28 Meal Steals - The Bend Magazine
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28 Meal Steals

Cheap eating can still mean good eating.

By Kylie Cooper|

By: Kylie Kinnett  Photos by: Rachel Benavides

Let’s be honest, everyone loves a fantastic tasting meal. Everyone also loves an insane bargain. Put the two together—cheap eats, if you will—and you’ve got a match made in heaven. We searched through many local restaurants and curated a list of crazy good food you can get for under 13 dollars. Happy eating!

DINERS & DIVES:

Prices Chef

1800 S Alameda St.,
Corpus Christi, TX 78404, (361) 883-2786

At Price’s Chef, tradition reigns supreme. From the moment you walk into the diner (complete with familial vibes that make you feel right at home) to the second you get your check, the staff makes sure your experience is nothing short of superb.
“Anybody can cook a good meal once,” says Luis Guerrero, who owns the restaurant with his wife Zora. “But, if you can cook that same meal for people time and time again, that is hard to do, but it’s what we are best at.” Originally named “The Chef,” the diner’s doors opened in 1939, and they have been serving good food and nostalgic memories to the community ever since. The Guerrero family moved to Corpus Christi from Los Angeles in 2006 and jumped on the opportunity to buy Price’s when they saw it was for sale. They knew it was something good.

When taking over, the family knew right off the bat they didn’t want to change anything. “To this day we still have the same lunch specials, the same brand of bacon, it’s all the same,” says Luis.

There are plenty of reasons why Price’s should be on a list of places to eat. Their service is similar to going to your grandmother’s house and being treated like the most important person in the world. Their food is of the best quality, made from scratch with only the freshest ingredients, and their prices (no pun intended) are hard to beat. “The motto here is: good food, fast,” says Luis, and he is not lying. You can get a variety of daily specials for under 10 dollars that are sure to fill you up and leave you feeling more than satisfied.

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Similar Cheap Eats

Snapka’s: Dixie Double Meat Double Cheese Burger $6
4434 Weber Rd. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
4760 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78408

Vick’s Famous Hamburgers: The Ultimate Burger $8
4989 Ayers St., Corpus Christi, TX 78415

Sandi’s Diner: The 7 Chevy Omelet with Cheese $10
704 Ayers St., Corpus Christi, TX 78404

Googly’s: 10 Piece Jumbo Wings Combo $11
6062 Holly Rd. Ste B1, Corpus Christi, TX 78412

Hamlin Fountain & Gifts: Jesse’s Special $7
3801 S. Staples St., Corpus Christi, TX 78411

Steerburger Grill & Grub: The Steerburger $5
4407 TX-35 BUS, Aransas Pass, TX 78336

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FOOD TRUCKS

Miss Arepa 

Find Miss Arepa on Facebook to see where their truck will be next.
(361) 413-2003

A new flavor arrived in the Coastal Bend last October by way of Miss Arepa’s food truck. Eva and Saul Parra and their two sons, Daniel and Saul Jr., comprise this family owned and operated
business. Miss Arepa, named after their main dish, specializes in the Venezuelan cuisine that the Parras have eaten their whole lives. Their purpose for starting the food truck? They wanted to bring a taste of Venezuela to Corpus—a taste they felt as though the city was missing.

Saul is the main chef behind the insanely delicious food the truck puts out. With both Saul and Eva being in the medical field, they wanted to combine their love for food and culture with healthy eating. With that being said, Miss Arepa’s food might be better for you than you think. “We wanted to create a menu that was as healthy as it could be and still taste good,” says Eva. 

The arepas are grilled not fried, making them a perfect choice for the health conscious. The Parras only use fresh ingredients, maintain a gluten-free menu, and are always cooking with a low-fat diet in mind. Everything Miss Arepa serves is made completely from scratch. Some of their dishes contain turmeric, a spice that is packed with antioxidants.

“We wanted to melt our knowledge of health and nutrition into our love for food,” Eva says. She points out that cooking fresh is a lot more work, but it is worth it in the end when they serve the

final product to their customers. When it comes to customers, Miss Arepa’s sure are satisfied.
There is no denying that every dish is made with love, care, and bold flavors. Eating healthy isn’t
always eating cheaply, and that is one thing the Parra family wanted to achieve with this business.
“At the beginning, I thought we weren’t going to sell even one Arepa,” Saul says. “Then we opened up, and now we have lines that form at our order window—it really is amazing.”

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Similar Cheap Eats

Tacobar Street: $9 Street Tacos, which come with four mini beef asada tacos, topped with grilled onions and cilantro, with a side of rice and charro beans   •  @tacobarstreet

Lala’s Crepes: $7 Bubba’s Bodacious Berry Crêpe, with strawberries, blackberries, blueberry sauce, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream  •  @lalascrepes

D’Lish Foods: $9 Pulled Pork Rice Bowl, served with slowly braised pork with citrus and gluten-free soy sauce  •  @dlishfoodscc

El Jefe’s Mobile Café

Kono Pizza: $7 Margherita Pizza Cone  •  @konopizzacc

Munchies Bus: $10 Pineapple Express Hoagie made with chicken, provolone, fresh mango salsa, and pineapple aioli, chips and a drink  •  @munchiesgrubbus

 
Jefe’s Mobile Café: $10 The Cubano Sandwich with pork carnitas, black forest ham, smoked Swiss cheese, and pickles grill-pressed on a sweet sourdough bun, with a side of fries •  @jefesmobilecafe

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SUBS & SANDWICHES

Yo Philly Cheesesteaks 
3314 Surfside Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78402

“If you are going to call yourself Philadelphia sandwiches, it’s gotta be authentic,” Nick Catalano says as he tells the story of his dad asking him to take over the restaurant. When you walk into Yo Philly’s Cheesesteaks, you leave the Coastal Bend momentarily. You walk into Eagles country, where the Whiz is fresh and the bread is from Jersey. Moving from Jersey to Corpus Christi in July 2017, Nick wanted to bring “the real deal” to Yo Philly’s. After living in the Northeast for his entire life, he definitely knows a thing or two about a cheesesteak. The authenticity of the food is proven in the response of their customers. “I can’t speak for everybody,” Nick says, “but 99% of the time people are coming back up to the counter to tell us they love our sandwiches.”
The authentic experience goes beyond the food. The atmosphere takes you to a sandwich shop right out of Philadelphia. Eagles memorabilia decks the walls, employees converse with one another and customers, and southern hospitality is slightly altered with a more northern sense of humor.

There is no denying Yo Philly Cheesesteaks has nothing but top-notch food. Whether you are looking for the traditional cheesesteak or a burger filled with two patties, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles, they have a meal with your name on it. None of their sandwiches exceed 12 dollars, and the servings are ample.

Nick knows he can’t please everyone, but that definitely doesn’t stop him from trying. “They don’t have to like me or my personality,” he says with a laugh. “But, I will try 110% to give each person a great sandwich. No questions about it.”

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Similar Cheap Eats

Surfside Sandwich Shop: $12 Meatball Grinder made with homemade meatballs, marinara, and
mozzarella served with your choice of pasta salad, potato salad, or coleslaw  •  15113 SPID, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
Joint Venture: $7  5-0 Sandwich made with Texas smoked ham, smoked cheddar, vine ripened
tomatoes with spring mix, topped with honey mustard aioli, all on hemp infused bread  •  6355 SPID, Corpus Christi, TX 78412

Hula Peach

Hula Peach: $10 Tuna Salad Deli Sandwich Combo meal comes with your choice of bread, cheese, and toppings, served with fresh fruit or chips, a pickle, and a drink  •  3823 S. Staples St., Corpus Christi, TX 78411

Czech-Mex Bakery and Café: $7 Czech-Mex Sandwich made with your choice of meat with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, sweet peppers, olives, and jalapeno with chips, a pickle, and a cookie  •  150 American Bank Plaza, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
Shempy’s Grill: $9 Ribeye Sandwich with Shempy’s choice ribeye thin-sliced and lightly sprinkled with their house spices, topped with grilled onions, and served on a Kaiser roll  •  3913 TX-35 BUS, Rockport, TX 78382
Nolan’s: $7 Nolan’s Famous Po’boy Sandwich made with ham, salami, corned beef, Swiss and American cheese on French bread, served with beans and potato salad or fries  •  2330 Airline Rd. Ste. A, Corpus Christi, TX 78414

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INTERNATIONAL FOODS

 
Erini’s Gyros & More 
4360 S. Alameda St., Corpus Christi, TX 78412
(361) 334-2150

“I cook the food here like I cook for my family at home. If it isn’t good enough for my house, it isn’t good enough for my customers.” Maria Loukanaris, the owner of Eirinis Gyros & More, lives by those words when it comes to the philosophy of her restaurant. 
Eirinis, which opened up in late August 2013, is one of the only places in Corpus to get real, authentic Greek food. In the beginning, most people told Maria a small, hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant wouldn’t survive, but she set out to prove them wrong. “I figured, whatever you know the best is what you will be the best at,” she says.

The menu is small and simple yet jammed packed with bold flavors. From the traditional lamb gyros to the pizza fries, everything is made fresh with the highest attention to detail. Asking Maria to choose her favorite dish on the menu is similar to asking parents to name their favorite child. “Oh, they are all my babies,” she says with a laugh.

The atmosphere in Eirinis is what you would expect a Greek family home to be like. After all, Maria believes in treating each of her customers like family. She cooks each dish to perfection and loves each of her customers. There is no denying the quality and authenticity of the food she serves. Each day of the week brings a new daily special that comes with a hearty portion of food, a small Greek salad, and a drink all for $9.99. Whether you are looking for traditional gyros, skewers, or dolmades, Eirinis has all your cheap eats desires covered.

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Similar Cheap Eats

Kuzina Lebanese Grill: $13 #55 Gyro Plate served with Gyro meat, a Greek salad, and
basmati rice  •  3801 Saratoga Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78415
Royal India: $13 Lunch Buffet with all you can eat Indian food  •  4455 SPID, Corpus Christi, TX 78411
HI-HO Restaurant: $6 Migas Plate served with fried potatoes, beans, and 2 tortillas  •  3703 Morgan Ave., Corpus Christi, TX 78405
Big Bowl Korean BBQ
Big Bowl Korean BBQ: $10 Bulgogi, which comes with sliced beef marinated with special BBQ soy sauce, steamed white rice and 2 sides  •  6410 Weber Rd. Ste. 19, Corpus Christi, TX 78413
Z-Counter: $10 Beef Short Rib Rice Bowl  •  1220 Airline Rd. Ste. 155, Corpus Christi, TX 78412
JB’S German Bakery: $7 2 Weisswurst and Brezel lunch meal  •  15137 SPID., Corpus Christi, TX 78418

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