fully cooked, seasoned whole chicken is often less expensive than a raw one. Then, when you also factor in the time and energy to prep, season, roast, and clean up after making your own roasted chicken, the takeout version wins every time in both price and effort.
Pad Thai
Authentic pad Thai requires a combination of specific ingredients, including tamarind paste, fish sauce, rice noodles, dried shrimp, tofu, bean sprouts, peanuts, and more. It’s a lot! Some of those specialty ingredients can be difficult to find. Even if you skip some of the traditional ingredients of pad Thai, the specialized sauces alone make it a costly dish.
Ordering a made-to-order portion from a Thai restaurant is a bargain by comparison and will give you that authentic flavor you are looking for.
Fried Chicken
You would think that fried chicken would be cheap and easy to make, but it honestly isn’t. Between the cost of quality chicken, flour, buttermilk, spices, and the oil required for deep frying, homemade fried chicken is rarely worth it financially.
A bucket of crispy, golden-fried chicken from your favorite joint is often cheaper per piece, and you can avoid all those deep-fryer oil splatters and hours in the kitchen.
Pho
This Vietnamese noodle starts with an intensely flavored broth that is made by simmering beef bones, star anise, cinnamon, and other spices for hours. It truly is a dish that is a labor of love, and not only will you have to invest time, but the ingredients are also quite pricey.
Add in fresh herbs, bean sprouts, thinly sliced beef, and rice noodles, and your ingredient list gets long fast. Most pho restaurants serve generous, steaming bowls for just a few bucks, so it makes more sense to grab one to go rather than go shopping for all of those specialty ingredients.
Fish and Chips
Making this classic at home means getting fresh fish, batter ingredients, potatoes, oil for frying, and don’t forget about the tartar sauce! Frying fish and chips also means dealing with the temperature of deep fryer oil, potential sogginess, and, of course, all the cleanup.
At a good fish and chips spot, you can get a crispy, hot, and golden plate ready to eat for less than the price of gathering and preparing everything yourself.
Gyros
Homemade gyros are a serious cooking project. Traditional versions require you to season lamb or chicken and cook them on a rotisserie for hours. Then, you need all the other ingredients, such as pita bread and tzatziki sauce. It is a lot! Most often, getting one from a Mediterranean restaurant is much more affordable, filling, and far easier than the DIY route.
Poke Bowls
It may be impossible to create a truly excellent poke bowl at home without incurring a significant expense. That is because you need high-ticket items like sushi-grade fish, sesame oil, seaweed, and perfectly ripe avocados. Unless you regularly cook with these items, making poke bowls at home is not a budget-friendly option. Takeout poke bowls are definitely the way to go.
Falafel Wraps
While dried chickpeas are cheap, falafel requires soaking, blending with herbs and spices, shaping, and frying. It is a lot of work to make a falafel! Then, once you have made the filling, you still need to purchase pita bread, hummus, tahini sauce, and any additional vegetables you may need. For most people, it is just not worth the time or cost. A falafel wrap from a street cart or Mediterranean eatery will be significantly cheaper and deliver that crisp, flavorful wrap you crave without any of the extra effort and expense.
Sushi
Make sushi at home? It does sound fun! But it is definitely not a bargain. Sushi-grade fish is expensive and is often only sold in quantities larger than needed. You also need to buy nori sheets, sushi rice, rice vinegar, wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger. Not to mention that you will also need to grab a sushi mat and do some serious rolling practice. It makes a lot more sense to grab a fresh sushi roll or two from a restaurant or grocery sushi counter for a fraction of the cost of the ingredients.
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