Boston food prices have been trying their absolute best to kill the concept of the cheap lunch.
Around BU, though, $15 isn’t dead yet.
At Pavement Coffeehouse’s BU location at 736 Commonwealth Ave., the current menu still has multiple bagel sandwiches under $15. An Egg & Cheese starts at $8.50, a BLT is $10.50, the Sunrise is $11, a Turkey Avo is $13.50, and even the Nova Lox comes in at $14.50.
Commonwealth Avenue also has quick-service options including Raising Cane’s, Taco Bell and McDonald’s, alongside local pizza, Thai and café spots.
The catch is everything that comes after the menu price: tax, drinks, delivery fees and third-party app markups can push a cheap lunch past the limit pretty quickly.
So here’s the rule for this series:
$15 means one food order before tax and tip, using the restaurant’s direct menu or ordering system whenever possible. Drinks, delivery fees and third-party app markups don’t count.
By that standard, yes — you can still eat near BU for under $15.
Next up: Northeastern.
Because somebody has to figure out whether the $10 lunch still exists in Boston.
Menu prices were checked on August 17, 2026 and can change. Prices refer to the food item only, before tax, tip, drinks, delivery fees or third-party app markups.