Day 3 of Cheap Eats: Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Morrisville, Durham

Is your appetite bigger than your budget? All this week, WRAL Reporter Kim Dean is traveling to local restaurants to find the best meals under $10.

On Wednesday, she found meals in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Morrisville and Durham.

If your stomach is growling, how about some soup? Pho, a dinner-sized soup at Vietnamese restaurant Lime and Basil in Chapel Hill, can be filling.

The soup is full of meat and vegetables. To make it, rice noodles are cooked for a few seconds and then they heap on the meat. In Dean’s case, the meat was beef shank and brisket. Then, they add broth. It's served with basil, lime and sprouts.

The soup, a drink and tax totaled $9.90.

Dean’s next stop was Pita Delite in Raleigh where they specialize in Mediterranean food.

Dean ordered a plate full of traditional meat with a grilled pita, hummus, a Greek salad and a soda. All that, plus tax, came to $9.80.

At the Dakota Grill in Morrisville, they specialize in Bison burgers. Bison is only $1 more, but it put Dean over her budget, so she ordered the Triple B burger – bacon, beef and blue cheese. With a drink and tax, it cost $9.91.

Finally, Dean headed to Thompson’s in Durham. Under new ownership, this spot used to be called Coleman’s. Managers say all that has changed is the name. It's the same food and same great deal.

The fish is dipped in homemade breading and served with sides – their coleslaw being a specialty. The entire meal, a drink and tax was $9.10.

Thursday on WRAL’s Morning News at 6, Dean finds a fresh fish dinner for $7, a massive burrito and Jamaican cuisine for under $10.