Today's Takeout Pick: 10 Under $10

Much of the restaurant industry has had to rapidly change its business model due to COVID-19, and we’re trying to highlight the Nashville places that are attempting to stay open. Each day we will give you a critic’s pick for a restaurant and a dish, as well as a running list of restaurants still open that you can support. Today: 10 different items for less than $10.

We at the Scene take a lot of pride in being cheap. In a pre-pandemic world, we’d scour the city for deals and discounts, tips and tricks, so everyone could eat out like a pro. Now? It’s less fun to feel like you’re really pulling one over on your local watering hole by eating 15 $2 tacos on Tuesday.

Nashville restaurants are hurting, and so are a lot of Nashvillians. Many of us aren’t in a place right now to splurge on takeout, but we want to do our part. The good news: In addition to being unceasingly committed to the community and to each other, Nashville restaurants are also still committed to a great deal.

Here are 10 ways to #CarryOutAndCarryOn without breaking the bank.

Oscar’s Taco Shop

Breakfast burrito — $5.75If there’s a cardinal sin of breakfast burritos, it’s jamming them full of potatoes and skimping on the eggs we all came for. Not at Oscar’s. At any of their seven Nashville locations, you can get a huge, tightly wrapped burrito packed with griddled meat (steak, ham, bacon, sausage, chicken or pork), fluffy eggs and melty cheese for less than $6. If your burrito clocks in at less than two pounds, I’ll reimburse you.

The Red Bicycle

The O.G. — $7As a food writer, I eat my share of fancy things, but there are two things on this list I eat every week, and this is one. The O.G. is a simple sandwich: bagel, fried egg, cheese, choice of meat. The Bicycle’s version stands out for a few reasons: the ham is always crisped; the everything bagel is toasted, squishy and not too thick; and the cheese is melted. The last one seems like a non-negotiable on any hot breakfast sandwich with cheese. I assure you it is not. The Bicycle does it right.

Lakeside Lounge

Bar Crudites — $7 If you’re ordering Attaboy cocktails to go, you’re going to need at least one food item to keep things legal. While Lakeside’s Old Bay waffle fries — and really all their comfort food — are delicious, it’s good to throw in something green every once in a while. Enter crudites. Crunchy veggies like carrots, celery and cauliflower are served with green goddess salad dressing. Their version of goddess is made with tahini, so it’s especially nutty, addictive and likely to start fights, which is likely why they give you two servings.

TKO

Char siu mushrooms — $8Mushrooms cooked like meat are always a good idea, and TKO’s version is no exception. Flavored the same way Cantonese barbecued pork would be, shiitake and button mushrooms are stir-fried before being bathed in Chinese BBQ sauce. The result is a soupy, satisfying, umami-packed side dish that will secretly steal the show (and make a great sauce for leftover fried rice or noodles). Give me a saucy 'shroom or give me death.

Margot Cafe & Bar

Housemade potato chips with aioli — $5If there’s one item on this list that makes me feel like a moron, it’s this. For years, I’ve been going to Margot and getting swept up in whatever seasonal appetizer was on the menu, skipping right over the potato chips. Nevermore. The crispy, golden-brown chips are light and so perfectly salted that you don’t have to have the aioli that comes with them, but you’ll want it anyway. Leave it to Margot McCormack to give us a bite that reads both “fancy French bistro” and also “couch potato” all at once.

51st Deli

Turkey Avocado — $9Remember the two things I eat every week? This is the second one. While I struggled with whether to put Bicycle’s O.G. or 51st Deli’s The Plain on this list (they’re both simple breakfast sandwiches that get it extremely right), I had to opt for the Turkey Avocado. This sandwich stacks a ton of Boar’s Head turkey on a hero layered with sharp cheddar cheese, rich mayo and avocado, salty bacon, and tart, crunchy pickled red onions. In a city where the turkey avocado market has long been cornered, 51st Deli makes an admirable run at the title with a brand new take.

The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club

Smoked goat cheese spread with baguette — $10Another entry in the “I had to order this to get my booze” category, the smoked goat cheese at The Fox is a true sleeper hit of quarantine. The salty, luscious dip is reminiscent of Butcher & Bee’s whipped feta (and also topped with honey) but with a smoldery finish that’s pretty flawless on the chewy baguette it comes with. Order two.

Cafe Roze

Brown butter chocolate chip cookies — 2 for $7You read the title, so describing these cookies feels unnecessary, but I’ll give it The Old College. For $7, Roze gives you two gargantuan chocolate chip cookies that are chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside, and laced with that nutty, toasty brown butter throughout. If that sounds like rich-on-rich, it is, but it’s also cut by the flakes of sea salt you’ll find in every other bite. It’s a sweet-and-salty scavenger hunt for your taste buds, and I’m no longer allowed to have them in the house.

Pastaria

Baked ziti — $5/servingThis one requires a little math so bear with me. The $28 baked ziti at Pastaria says it serves 6-8, which means this technically clocks in at $4.67 a person. That is a lie. If you eat 1/6 of the pan they give you in one sitting, you deserve a nap, a medal and probably a hefty dose of Lipitor. It’s a mighty fine deal is what I’m saying, and it’s sneakily vegetarian! Tender ziti covered in piquant house pomodoro and loads of ready-to-melt mozzarella, all wrapped up and ready to bake at home.

Black Rabbit

Puppy Chow — $5

You know it and you love it, but you may be surprised to find that one of Nashville’s best downtown eateries is slinging puppy chow to the masses. Consider it a gift from the quarantine gods. You get all the nostalgic goodness of chocolatey, crunchy, peanut-butter-covered Chex cereal without the hassle of a dirty kitchen. Go forth and get powdered sugar everywhere.

Below is a list of Nashville restaurants (with links) remaining open for takeout and delivery during the COVID-19 shutdown. While some may have had existing relationships with delivery providers, most of this list are offering the service for the first time. Most offer curbside pickup, but check when you order. As this list is a moving target, please leave any changes, suggestions or omissions in the comments.

Places with takeout or delivery as of Wednesday, May 27

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