Editor’s note: The author of this article is over the age of 21.
It’s no secret that most college students struggle with their spending. Between the morning coffee that becomes a daily ritual, the cute blouse you see in the Finch window and the never-ending need for paper towels, it’s easy for small purchases to accumulate a large bill quite quickly.
While I try to be conscientious about my spending, to me, there is nothing better than a nice meal out with friends. As a food writer, I have had the opportunity to explore Charlottesville's robust restaurant scene, but can rarely leave an eatery spending under $20.
Through menu sleuthing and boots-on-the-ground taste-testing, I’ve compiled a list of five of my favorite restaurant deals in Charlottesville. From wraps and wings on the Corner to imported wine and tapas on the Downtown Mall, these are the perfect spots to treat both your taste buds and your wallet for under $25.
1. Wing Wednesday at Asado Wing & Taco Company
Starting out with my personal favorite, Wing Wednesday at Asado has become my go-to weeknight dinner spot when I want to dine out without venturing too far from Grounds. The deal includes half-off of your choice of bone-in chicken wings or their cauliflower veggie wings, which normally cost $7 and $9, respectively. As a 10-year-long vegetarian until this past summer, the cauliflower wings were a delicious substitute, and surprisingly filling — especially given what you pay.
Asado offers 12 different wing sauces with varying flavor profiles, including pineapple teriyaki, old bay hot honey and lemon pepper. My personal favorites are the honey barbecue and the spicy garlic, which fall in the middle of the spice spectrum. The best part of this deal is that the wait time for a table, as well as for your meal, are surprisingly quick. The wings are just as good quality as their full-price nights, even though the boneless wings — my personal favorite — do not qualify for the discount.
2. Trinity On The Corner’s Wrap Wednesday and $5 Thursday
Another Wednesday night favorite of mine is Trinity Irish Pub’s Wrap Wednesday — the perfect dinner deal to enjoy while sitting outside with friends as a mid-week treat. Trin offers any of their wraps or salads, which are normally $12, for just $5. The deal also includes a side of your choosing, with fries or a $3 mac and cheese upgrade.
If you do happen to miss out on their Wednesday night deals, Trin has your back on Thursdays as well. For just $5, you can get a cheeseburger with fries, saving you over $6 from their normal pricing. For students over 21 who are ready to ring in the weekend, Trin also offers a $10 natty light pitcher deal on Wednesdays and $10 off Bold Rock pitchers on Thursdays.
3. $19 Happy Hour at Black Cow Chophouse
For a more upscale happy hour venture, Black Cow Chophouse offers their signature Steak Frites, which consists of their cut-of-the-day and a generous helping of twice-cooked Belgian fries with aioli for $19. For an additional $3, diners can enjoy a house salad with their meal, which is topped with pickled onions, radishes, cucumbers and a white wine vinaigrette. While Black Cow features a wide variety of daily steaks, most of their cuts fall between $30 and $60, making their weekly happy hour deal quite the steal. Happy hour runs Wednesday through Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. With five nights to choose from, college students have plenty of chances to treat themselves to a steak dinner without blowing their budget, even if it means moving dinner plans a little earlier.
4. Wednesdays at Bang!
One of my favorite restaurants in Charlottesville is Bang!, an Asian-style tapas restaurant. While their dishes are fantastic, the small plate nature of the meal can make it easy to rack up a substantial bill quite quickly. Thankfully, I discovered they have some great tapas deals on Wednesday, which takes a few dollars off of many of their menu favorites. Some items to note include their Chilled Sesame Cucumber Cashew Noodles, Tempura Sweet Potatoes and Firecracker Shrimp. Instead of spending around $15 per shareable, which adds up quickly when dining with a large group, these rotating menu items are reduced by about $5 a piece. For great quality food and creative combinations, Bang! is the perfect group-outing with options for nearly every palette.
5. Wine Tuesday at Tillman’s
For students 21 and over, Tillman’s on the Downtown Mall offers half-priced bottles of wine from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, taking most of their bottle prices down to roughly $25. Known for their quality wine offerings and tasty charcuterie pairings, Tillmans is a great date night spot to split a bottle and some small bites for an excellent price. The restaurant offers indoor seating and tables on their patio on the Downtown Mall. If you are going on the earlier side, Tillmans has Afternoon Aperetivo deals on weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., including $6 bar bites to pair with their discounted wine. Whether you are planning to stay and linger, or just stopping by for a drink before dinner elsewhere downtown, this wine deal is hard to pass up for your Tuesday plans.
While Charlottesville has no shortage of spots offering weekly deals, these restaurants stand out for delivering both quality and value. Next time you are looking to treat yourself on a budget, stop by the Corner or venture downtown for one of these delicious meals that prove that eating well and spending less do not have to be mutually exclusive.
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