Five Cheap Places to Eat Lunch in Lynchburg, Virginia

We've all been there -- your lunch break rolls around, you didn't brown-bag it today, and you've only got a few bucks to spare. Well, in Lynchburg, that's no problem. Here are five places I've found that will serve you a cheap, delicious lunch and, as a bonus, get you out of there before your lunch hour ends.

For the record, I define "cheap" as "one person can eat lunch there for five bucks or less." Sometimes, this means you might have to get water instead of a soda. And maybe the five-dollar figure doesn't always include the tip you should leave. But you get the idea. Entrees that start at $8.95 and only go up are not on this list (though they have their place, too, of course).

A disclaimer: This is not a "top five" list. Don't be upset if your favorite cheap lunch spot isn't on this list. Frankly, I think Lynchburg is full of fantastic places to eat lunch cheap. This is just a list of five places I like to go to eat.

Also, I left fast-food places like McDonald's and Burger King off the list because everybody already knows about them.

1. Yellow Sub - Located off Old Forest Road, Yellow Sub is a great local alternative to sandwich shops like Subway or Quizno's. The service is fast and friendly. The food is great. The sandwiche prices are cheap, comparable to Subway, but the small sub at Yellow Sub is eight inches long, not six inches. Plus, they have pita pockets, a personal favorite of mine. If you've never been to eat there, keep an eye out on Old Forest Road for the sign. The sub shop itself is a little bit hidden.

2. La Carreta - This is a Mexican restaurant chain, or franchise, or something. Anyway, it's fantastic. There are several locations in Lynchburg, including one on Timberlake Road and a new one in the Wards Crossing West shopping center. I prefer to eat at the one on Langhorne Road, near the hospital, simply because of its location. The service is excellent and very, very fast. The food is consistently good, and the cheapest lunch entree, the Speedy Gonzales, is $3.15.

3. Myrt's Hot Dogs - This is the big pink building on Candlers Mountain Road. If you want hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch, it's hard to find a better and cheaper place. My favorite is the footlong hot dog, but you can also get the smaller "puppy dog" size. Available toppings include chili, relish, mustard, onions and even bacon. A footlong with fries and a soda is about four dollars, and there are cheaper choices than that if you're feeling especially thrifty.

4. Donald's Bagels and Bites - Donald's is on Lakeside Drive, in the shopping center in front of The News & Advance. They have a large selection of bagels, meats and cheeses, so you can make pretty much any kind of bagel sandwich you want. They also serve breakfast bagels, if you want to eat egg on your bagel instead of lunch meat. Like the other places listed here, lunch is cheap at Donald's and the service is quick.

5. Famous Anthony's - This franchise/chain is on Wards Road near Kroger. It has a large selection of sandwiches and entrees at a variety of prices (and many are very cheap). I think most people would be unable to find at least one thing, if not many things, they didn't like to eat for lunch.