I went on a mission to find substantial food at a price point of $5 or less. Not an easy challenge in an economy of rising prices. Below are some of the options I found in Bend which may not make a meal but are filling enough to satisfy a craving.
Sliders
Sliders are usually a tasty, affordable option. Nosh offers four flavors. The Ugly Pig is smoked pulled pork, apple, carrot and ginger slaw. The Reuben is what you’d expect with corned beef and sauerkraut. The Brisket is topped with horseradish and crispy onion. The vegetarian option, which is one of the tastiest vegetarian sandwiches in town, is Funguy, with crimini mushrooms, smoked gouda and rosemary black garlic aioli. ($5 for 1/$13 for 3)
Burger or Brat
Normally a gas station grill wouldn’t be a first choice for lunch, but when they’re slinging up burgers for $4.99 it’s worth trying. Every Wednesday through summer, Expressway on SE Reed Market sets up a barbecue in the parking lot where you can buy a cheeseburger or a brat sandwich for $4.99. The burger is juicy with a nice grilled flavor. You have a choice of cheddar or pepper jack cheese. The brat is a tasty Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter Bacon Gouda Sausage.
Rice Balls
Cotto offers four rice ball flavors but only two are $5: Cheese and Mushroom. For an extra buck you can choose Carbonara or Pepperoni. The $5 rice balls have a crispy exterior. Inside is a thick layer of rice with cheese or mushrooms at the heart. It’s a good size for the price and comes with marinara dipping sauce.
Bagel Bliss
There are 18 flavors of bagels you can choose from at Big O Bagels: Jalapeno Chedder, Sun Dried Tomato, Blueberry , Cinnamon Raison, Bacon Cheddar, Chocolate Chip, Rosemarry, 3 Cheese and your standards like Poppy or Everything.
In addition, you can choose from eight flavors of cream cheese including 3 Pepper, Toffuti (vegan), Lox & Chives or Vanilla. Other spread options include nutella, peanut butter & jelly or hummus. Mix and match how you’d like, it all adds up to less than $5.
Breakfast Sandwich
Reed Crossing Market is trying to set itself apart from other gas station markets by offering locally made products. In addition, it offers a Bacon Gouda or Sausage Cheddar egg sandwich, each for $5, but you have to grab them before 11am. You can upgrade to burrito for an extra buck. They also offer pasta salads for $4. The Chicken Fusilli has a creamy pesto sauce which had a light, mild flavor.
This article appears in Source Weekly June 19, 2025.
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