For the past few years, fast food has been obsessed with the “chicken sandwich wars” — a race between every big brand to create a chicken sandwich as beloved as Popeyes. While most of that race was just fast food marketing hyperbole (there was never really a brand that could top Popeyes — or at least there hasn’t been one yet), we got a lot of great chicken sandwiches in the process.
But in 2024, you don’t hear about the chicken sandwich wars anymore, and that’s less so because Popeyes dominated the conversation, and more so that fast food has become so prohibitively expensive that people are eating way less of it. These days fast food brands are going wild with the concept of a Value Menu Wars. And you know what? We’re going to let them.
If a Value Menu War means more fast food for us at a cheaper price, we are all for it. But who makes the best? We tried to answer that question a couple of months back, but at the time the “war” was just starting and there were only a handful of options. Now the amount of value menu deals has doubled, so we’re here to re-taste and re-rank ‘em all to get you the best bang for your buck.
Here are the best fast food value meals right now, ranked. But first…
A Note On Pricing
A few of the fast food restaurants advertise a price but the meals actually cost a bit more depending on where you live. I live in Los Angeles, so often I’m paying a bit more for value meals than the national average. In those situations, I will put an asterisk next to the price to imply that you might have to pay more.
I also factored that into my decision of where to rank each, so consider each ranking a balance of value and flavor. Okay, let’s eat!
10. Pizza Hut — My Hut Box
Price: Starting at $6.99*
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
A Pizza Hut meal for well under $10? Sounds too good to be true right? Well, it is. The Pizza Hut My Hut Box is incredibly frustrating. The deal “starts” at $6.99, unless you’re in California, like I am, in which case the deal starts at $8.99, once you add in a drink and tax, you’re spending well over $10. So this deal is designed just to get you in the door.
If that still sounds tempting to you, here is what you get: a choice between a personal pan pizza or half a melt as well as the choice of one side, either fries or a four-piece boneless wings order.
I went with the Personal Pan and the Boneless wings. The pan pizza is fine, it tastes like Pizza Hut’s full-size pan pizza. The sauce is too sweet, but the cheese, toppings (in my case pepperoni + extra cheese), and bread are tasty enough. I’m not mad at it. For the boneless wings I went with Buffalo, which had a nice tender texture and a zesty and sweet flavor with mild spicy notes.
Overall, this meal is fine but it doesn’t really feel like a deal. I’m sure you have a by-the-slice pizza joint somewhere in your neighborhood where you can pick up two big foldable slices and a drink for under $10. Get that instead.
The Bottom Line:
If you suspect it’s too good to be true, you’re right. This is a sneaky value meal that you’ll come away from feeling a bit ripped off.
Find your nearest Pizza Hut here.
9. Taco Bell — $7 Luxe Cravings Box
Price: $7
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
I’m a little taken aback by the price here. Taco Bell is popular because the food is wonderfully indulgent and incredibly cheap, so $7 for a Taco Bell meal sounds like a lot, and I feel like there are probably better ways to spend your money here.
But, we’re here to rank value meals, so that’s what we’re going to do! $7 gets you a Chalupa Supreme, Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, Double Stacked Taco, chips and nacho cheese, and a drink. The Chalupa Supreme features a thick fried tortilla loaded with zesty ground beef, lettuce, cheese, and tomato. It’s great. A Taco Bell classic!
The Beefy 5-Layer is another classic and consists of a tortilla loaded with beans, beef, cheese, sour cream, and nacho cheese sauce. It’s beefy, cheesy, and delicious.
I’m less psyched on the Double Stacked Taco which is essentially a crunchy taco wrapped in a flour tortilla with a layer of nacho cheese sauce acting as a binding agent. If swapping this for a regular crunchy taco would save me a dollar, I’d gladly take that deal.
The chips and cheese sauce feel like a throwaway side. You’re already getting a lot of tortillas in this meal, so again, if dropping this item would save me some money, I’d love the option.
The Bottom Line:
There are better ways to spend $7 at Taco Bell.
Find your nearest Taco Bell here.
8. Carl’s Jr. More Bang Less Buck Value Meal (Bacon Cheese Jr. Double)
Price: $4.99
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Carl’s Jr’s More Bang, Less Buck menu is kind of funny. While the rest of the brands are giving you full meals for around $5, Carl’s Jr decided it would be smarter to just offer a bunch of different sandwiches for under $5. That’s fine, but none of these are meals, so unless you’re fine with eating a single burger or chicken sandwich, you’re going to be hungry if you opt for Carl’s Jr.
So I figured the best move here would be to order the biggest burger on the More Bang, Less Buck Menu — the Bacon Cheese Jr. Double. This burger consists of two charbroiled beef patties, a double dose of American cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and mayo.
Admittedly, this burger is pretty damn good. It’s meaty, with a nice charred beefy flavor joined by gentle smoked notes and sweetness from the bacon. Despite its small size, it’s a pretty filling burger. But, as I mentioned before, I live in California, so I could easily hit up an In-N-Out and pick up a Double-Double for less money and while I’ll miss out on bacon, I’ll get a way better quality, fresh, made-to-order burger. So while I like this option, it does feel like the value isn’t really there.
The Bottom Line:
A good and satisfying burger, but $4.99 still feels a bit steep for the lack of sides and the quality you’re getting.
Find your nearest Carl’s Jr. here.
7. KFC — Taste Of KFC
Price: $5
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
$5 for an Original Recipe drumstick, mashed potatoes, and a biscuit is a pretty great deal in my opinion. The chicken is delicious and tender with a flavor that combines thyme, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano, floral paprika notes, and a gentle hint of celery salt. It’s seriously addicting and tastes amazing when you dip it in mashed potatoes and gravy, which also serve as a great dip for the biscuit.
The only downside of this meal is the lack of a drink.
The Bottom Line:
A mix of KFC’s best foods for just $5. Can’t go wrong here.
Find your nearest KFC here.
6. Jack in the Box — Jack’s $5 Big Deal Meal W. Jr. Jumbo Jack
Price: $5
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
We’re happy to report that Jack in the Box’s $5 Big Meal Deal is exactly what it advertises itself as. For $5 you get a Jr. Jumbo Jack Cheeseburger, a Crunchy Taco, an order of small curly fries, and a value-size drink.
The burger is topped with cheese, tomato, lettuce, onions, pickles, ketchup and mayo. The burger is fine — not the best fast food burger, but certainly not the worst. You mostly taste the toppings here, the beef is more texture than flavor.
I can’t exactly call the Crunchy Taco good but if you’ve ever had a JiB Crunchy Taco, you’re aware that these things are strangely addictive and satisfying even though they sound gross on paper. The taco features a ground meat-like filling (pretty sure it’s made from soy), taco sauce, lettuce, and a slice of American cheese. Like I said, on paper it sounds disgusting, but it’s greasy and oddly satisfying.
The best part of this meal is the curly fries. They’re lightly breaded and seasoned with a mix of garlic and onion powder, and black pepper. The curly fries are definitely in the running for best fast food french fries.
The Bottom Line:
I’m torn on this one. I think it offers great value, but the quality of food you’re getting feels appropriately priced. If you already love Jack in the Box, the $5 Big Meal Deal is a no-brainer. But if you’re not a Jack in the Box fan, this probably won’t convince you to be.
Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.
5. Burger King — $5 Your Way Meal
Price: $5
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
As advertised, this meal is indeed just $5, which we love to see. The Your Way Meal allows you to choose between a Whopper Jr, Bacon Cheeseburger, or Chicken Jr. sandwich and is served with a four-piece order of nuggets, small fries, and a drink.
I chose the Whopper Jr, which had a nice, albeit slightly dry charred flavor, which paired nicely with the white onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo. The fries are good, but not great, and the nuggets feature a zesty and peppery flavor which tastes even better when dipped in some BBQ sauce.
There isn’t anything to hate about this deal, if you love Burger King, this is a great option.
The Bottom Line:
A greatest hits package of some of Burger King’s best menu options. Hard to complain about this one.
Find your nearest Burger King here.
4. Del Taco — Del’s Real Deal$ (Bean & Cheese Burrito With Green Sauce)
Price: $1.99+
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
At just $2 per burrito, this Del Taco deal is one of the few on this ranking that actually feels like a steal. This burrito is better than every Taco Bell burrito, premium grilled burritos included. Inside a warm flour tortilla, you’ve got fresh, slow-cooked beans (rather than powdered like at Taco Bell), freshly grated cheddar cheese, and a hot sauce of your choice.
I’ve had both red and green, and I’m going to strongly suggest you go green. The green burrito features a mild tomatillo green sauce, it’s vegetal, tangy, and has a tiny kick of heat on the backend.
Now, straight up, one burrito isn’t enough to feel satisfied, but you can pick up two of these (or fries and a drink) and still spend less than $5. That feels like a true deal!
The Bottom Line:
A small bite, but a big deal. We’re digging Del Taco’s Del’s Real Deal$ for both the quality of the food and the value.
Find your nearest Del Taco here.
3. McDonald’s — $5 Meal Deal
Price: $5*
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
McDonald’s advertises its Meal Deal is $5 but in California, if you want a McDouble over a McCrispy, it’s going to run you $6. This means this deal is essentially just $6 because who the hell is going to order a McCrispy over a McDouble? I’m trying to eat not make myself sick.
Jokes aside, I find this deal pretty disappointing. The McDouble isn’t great, there is an uncanny fake quality about this burger that comes across like an alien’s version of Earth food (I still rather eat it than the McDouble). The burger features two thin beef patties, two slices of American cheese, lightly grilled onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard.
The flavor is incredibly salty with a strange sweet aftertaste. What makes this meal work though is you also get a four-piece order of chicken nuggets (the perfect amount), an order of french fries, which less face it, is probably the best french fries in all of fast food (we’ve done tests), and a drink.
While I don’t completely love the burger, I can’t deny that altogether this meal is very satisfying.
The Bottom Line:
You’ll probably end up spending more than advertised, but you’ll get a lot of food for your money, so this meal still delivers some value.
Find your nearest McDonald’s here.
2. Checker’s/Rally’s — $5 Meal Deal
Price: $5
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Rally’s $5 Meal Deal is legit! For $5 you get a choice between a Double Cheeseburger or a Spicy Chicken Sandwich, a small order of seasoned fries, a small order of chicken bites, an Apple Pie, and a drink. That’s a lot of food for just $5. Fast food brands, take note, Rally’s knows how to do a deal.
Great price aside, what you get here is also pretty good. I went with a Double Cheeseburger, which features two meat patties sandwiched together by a slice of melted American cheese and topped with ketchup, onions, pickles, and mustard, with the ability to add bacon for just a dollar more. I didn’t do the bacon, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
The burger is beefy, with a salt and pepper seasoned patty which is elevated nicely by the briney pickles and sweet red onions. I would’ve preferred more cheese, but hey, if a single slice of cheese is what helps them keep this deal $5, I’m fine with it.
The fries are heavily breaded and seasoned with black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder, and the chicken bites are a bit dry, but well-seasoned. I never ate the apple pie because I was full from the rest of the food. I consider that a win!
The Bottom Line:
A whole lot of food for $5. Nothing about this meal feels like a ripoff, you’re really getting a lot of bang for your buck here.
Find your nearest Rally’s here.
1. Wendy’s — $5 Biggie Bag
Price: $5*
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag will run you $7 dollars in California, but they’re still calling it the $5 Biggie Bag. That’s straight-up false advertising. But price aside, this was easily the best value meal we tasted.
The Biggie Bag will get you your choice between a Crispy Chicken Sandwich or Junior Bacon Cheeseburger, a four-piece order of nuggets, fries, and a drink. Honestly, you could go either way here, both the sandwich and cheeseburger are great, but I went with the burger because Wendy’s beef is fresh and cooked to order, and for that reason alone, this meal wins.
The burger here is so full of beefy, meaty flavor with some smokey notes courtesy of the best bacon in fast food. The meat practically melts in your mouth as you chew it. Add to that some spicy nuggets, and fries, and you’ve got a full-fledged, satisfying meal
The Bottom Line:
Even though it cost us more than $5, the Biggie Bag still feels like a great deal for the quality and amount of food you get.
Find your nearest Wendy’s here.
