Blog › Cheap Lunch Guelph
Best Cheap Lunch Specials in Guelph 2026
Guelph's best lunch deals aren't on the front page of any restaurant's website. They're chalkboard specials, weekday-only menus, and midday pricing that disappears the moment the afternoon shift starts. This guide rounds up the best cheap lunch specials in Guelph in 2026 — verified prices, real hours, and enough detail to actually help you choose where to go.
Everything below comes in at $15 or under for a full meal. Where prices are higher, we've noted it clearly. All deals are weekday unless specified. Always call ahead — lunch menus can change without notice.
Quick Reference: Cheap Lunch Spots in Guelph
| Restaurant | Lunch Price | Hours / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Williams Fresh Cafe | Under $10 | All day · Edinburgh Rd S |
| The Bookshelf Café | From $8 | 11 am – 3 pm · Downtown |
| Wimpy's Diner | Under $12 | All day · Downtown |
| Royal City Restaurant | $10 combos | All day · Edinburgh Rd N |
| Buon Gusto | Lunch specials | Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:30 pm |
| La Cucina | Lunch pasta | Mon–Fri lunch hours · Downtown |
| Crafty Ramen | Under $15 | Lunch daily · Downtown |
| Symposium Cafe | Lunch menu | Weekdays · Stone Rd W |
| East Side Mario's | AYCE pasta | Lunch daily · Stone Rd W |
| Sam's Grill | $5 combo | All day Mon · Wellington St W |
Best Cheap Lunch in Downtown Guelph
Downtown Guelph has the most variety for a cheap weekday lunch — cafés, Italian, ramen, and diner classics within a 10-minute walk of each other.
Downtown GuelphThe Bookshelf Café
Best Café LunchSoup, sandwich or salad from ~$8
41 Quebec St · 519-821-3311 · Mon–Sat 11 am–3 pm
The downtown bookstore-cinema combo runs one of the cheapest café lunches in Guelph. The rotating daily soup with bread and a sandwich combo is consistently under $12. Good coffee, quiet space, and no rush to turn the table.
Wimpy's Diner
All-Day LunchClassic diner burgers & sandwiches under $12
25 Wyndham St N · 519-836-6144 · Open daily from 7 am
A Guelph institution — old-school diner format with burgers, club sandwiches, breakfast all day, and generous portions well under $15. The double cheeseburger with fries is a reliable cheap lunch that doesn't require a reservation or a lunch window. Just show up.
Buon Gusto
Weekday OnlyWeekday Italian lunch specials · Wood-fired pizza
2 Wyndham St N · 519-837-9400 · Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:30 pm
St. George's Square location. Buon Gusto runs a proper lunch-only menu weekdays — pasta dishes, pizza, and Italian mains at lunch prices that don't appear on the regular dinner menu. The midday window is strict: show up after 2:30 and you're paying evening rates.
La Cucina
Weekday OnlyWeekday lunch pasta specials · Authentic Italian
Downtown Guelph · Mon–Fri lunch hours
Fresh pasta at lunch prices is the draw here. La Cucina is one of the better independent Italian spots in downtown Guelph, and the weekday lunch menu makes it accessible for a midday meal that doesn't feel like a compromise. Call ahead for today's specials — they change.
Crafty Ramen
Ramen bowls under $15 · Bowl & Bun combo $22 Wednesday
17 Macdonell St · Downtown Guelph
A proper ramen bowl for under $15 is one of the better cheap lunch deals in downtown Guelph. On Wednesdays they run a Bowl & Bun deal (any ramen + steamed bun for $22) that stretches into lunch — but the regular menu keeps most bowls under $15 on its own. Warming, filling, good for a solo lunch.
Royal City Restaurant & Tavern
Best $10 MealEight combination plates — all $10.00 each, all day
241 Edinburgh Rd N · Available all day
This is the most straightforward cheap lunch deal in Guelph — eight different combination plates, every single one priced at exactly $10. No lunch window, no weekday restriction. Just show up and pick one. The kind of deal that should be busier than it is.
Downtown lunch tip: The block of Wyndham, Macdonell, Baker, and Quebec covers the densest cluster of cheap lunch options in Guelph. Buon Gusto and La Cucina are your best bets for Italian. The Bookshelf for a relaxed café lunch. Wimpy's if you want something substantial without fuss. All of them are within a short walk of each other and close to parking on Wyndham.
Best Cheap Lunch Near University of Guelph
The Stone Road and Edinburgh corridor has the best options for a cheap lunch near U of G — bigger portions, more casual, and a few spots that do all-you-can-eat.
Stone Rd & EdinburghWilliams Fresh Cafe
Cheapest Sit-Down LunchBowls, sandwiches & soup under $10
492 Edinburgh Rd S · 519-836-2233 · Open daily
The cheapest sit-down lunch near U of G — bowls, wraps, sandwiches, and soup that all come in under $10. The closest thing to a student-budget café in Guelph outside of campus. Portions are generous for the price. Good spot for a quick lunch that doesn't sacrifice quality.
Symposium Cafe
Big PortionsWeekday lunch menu · $10 burgers on Mondays
304 Stone Rd W · 519-824-4138 · Weekdays
Symposium runs a weekday lunch menu near U of G with the kind of portion sizes that actually keep you full through an afternoon of lectures. Family-friendly, easy walk from campus, and on Mondays the $10 burger special runs at lunch as well as dinner — one of the better Monday cheap lunch deals in Guelph.
East Side Mario's
Best Value for VolumeAll-you-can-eat pasta + unlimited breadsticks
370 Stone Rd W · 519-763-7861 · Lunch daily
The most food-per-dollar at lunch in Guelph. All-you-can-eat pasta with unlimited breadsticks and salad — the kind of lunch that makes a mid-afternoon snack unnecessary. Group-friendly, no reservations needed for lunch, and the Stone Rd location is easy to get to. Best cheap lunch in Guelph for volume.
Lunch Deals That Also Run During the Day
Some of Guelph's weekly night specials actually run all day — including into the lunch hour. Worth knowing if you want cheap wings or ribs at noon.
St. Louis Bar & Grill
Tuesdays All DayHalf-price wings — all day Tuesday
202 Clair Rd E · 519-763-0265
St. Louis runs half-price wings on Tuesdays and the deal starts at lunch — not just dinner. If you want cheap wings at noon on a Tuesday, this is your best option in Guelph. Call ahead to confirm the exact start time.
Montana's BBQ & Bar
WednesdaysRib Night — full rack + sides for $22.99
Guelph locations · Wednesdays
Montana's Wednesday Rib Night runs into the afternoon on Wednesdays. At $22.99 for a full rack with sides it's over the $15 mark, but it's genuinely the best mid-week lunch deal for anyone who wants ribs. The only cheap rib lunch in Guelph.
Sam's Grill
Mondays All Day$5 Double Burger Combo — all day Monday
715 Wellington St W · 519-767-2557
Sam's $5 double burger combo is one of the cheapest lunch deals in Guelph, full stop. It runs all day Monday — so Monday is both a cheap lunch and a cheap dinner. A quick takeout option in the west end of the city.
Best days for cheap lunch in Guelph: Monday (Sam's $5 combo, Symposium $10 burger, Royal City $10 plates all day) · Tuesday (St. Louis half-price wings from lunch) · Wednesday (Montana's rib deal runs midday) · Any weekday (Buon Gusto, La Cucina, The Bookshelf, Williams Fresh Cafe).
How to Get the Cheapest Lunch in Guelph
Stick to the weekday lunch window. Most restaurant lunch specials in Guelph run Monday to Friday between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm. Show up at 2:45 pm and you'll pay dinner prices for the same dish. Buon Gusto and La Cucina are strict about this. The Bookshelf and Wimpy's are more flexible.
Ask about chalkboard specials. Many Guelph restaurants — especially the independents — run daily or weekly lunch features that never make it online. Royal City Restaurant's $10 combo plates aren't always on the website. La Cucina's pasta of the day changes. Just ask when you sit down.
Skip the drink at the restaurant. A pint or glass of wine adds $8–10 to a lunch that would otherwise be under $12. If you're budgeting, coffee or water keeps the whole bill under $12 even with tip. There's no judgement — restaurants appreciate the quick turnover at lunch.
Monday is underrated for cheap lunch. Sam's Grill's $5 double burger combo runs all day Monday, Symposium's $10 burger runs at lunch, and Royal City's $10 plates are available any day. Monday has more cheap lunch options than most people realise — see the full Monday deals page for everything that runs during the day.
East Side Mario's is unbeatable for volume. If you need to eat a lot for not much money, AYCE pasta and unlimited breadsticks at East Side Mario's is the answer. It's not the most sophisticated lunch in Guelph but it's the best value-per-dollar in the city at midday.
A quick Google review helps more Guelph locals find the site — and keeps it free for everyone.
Leave us a Google review →