By Cate Casparius ’19 & Sebastian Shuken ’18

While Westport may host many restaurants, the food often fails to please your wallet.

“The affluent characteristics of Westport, in my opinion, definitely affect the pricing of meals at select restaurants in town. I try to save my money as much as possible by eating at home or making my own meals to go,” Biz Fay ’19 said.

However, while it might appear as though going out for a tasty and healthy meal in Westport without breaking the bank is impossible, there are many restaurants that offer tempting meals under $10.

The first, and most important meal of the day, is breakfast. Enjoying an awesome brunch at Pearl at Longshore or Terrain Garden Cafe sounds nice, but the bill definitely wouldn’t be less than $10. An affordable option is a $2.75 bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel made fresh everyday from Bagel Maven on Post Road East.

“Not only are all the flavors of the freshly made everything bagel awesome but when combined with the breakfast sandwich toppings, it is amazing,” Margaret West  ’17 said.

Another option for a cheap, yet satisfying breakfast is pancakes from Christie’s Country Store on Cross Highway. The pancakes sell for $5.99 with optional additions such as fresh blueberries or chocolate chips for just $1.75 extra,  keeping your breakfast well under $10.

“What makes me choose Christie’s pancakes over another place is the mouthwatering M&M pancakes. They’re just so light and fluffy and what’s most important is that they’re not too sweet like other places,” Theo Gabor ’19 said.

One of the most popular meals for students is lunch. This meal comes with many satisfying options around town. Gaetano’s Deli, located on Post Road E, has a fan-favorite sandwich: the Kovac’s Special on a roll for $8. The sandwich has fresh chicken cutlet, prosciutto, mozzarella, roasted peppers and broccoli rabe.

A known customer at Gaetano’s commented on the sandwich. “The Kovac makes me feel like I’m back in Italia,” Samantha Pacilio ’19 said. Not only is the sandwich authentic tasting but the culture of the atmosphere has a very family-like feel.

Another mouth-watering lunch option for $10 is a sushi bento box from Yamafuji Sushi, which includes five pieces of sushi, one roll, miso soup, salad and rice.

“The lunch special is not only cheap and delicious, but also filling,” Rebecca Skoller ’18 said.

Salads are also a lunch-time favorite. Boca Mediterranean Restaurant and Bar on Main Street serves a garden salad which comes with lush artisanal greens, plump cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumbers and a touch of balsamic for only $7.

“This salad from Boca is one of the best salads I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of salads in my life. The vegetables in it are so fresh and the balsamic dressing is so light that it doesn’t ruin the salad,” Tess Jacobs ’19 said.

While dinner may be hard to find under $10, when searched for hard enough, there are definitely some awesome options. Find a decadent burger for only $6.50 or a ‘Bigger Burger’ for $7.50 from the Black Duck Cafe down on Riverside Ave.

“In Westport there are only a few places that serve burgers that are both good tasting and cheap and Black Duck is the only one I can think of,” Nico Rossi ’18 said.

One of the most popular and easy meals for dinner is pizza. Make dinner cheesy and grab a small pie for $8.25 from Jordan’s Restaurant and Pizza on Post Road East.

“[Their pizza] is so good. Especially the cheese pizza; it’s gooey and fresh and it’s the best thing to order from Jordan’s,” Kylie Cohen ’20 said.

Hopefully, now Fay and other Westport residents will treat themselves more often with affordable meals instead of avoiding restaurants to save money.