Cups Espresso Cafe is a cafe budget eat in Jackson.
Editorially verified June 26, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Double espresso with the house morning pastry
Tip: Opening at 06:00 on weekdays makes this the earliest quality coffee option in Fondren.
Address: 2757 Old Canton Rd, Jackson, MS 39216
Broad Street Baking Company offers Jackson's best-value morning bakery experience: a fresh cinnamon roll and drip coffee for under $8, baked from scratch.
Try: Cinnamon roll and drip coffee
Order: Fresh cinnamon roll at 07:00 and a drip coffee - Jackson's best $7 breakfast
Tip: Open Sundays when most of Jackson's better breakfast spots are closed.
Bully's is the best-value James Beard award-winning meal in the United States: oxtails, catfish, and six sides for under $14, in a modest dining room.
Try: Soul food steam table with oxtails, neckbones, catfish, and sides
Order: Oxtail plate with mixed greens, mac and cheese, and yams
Tip: Arrive before 13:00 for the widest steam table selection; popular items sell out.
Big Apple Inn serves Jackson's most historically significant cheap eats: pig ear sandwiches under $2 and hand-rolled tamales under $3, unchanged since 1939.
Try: Pig ear sandwich, smoke sausage sandwich, tamales
Order: One pig ear and one smoke for under $4 total - the best-value meal in Mississippi
Tip: Cash is faster but cards accepted; parking on Farish is easy outside peak afternoon hours.
Brent's Drugs offers the most beloved budget meal in Fondren: a classic diner burger with onion rings and a milkshake for under $15 at a 1946 soda founta.
Try: Classic burger with onion rings and a milkshake
Order: Brent's Burger with onion rings and a chocolate milkshake
Tip: Sit at the counter for the full soda-fountain experience; table service is slower.
Aplos Mediterranean is Jackson's best-value fast-fine option: a gyro plate with brown rice, hummus, pita, and a mini Greek salad for under $13 at the Highl.
Try: Gyro plate with hummus and salad
Order: Gyro plate with the full accompaniments
Tip: Open every day of the week, including Sundays when many other Jackson restaurants are closed.
The Mayflower Cafe's lunch counter is one of the South's great cheap seafood deals: a full fried shrimp plate with coleslaw, comeback sauce, and a side of c.
Try: Fried shrimp plate with comeback sauce
Order: Fried shrimp plate at lunch, with extra comeback sauce on the side
Tip: The lunch rush from 11:30 to 13:00 is the most efficient time to eat here; a table turns in 30 minutes.
