Highest-rated cheap eats in Charleston, West Virginia 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 Charleston 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.

Harding's Family Restaurant

1 / 25

#25. Harding's Family Restaurant

- Rating: 3.3/5 (79 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2772 Pennsylvania Ave. Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, American, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Cozumel Mexican Restaurant

2 / 25

#24. Cozumel Mexican Restaurant

- Rating: 3.3/5 (61 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1120 Fledderjohn Road Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Casa Garcia Mexican Restaurant

3 / 25

#23. Casa Garcia Mexican Restaurant

- Rating: 3.4/5 (39 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 19 River Walk Mall Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Main Kwong

4 / 25

#22. Main Kwong

- Rating: 3.5/5 (134 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1407 Washington St. East Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Main Tin Restaurant

5 / 25

#21. Main Tin Restaurant

- Rating: 3.6/5 (64 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 242 7th Ave. Southwest Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Graziano's Pizza

6 / 25

#20. Graziano's Pizza

- Rating: 3.6/5 (80 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 243 Capitol St. Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Fortune Pavilion

7 / 25

#19. Fortune Pavilion

- Rating: 3.7/5 (26 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1916 Bigley Ave. Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Chinese, Japanese
- Read more on Yelp

Giovanni's Pizza

8 / 25

#18. Giovanni's Pizza

- Rating: 3.7/5 (55 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 118 Spring St. Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Italian, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Graziano's Pizza Express Dunbar

9 / 25

#17. Graziano's Pizza Express Dunbar

- Rating: 3.8/5 (20 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 925 Dunbar Ave. Dunbar, West Virginia
- Categories: Italian, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Quarrier Diner

10 / 25

#16. Quarrier Diner

- Rating: 3.9/5 (35 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1022 Quarrier St. Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: American, Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Suzi's Hamburgers

11 / 25

#15. Suzi's Hamburgers

- Rating: 3.9/5 (43 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 239 MacCorkle Ave. Southwest Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

China Buffet

12 / 25

#14. China Buffet

- Rating: 3.9/5 (70 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5707 Maccorkle Ave. Southeast Ste 40 Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Chinese, Buffets, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

The Grill

13 / 25

#13. The Grill

- Rating: 4.0/5 (41 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 117 Washington St. West Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Beer Bar, Comfort Food, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

Sam's Hot Dogs

14 / 25

#12. Sam's Hot Dogs

- Rating: 4.0/5 (29 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4012 Malden Drive Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Hot Dogs, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

WV Brick Oven Bistro -T&M Meats

15 / 25

#11. WV Brick Oven Bistro -T&M Meats

- Rating: 4.1/5 (52 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5254 Big Tyler Road Cross Lanes, West Virginia
- Categories: Delis, Pizza, Sports Bars
- Read more on Yelp

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Los Agaves

16 / 25

#10. Los Agaves

- Rating: 4.1/5 (48 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1001 Dunbar Ave. Dunbar, West Virginia
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Graziano's Pizza

17 / 25

#9. Graziano's Pizza

- Rating: 4.1/5 (52 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 12 River Walk Mall South Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Italian, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

Los Amigos

18 / 25

#8. Los Amigos

- Rating: 4.2/5 (52 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2911 7th Ave. Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream

19 / 25

#7. Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.4/5 (148 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 225 Capitol St. Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Wraps
- Read more on Yelp

Swiftwater Cafe

20 / 25

#6. Swiftwater Cafe

- Rating: 4.4/5 (85 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 405 Capitol St. Ste 105 Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Cafes, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Cafe Appalachia

21 / 25

#5. Cafe Appalachia

- Rating: 4.5/5 (65 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 206 D St. South Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Yen's Sandwiches

22 / 25

#4. Yen's Sandwiches

- Rating: 4.6/5 (140 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 606 D St. South Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Vietnamese
- Read more on Yelp

Hawaiian Grille

23 / 25

#3. Hawaiian Grille

- Rating: 4.6/5 (23 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3000 Charleston Town Center Charleston Town Center Mall Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Hawaiian
- Read more on Yelp

Taylor Books

24 / 25

#2. Taylor Books

- Rating: 4.6/5 (170 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 226 Capitol St. Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Art Galleries, Bookstores, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

Best of Crete

25 / 25

#1. Best of Crete

- Rating: 4.9/5 (52 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 816 Beech Ave. Charleston, West Virginia
- Categories: Greek
- 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.