Local Restaurant Named One of the ‘Top 10 Best Cheap Eats in the U.S.’

You don’t need to empty your wallet to enjoy a meal in Tucson! We occasionally share “Eating on the Cheap” articles featuring some of our favorite deals in town, but sometimes local, inexpensive bites get national attention.

CashNetUSA did a little digging and identified the top-rated low-cost restaurants in every state. They threw together a list for 2024 and ranked budget-friendly eateries by their five-star rating on Yelp in more than 500 U.S. cities.

Here in Tucson, Raptor Canyon Cafe at 75 E. Pennington St. made it into the top 10!

10 Highest-Rated Spots for Cheap Eats

“We checked out budget eateries in 500 American cities to find the best spots in the country,” said Matt Pelkey of CashNetUSA. “The highest rated in the land is Lola’s Kitchen in Hampton, New Hampshire, with an average rating of 4.97 stars.”

Raptor Canyon Cafe’s rating is a sweet 4.90 stars.

Birds of Passage

The Calello family opened Raptor Canyon Cafe in September 2018.

Dennis and Konni are originally from New Jersey, following their kids to Tucson. When they decided to open Raptor Canyon Cafe, they made sure it remained a family-run restaurant with a focus on scratch-made home cooking.

The name Raptor Canyon came from their love of birds of prey and is symbolic of the family’s move/migration westward.

The breakfast and lunch menus are birds of a feather, so to speak — everything is homemade. Raptor Canyon has something for most folks, from breakfast sandwiches and burritos in the morning to wraps, salads, plates, pasta, and even a dedicated mac and cheese menu for lunch.

The cafe is currently open from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Monday – Friday (subject to change, as always).

Raptor Canyon Cafe is located at 75 E. Pennington St. For more information, call (520) 336-5698 or visit raptorcanyoncafe.com.

Read our February 2020 article, “Warming Hearts with Home-Style Cooking.”

For more cheap eats around the U.S., visit cashnetusa.com.