Eating out can feel like a treat, but some dishes just don’t live up to the price tag. In fact, many people admit there are certain restaurant orders they’ve stopped making altogether, not because they don’t like them, but because they’ve learned to cook them better (and cheaper) at home.
Someone asked on Reddit about the restaurant dishes that people think they can make much better at home, and they are way cheaper, too! And the thread was filled with hundreds of such examples!
The story
Someone posted on a Reddit thread asking, “What are things that you’d never order at a restaurant because you know how cheap and/or simple it is to make at home?” The poster shared that they’d never want to order crab cakes, as they can buy much more for the price of one dish and make them better at home.
Hundreds of people shared the dishes that they thought were unfairly priced at restaurants, and they can make the same in less than half the price!
The reactions
While some shared that they go to a restaurant because they don’t want to cook at home, others commented they’d never pay a hefty amount for a dish that they can easily prepare at home.
One of the first things people jumped on was avocado toast. “Avocado toast! Sometimes upwards of $14 for a slice of boring white bread and a smear of avocado, NO THANK YOU”
We are all in this for avocado toast! A loaf of bread and a couple of ripe avocados from the grocery store will last you the whole week for that price. Add some salt, maybe chili flakes, and you’ve just saved yourself from a $14 snack that would be gone in two bites.
Another person had an experience that sounds almost like a prank. He shared, “I went to a restaurant a couple of days ago, and they wanted $24 for a single Scotch egg with no sides. I left without ordering anything. I could probably make 2 dozen of those for the same price.”
And they’re right. Scotch eggs aren’t hard to make once you try. All it takes is some eggs, sausage, breadcrumbs, and oil. Even if you mess up the first batch, you’re still nowhere near twenty-four bucks down the drain.
Some people thought they should never order seafood at restaurants. First, it’s not always fresh; secondly, it’s overpriced. As one user commented, “I cook my shrimp at home. For 23 dollars, we can eat 4 shrimp dinners that would cost at least 60 dollars in a restaurant.”
That’s a huge price gap. Restaurants charging sky-high prices for four pieces feel harder to swallow once you’ve pan-fried them yourself.
Many people shared their frustration with the high prices of pasta dishes. One user commented, “Many pasta dishes, if not all. Simple to make at home for dirt cheap. Lasagna doesn’t count, though.”
Lasagna truly requires more time and effort. But other dishes, such as spaghetti, alfredo, and carbonara, are easy to make at home for a fraction of the restaurant cost.
People also talked about steak. “Might seem odd, but steak. Never had a steak either worth the price or taste as good as one cooked at home. They're either expensive as all hell or they taste bad. They're so easy to cook decently.”
Steak is one of those foods people get nervous about making, but once you’ve figured out how you like it cooked, it’s actually pretty simple. Salt, sear, butter baste if you’re feeling fancy. You don’t need to pay restaurant prices to get a good one.
One user mentioned an interesting rule of thumb: "Every meal that falls into the category '100min in the kitchen, 1min on the plate' is enough to warrant going out for."
Not just savory foods, many Redditors thought desserts could be made at home too, such as crème brûlée. A user added, “Creme brulee. Most desserts, really, but that one always has an insane markup.”
It’s literally cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. It hurts many people to see the high-priced crème brûlée in the restaurants when they know they can make many at that price!
Of course, not everyone agreed. One person felt that we go to restaurants because we don’t want to cook. He added, “Nothing. When I’m at a restaurant, it’s because I don’t want to cook. Whether it’s cheaper at home is irrelevant.”
And that’s fair. Sometimes, you just want to dine in, enjoy the ambience with your loved ones, and eat your favorite food. Even if it costs more, it can still feel worth it.
The takeaway
There really are dishes where the price feels especially unfair because you know exactly how simple they are to make. But there's also something to be said for just wanting someone else to handle the cooking sometimes.
But knowing which dishes are overpriced gives you a choice: pay for the experience when you want it, and save a pile of money when you don’t.
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