Highest-rated cheap eats in State College by diners

Americans spend a lot of money on eating out—in 2024, that totaled $1.54 trillion, or nearly 59% of all food spending. So, it's only natural to want the best bang for your restaurant dollar.

Value has become a key component of what diners look for when they eat out, with more than 7 in 10 consumers eyeing menus for value meals. At the same time, many diners also look for something new and exciting, hoping to sample new flavors or food with ingredients that are too expensive to make at home.

Many ethnic cuisines also provide a lot of value because they aren't as expensive to produce. Many Mexican dishes fall into this category because tortillas are cheaper to produce than bread. Many Asian cuisines, including Chinese, Filipino, and Cambodian food, also rely on low-cost ingredients and simple food preparation techniques.

Food trucks and street food vendors also offer cheaper food, thanks to lower overhead costs. Their limited menus typically focus on one type of food, allowing them to simplify purchasing and pass the savings on in the form of lower prices.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated cheap eats restaurants within 10 kilometers of the State College area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 8, 2025. Businesses were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews were considered, and a cost of "$" (out of 4) were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.

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Bagel Crust

1 / 25

#25. Bagel Crust

- Rating: 3.2/5 (53 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 332 East Calder Way State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Bagels
- Read more on Yelp

Monte Carlo's Pizza & Wings

2 / 25

#24. Monte Carlo's Pizza & Wings

- Rating: 3.3/5 (46 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 906 West College Ave. Ste 3 State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Pizza, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

The Cove NY Style Pizzeria

3 / 25

#23. The Cove NY Style Pizzeria

- Rating: 3.5/5 (74 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1320B East College Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Pizza, Desserts, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

Pump Station Cafe

4 / 25

#22. Pump Station Cafe

- Rating: 3.5/5 (83 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 103 East Boal Ave. Boalsburg, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Sandwiches, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp

Toasted Bagel Cafe

5 / 25

#21. Toasted Bagel Cafe

- Rating: 3.5/5 (75 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 460 Westerly Pkwy State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Bagels, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Wings Over Happy Valley

6 / 25

#20. Wings Over Happy Valley

- Rating: 3.6/5 (158 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 244 West Hamilton Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Chicken Wings, fast food, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Pita Cabana Cafe

7 / 25

#19. Pita Cabana Cafe

- Rating: 3.6/5 (167 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 334 East Calder Way State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Mediterranean, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

McLanahan's Downtown Market

8 / 25

#18. McLanahan's Downtown Market

- Rating: 3.6/5 (22 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 116 South Allen St. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Grocery, Delis, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

Mr. Lu's Bellefonte Wok Chinese Restaurant

9 / 25

#17. Mr. Lu's Bellefonte Wok Chinese Restaurant

- Rating: 3.7/5 (70 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 111 South Allegheny St. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

The Waffle Shop Downtown

10 / 25

#16. The Waffle Shop Downtown

- Rating: 3.8/5 (142 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 364 East College Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Waffles, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Jim's Italian Cuisine

11 / 25

#15. Jim's Italian Cuisine

- Rating: 3.8/5 (57 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 204 East Cherry Lane Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

State Burger

12 / 25

#14. State Burger

- Rating: 3.8/5 (107 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 101 South Allegheny St. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

Yallah Taco - McAllister Alley

13 / 25

#13. Yallah Taco - McAllister Alley

- Rating: 3.9/5 (95 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 217 Mcallister Aly State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Café Wow

14 / 25

#12. Café Wow

- Rating: 3.9/5 (37 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 234 East College Ave. Unit C State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Cafes, Desserts, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp

Chopstick Express

15 / 25

#11. Chopstick Express

- Rating: 3.9/5 (48 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 134 East College Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Penn Kebab

16 / 25

#10. Penn Kebab

- Rating: 4.0/5 (67 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 418 East College Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Turkish, Wraps
- Read more on Yelp

The Waffle Shop Bellefonte

17 / 25

#9. The Waffle Shop Bellefonte

- Rating: 4.0/5 (59 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 127 West Bishop St. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, American
- Read more on Yelp

Brothers Pizza and Pasta

18 / 25

#8. Brothers Pizza and Pasta

- Rating: 4.0/5 (51 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 253 Benner Pike State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Hofbrau

19 / 25

#7. Hofbrau

- Rating: 4.1/5 (80 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 106 East Bishop St. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Big Bowl Noodle House

20 / 25

#6. Big Bowl Noodle House

- Rating: 4.3/5 (273 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 418 East College Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Chinese, Taiwanese, Noodles
- Read more on Yelp

Margarita's Pizzeria

21 / 25

#5. Margarita's Pizzeria

- Rating: 4.4/5 (90 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 222 West Beaver Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Pizza, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

Shaker's Grill

22 / 25

#4. Shaker's Grill

- Rating: 4.4/5 (25 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 137 East Beaver Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Street Vendors
- Read more on Yelp

Webster's Bookstore Cafe

23 / 25

#3. Webster's Bookstore Cafe

- Rating: 4.4/5 (68 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 133 East Beaver Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Bookstores, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

Café Lemont

24 / 25

#2. Café Lemont

- Rating: 4.5/5 (108 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 921 Pike St. Ste 103 Lemont, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Original Waffle Shop

25 / 25

#1. Original Waffle Shop

- Rating: 4.5/5 (183 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1610 West College Ave. State College, Pennsylvania
- Categories: Waffles
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 388 metros.