QuickTake:

A weekday lunch doesn’t always need to burn a $20-salad-sized hole in your wallet. Lookout Eugene-Springfield is on the hunt for lunches that are $10 or less. This week, we’re in downtown Eugene.

If you forgot a bag lunch today and don’t want to break the bank for midday sustenance (or survive off the ancient granola bar at the bottom of your backpack), this guide is for you.

A $10-or-less lunch is tough to come by in today’s economy — both for the consumer and restaurant owner. Between 2019 and 2025, average food costs in the United States surged 35%, while average menu prices shot up 31%, according to the National Restaurant Association. Restaurants are also contending with rising rent and labor costs against already razor-thin profit margins.

Restaurants would have needed to increase their 2019 menu prices by nearly 24% to cover 2025 costs — and that’s just to break even. Maintaining a 5% profit margin required a 30% increase, on par with the higher prices we’re seeing on restaurant menus today: The $10 sandwiches of 2019 are now $13.

There is room for hope. 

Prices for coffee, beef, veal and pork are still up compared with early last year. But wholesale food prices overall fell in January for the second consecutive month, due in large part to price declines in fruits, vegetables, eggs and dairy products, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

You can still find a relatively cheap lunch in downtown Eugene, Lookout’s first stop on our $10 tour across Lane County.

These eateries are open Monday to Friday, and several are also open on the weekend. The prices listed may vary across delivery apps and in-person ordering. We checked each physical location for menu prices.

La Freska’s chicken torta comes with beans, salsa, guacamole, onions and cilantro. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Food truck pod at Eighth & Olive

Tacos and tortas at La Freska. Choose from La Freska’s tacos ($4 each, including asada, chicken and pastor) and/or quesabirria ($5 each) for a budget-friendly plate. Don’t forget the free consommé. La Freska also serves $10 burritos and tortas (a sandwich that’s worth the mess, from personal experience). Their Tuesday special gets you two tacos and one drink.

Greek wraps at Cafe Agora. For $9, you get a classic pita wrap at this Greek food truck, with choices of falafel, lamb and beef, chicken or beef kebab. Get the saj wrap, a thinner flatbread wrap with similar fillings, for $10.

Small grocers

The Kiva deli offers sandwiches, soup and sandwich combos, and prepared salads and pastas for under $10. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Sandwiches and more at The Kiva deli (125 W. 11th Ave.): Head to the back of The Kiva Grocery & Deli for a sub-$10 sandwich. Choose the bread, meat or vegetarian options, cheese, condiments and vegetables. Whole sandwiches are $8.95, or get a half sandwich with soup for $9.50. The Kiva’s deli also has a variety of prepared salads and pasta. Dolmas (50 cents each) and hard-boiled eggs (75 cents each) are wallet-friendly add-ons.

The hot rack at Eugene Asian Market (959 Pearl St.): Grab and go from Eugene Asian Market’s hot rack, with items such as dim sum ($4.99) and buns (a two-pack of chicken vegetable or pork costs $3.99.) Offerings may vary by the day.

Other downtown spots

Teriyaki bowls at Day & Night Boba and Ramen (810 Charnelton St.): Order a filling teriyaki chicken, teriyaki salmon or orange chicken bowl for $9.75. Comes with rice.

Vegan sandwiches at Viva! Vegetarian Grill (1171 Willamette St.): Most items on Viva’s all-vegan menu are $10 or less, including the Italian and Polish soysage rolls ($8 each) and the tempeh Reuben, cheesesteak, falafel sandwich and tempeh tacos ($10 each). Take it to go or sit at the cart’s outdoor tables on a nice day.

Newman’s Fish Company in downtown Eugene has à la carte menu with $3 fish pieces and half orders of fries, ideal for building a small mix-and-match fish-and-chips plate. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Viva! Vegetarian Grill in downtown Eugene serves up several menu items for $10 or less, including this Polish soysage. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Pizza by the slice at Mezza Luna (933 Pearl St.): Prices start at $3.75 for a sizable plain cheese slice, but they also have pepperoni and specials of the day.

The à la carte menu at Newman’s Fish Company (1545 Willamette St.): Newman’s is ideal for when you don’t want a whole order of fish and chips ($11) and would rather mix and match: The market offers fish by the piece ($3 each for cod or rockfish, or for two shrimps or coconut shrimps). A side of fries is $2.25, but you can also get a half order. Newman’s 12-ounce bowl of clam chowder goes for $5.

Taylor Goebel covers Lane County's food and drink scene. She has nearly a decade of experience in multimedia journalism, having reported across the Mid-Atlantic on dining, food systems, education, healthcare, local elections, labor and business. She was most recently a food reporter in Washington state, where she documented a fourth-generation fishing family, covered a David vs. Goliath conflict between a national coffee chain and a small Turkish cafe, and had many culinary firsts, from ensaymadas and gilgeori (Korean street) toast to morels and black cod.