Royals Hot Chicken is a hot chicken budget eat in Nulu, Louisville.
Editorially verified May 21, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: Counter-service. Medium heat sandwich with a side keeps lunch under $15.
Address: 736 East Market Street, Louisville, KY 40202
Wagner's Pharmacy in Louisville cooks the city's cheapest country ham breakfast across from Churchill Downs, the 1922-built diner with breakfast plates.
Try: Country ham breakfast plate
Tip: Walk-in counter. Breakfast until 10:30 weekdays, all day Sunday. Closed Mondays.
Feast BBQ in NuLu Louisville smokes pulled pork and brisket sandwiches with sides for under $16, the counter-service pit on East Market that keeps lunch.
Try: Pulled pork sandwich with side
Tip: Get in before 14:00 on weekends. Pulled pork sandwich is the cheapest filling option.
Wick's Pizza on Baxter Avenue in Louisville sells personal pizzas and stromboli for under $16, the Highlands pub keeping student lunches affordable.
Try: Personal pizza or stromboli
Tip: Walk-in only on weekends. Order at the bar. Lunch specials Mon to Fri.
Joella's Hot Chicken on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville fries Nashville-style hot chicken tenders for under $15 with a side, the family-friendly Crescent Hill.
Try: Hot chicken tenders with side
Tip: Counter-service. Tender plate with pimento mac and tea stays under $15.
Mark's Feed Store on Shelbyville Road has hickory-smoked Kentucky BBQ since 1988, the Saint Matthews counter where pulled pork plate with sides comes.
Try: Pulled pork plate with two sides
Tip: Walk-in counter. Order pulled pork, brisket or chicken with two sides for the cheapest sit-down meal.
Nord's Bakery on South Preston in Louisville fries Germantown donuts and pours coffee from a sticky-counter favorite for the city's best maple bacon donut.
Try: Donut and coffee breakfast
Tip: Walk-in only. Get there by 11:00 on weekends or the maple bacon sells out.
