Going out for dinner (or breakfast or lunch …) is such a treat. But to find a place to eat that is good and cheap food can be difficult – to help, here are the best restaurants to visit.
If you love going out for dinner but don’t want to spend a fortune, you’ve come to the right place.
The key to finding a great place to eat is not just finding restaurants that serve your favorite foods, but also finding restaurants with generous student discounts. Fortunately, we know many who can do both.
Read on for our list of the best chain restaurants to try …
Wondering where to eat tonight? These are the best restaurants for great food at affordable prices:
Brew dog
Best for: Burger, pizza and beer
Price range: medium
Student discount: Burger or pizza plus a punk IPA for £ 10 (£ 15 in London).
If you haven’t already, well worth going to a BrewDog restaurant for dinner. In addition to the main discount offer for students (above), they also regularly offer free pint deals that we post in the “Offers” section of our website.
As an added benefit, check out the Dog Mail scheme, which allows you to send a postcard to a friend in another city (including international) that they can pick up at the local BrewDog bar.
Nando
Best for: Peri-peri chicken
Price range: medium
Student discount: None, but they do give rescue workers a 20% discount so that, for example, student nurses are eligible.
Nando is a student classic.
They are best known for their chicken dishes, but they also have some really tasty vegetarian options like hat wraps and vegetarian side dishes like coleslaw, creamy porridge, and more.
If you’re feeling particularly cheeky, check out our Top Ways to Get Free & Cheap Nando’s …
MC Donalds
Best for: Cheap and quick burgers, fries and chicken nuggets
Price range: Low
Student discount: Free cheeseburger, mayo chicken or McFlurry with the purchase of an Extra Value or Wrap Meal.
There are so many McDonald’s restaurants across the country that anywhere in the UK there is sure to be one near you.
It’s no secret that McDonald’s has super cheap food on the menu – but not all students know that there are many ways to get their meals for even less money.
As with Nando’s, we also happen to have a guide on how to get free and cheap McDonald’s. You’re welcome. 😉
Las iguanas
Best for: Latin American food and cocktails
Price range: medium
Student discount: 40% discount on food and 25% discount on drinks (only 40% discount on food in Scotland).
The student discount in Las Iguanas is among the highest for high street restaurants, which makes them perfect for anyone looking to eat well on a budget.
Free cocktails are also offered from time to time. So keep an eye out for our deals page for the best deals.
Shake shack
Best for: Burgers and milkshakes
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: Buy a burger and get one for free.
If you’re looking for good burgers at reasonable prices, we recommend trying Shake Shack.
They use local produce for their meals, including Aberdeen Angus beef, which is grass-fed in Scotland, pork that was raised on a family farm, and chicken, which is British and cage-free.
Chiquito
Best for: Mexican food and cocktails
Price range: medium
Student discount: 25% discount.
From tortillas to burgers to fajitas, there are so many great dishes at Chiquito.
There are a number of restaurant branches in the UK. So if you’re looking for a Mexican restaurant nearby, give Chiquito a try.
In addition to the main meals, you can also try the cocktails or mocktails or even one of the tequilas they offer (but please drink responsibly!).
And if you go out for breakfast, try the Mexican Benedict for a tasty twist on a classic brunch.
revolution
Best for: Bar food and drinks
Price range: medium
Student discount: 25% discount on food plus reduced prices for selected drinks.
Revolution (a.k.a. Revs) is ideal for bar meals and a lively atmosphere.
The menu includes warm duck salad, nachos, pizza, and cookie dough. Were sold.
YO! sushi
Best for: sushi
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: 20% discount on groceries.
At YO! Sushi, depending on how many dishes you buy, can get a little pricey. However, be aware of the 20% discount – this will be very helpful.
In addition to the hearty sushi, you can also enjoy sweet treats like a chocolate brownie with salted caramel sauce and strawberry cheesecake mochi (cheesecake in a sweet rice bowl).
Pizza Hut
Best for: Pizza and pasta
Price range: medium
Student discount: 20% discount on groceries.
Just when you thought it couldn’t be much better than Pizza Hut’s filled crust pizza – you discover you can get it at 20% off.
If you want to save money on takeaway as well, remember that you can also get a 20% student discount on Pizza Hut Takeaway.
tortilla
Best for: Burritos, tacos, quesadillas and nachos
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: 10% reduced.
If you are in the mood for tacos and burritos, tortilla is a great place to eat. They are best known for these dishes, but we also recommend trying their quesadillas and nachos.
Their portions are pretty big and they are reasonably priced (which are even better with a 10% student discount!).
Gourmet burger cuisine
Best for: Chic burgers, milkshakes and drinks
Price range: medium
Student discount: 25% discount on groceries.
A fancy burger after a particularly busy appointment or exam is hard to beat – and Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) is one of the best burger places on the high street.
On days when you Really If you’re looking to go out for dinner, you can also try the filling and ridiculously good milkshakes – options include oreo, double Belgian chocolate, and sea salt caramel. Do we have to say more?
The real Greek
Best for: Souvlaki wraps and meze dishes
Price range: medium
Student discount: 25% discount on the main menu.
The Real Greek is definitely one of the best restaurants for students.
As the name suggests, they specialize in Greek cuisine and their restaurants are especially nice to visit if you are hoping for food to share with friends and family.
They have both hot and cold meze options like halloumi fries, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), and tzatziki.
Or if you’re more of a “Joey doesn’t share food” person, their souvlaki wraps are amazing.
Crepe affair
Best for: Sweet and savory crepes
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: 15% discount on food and drink at participating locations.
Crepes and coffee?
Crêpeaffaire is such a lovely place to eat – whether it’s for breakfast, dinner, lunch or dinner, or dessert, it’s hard to imagine a bad time for crêpes.
And the student discount of 15% makes the meal even more attractive …
Wagamama
Best for: Japanese inspired food
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: None, but they occasionally have offers for students.
Whether you order curry, ramen, teppanyaki or another equally good dish in Wagamama, it’s always hard to resist a meal there.
While they don’t have a student discount program, they do have student offers from time to time that we post here.
Barburrito
Best for: Burritos and churros
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: Regular burrito for £ 5.50 or 20% off.
Burritos are a bit more expensive at Barburrito than at Tortilla (even with student discounts).
However, if there isn’t a tortilla restaurant near you, it’s there is A barburrito is a very good alternative and should only cost you 10 to 20 pence more per burrito.
Honest burgers
Best for: Good burger
Price range: medium
Student discount: 30% reduced.
If you like burgers with British beef patties, rosemary chips and local beer, find out if there is an Honest Burgers restaurant in your town.
Not a meat eater? You can try the vegetarian burgers, including a burger with meat-free bacon and vegan smoked Gouda.
Papa John’s Pizza
Best for: Pizza
Price range: medium
Student discount: Get a big pizza, garlic pizza sticks, and potato tots for £ 14.99.
Papa John makes some great student deals.
In addition to their main offering for students (above), they are also known to offer it free pizza to students who register online with their university e-mail addresses.
Before ordering, check our Papa John’s Student Discounts page to see if this or any other offer is currently available.
Lean chickens
Best for: Chicken tender and wings
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: 20% sale.
For big, hearty servings of chicken and fries, try Slim Chickens.
In addition to their student discount of 20%, they often have good additional offers. You can access many offers by downloading their app. We also post the best deals on our Student Deals page.
Itsu
Best for: Sushi and noodle soups
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: 15% discount.
Are you hoping for a little healthier fast food? Itsu are ideal.
They not only offer sushi and salads, but also delicious hot dishes such as veggie’gyoza udon, miso soup and bao rolls.
Byron Burger
Best for: Burger and craft beer
Price range: medium
Student discount: 30% reduced.
Burgers, ales, and milkshakes: Byron’s menu has quite a few very Pleasure meals.
Their milkshakes are already delicious, but they also make “hardshakes” that contain bourbon or rum.
Plus, they sometimes offer bottomless fries with burgers. So watch out for this offer …
La Tasca
Best for: Tapas and paella
Price range: medium
Student discount: 25% discount on groceries and purchase you get one free for cocktails and selected gins.
Tapas is always a good reputation.
La Tasca recommends choosing two or three tapas dishes per person, which could get a little pricey, but the 25% student discount makes a big difference.
Their paella is worth trying too. However, if you can, try to go with someone else who would get it too – La Tasca’s paella pans are suitable for two, so the dish must be ordered by an even number of people (unless you only want one large amount of paella for you of course).
Zizzi
Best for: Pizza and pasta
Price range: medium
Student discount: 30% reduced.
Are you looking for Italian food near you?
There are many Zizzi restaurants across the UK, and their pizzas, pastas and cocktails make them solid choices for a meal with friends.
giraffe
Best for: Tapas, burgers and brunch
Price range: medium
Student discount: 30% discount on groceries.
Giraffe is another great tapas restaurant and has great breakfast and brunch options too.
While their Big Brunch is pretty hearty already, Giraffe’s Bigger Bruch (you guessed it) is even bigger. It contains three smoky strips of bacon, two sausages, baked beans, two eggs, two hash browns, tomatoes, a flat mushroom and toast. Impressive.
Pho
Best for: Vietnamese cuisine
Price range: medium
Student discount: 25% discount on groceries.
As the name of the restaurant suggests, Pho (pronounced “fuh”) specializes in a dish called “pho”. This is the national dish of Vietnam – it’s a hot rice noodle soup with fresh herbs, and you can choose which meat, seafood or vegetarian ingredients to add.
Phos menu also includes curries, noodles and desserts. There are so many tempting dishes to choose from …
Frankie & Benny’s
Best for: Pizza, pasta and burgers
Price range: medium
Student discount: 25% discount on groceries.
If you really want to indulge yourself, Frankie & Benny’s make tons of student favorites: burgers, chicken, pizza, and more.
They often have great deals like food deals which, as always, we share on our student deals and discounts page for you.
Taco Bell
Best for: Tacos and quesadillas
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: 15% discount on groceries.
If you love tacos, quesadillas, and burritos, you are going to love Taco Bell.
Their Chalupa (which they themselves describe as “world famous”) is particularly valuable. Crispy on the outside and tough on the inside, then filled with minced meat, vegetables and sauce, it’s a delight.
Ed’s Easy Diner
Best for: Burgers, hot dogs, and all-day breakfast
Price range: medium
Student discount: 30% discount on groceries.
Ed’s Easy Diner started out as a diner in America and is now a huge chain serving iconic US dishes like burgers and hot dogs, as well as a full breakfast that can be ordered all day.
They offer a pretty good student discount and for more deals sign up for their club online. As a welcome gift, you will receive a free starter or dessert when you order a main meal and a milkshake as a birthday present.
Prezzo
Best for: Pizza, pasta, grill and risotto
Price range: medium
Student discount: 25% discount on groceries.
Prezzo has a pretty similar menu to Zizzi, but the student discount isn’t quite so generous.
Still, it is worth considering if there is a restaurant near you.
Often times, there are deals like food specials that can help you cut the cost of your bill a little. So see what to win before you book.
LEON
Best for: Healthier fast food
Price range: Low – medium
Student discount: 15% discount on groceries.
LEON makes some really good meals that are quick to prepare and not overly expensive. The portions aren’t huge, but they’re perfect for breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
While they have some meat and fish dishes, they mainly specialize in vegetarian and vegan fast food.
We recommend the LOVe burger with beetroot soy patties, vegan Gouda cheese and vegetable fillings. You will love it.
Are you looking for even more gourmet offers? Check out the restaurant section in our student discount directory. 😍
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