If you’re into dining out, as we are at Foobooz, all of the news about an impending (or already in progress) recession might send a shiver down your spine and directly into your wallet. Every day there’s a new and more dismal report on the skyrocketing prices of raw ingredients and rising transportation expenses due to high gas prices. These spiraling costs have already hit pizza places–and they will undoubtedly creep into other eateries as well, if they haven’t already.

Does it spell the end of the voracious dining out that has transformed Philadelphia in the past decade? Will you have to stop eating in restaurants and bars and gastropubs and start…gulp…cooking at home?

Put away your package of ramen noodles and relax. You just have to be a little more creative, that’s all. Many restaurants have great deals on certain nights of the week and we’ve broken them down for you in this Recession Specials Guide by day of the week and price point: $10 and under, $10-$20, $20 and over [but still a deal]. We’ve also included a list of happy hours that offer free or discounted food.

This is a work in progress and we’re actively looking for deals to add, so if you’ve got ‘em, send ‘em along, but only if they include a food component - this is NOT a drinking guide (not that there’s anything wrong with that, we’re just trying to keep it focused).

• Happy Hours with Food
• Weekday Lunch Deals
• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
• BYOB Nights
• Random Bargains and Rumors

WEEKDAY SPECIALS AND HAPPY HOURS WITH FREE OR DISCOUNTED FOOD

The Khyber
Noon to 7pm DAILY

$4 Royal Burger, hot dogs and sausage sandwiches from $2.25-$4, chili $2.25. [Menu]

The Dive
Noon to 7pm DAILY
FREE pizza and $2 beer and cocktail specials

Lucy’s Hat Shop
Until 10pm DAILY
$1 tacos, $1 hot dogs, 25-cent wings

Coquette
LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR 10pm-12am Sunday-Thursday
$5 half dozen Long Island oysters, $2.50 select bottles of beer, $5 Absolut martini, $5 select glasses of wine

Drinker’s
Until 11pm Sunday-Thursday
$1 tacos, $1 hot dogs, 25-cent wings

Tequila’s
3-6pm Sunday-Friday
Half off select appetizers (nachos, guacamole, queso fundido, ceviche, taquitos de pollo, nopalitos and cesar salad); half price on select margaritas, beers and specialty drinks

London Grill
4-7pm Monday-Friday
$3 Mini menu including sliders, fish-n-chips and spring rolls; $3 beers and specialty drinks

Johnny Brenda’s
4-6pm Monday-Friday
Half-price raw bar

O’Neal’s
4:30-6:30pm Monday-Friday
Half off appetizers; half off all drinks and beer

Rae
4:30-7pm Monday-Friday
FREE passed hors d’oeuvres with additional cheeses and charcuterie on Wednesdays and Fridays; $3 Yuengling and $5 wines-by-the-glass

Alma de Cuba
5-7pm Monday-Friday
FREE tapas and discounted drinks

Barristers
5-7pm Monday-Friday
Half off select appetizers; $1 off all draft beer, domestic wines and house liquor drinks

Boathouse Row Bar
5:30-7:30pm Monday-Friday
FREE hors d’oeuvres; $3 beer and $5 cocktails

Brasserie Perrier
5-7pm Monday-Friday
FREE hors d’oeuvres; specially priced select cocktails, beer options & wine

Davio’s
5-7pm Monday-Friday
FREE pizza, $5 martinis

Devil’s Alley
5-7pm Monday-Friday
$3 Grilled Veggie Quesadillas, $4 Dry Rubbed Wings & $5 BBQ Pork & Cheddar Sliders; drink specials $2 Yuengling Drafts, $3 Daily Local Draft, $3 Wine & $4 Well Cocktails.

Patou
5-7pm Tuesday-Sunday
$1 Gourmet mini burger with goat cheese and wild mushrooms, $2 Split king crab legs, $3 Mussels steamed and served with Italian sausage, sun-dried tomato, shallots and white wine, $8.50 Patou Steak Sandwich – 6 oz of filet mignon caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, gruyere cheese, topped with sunny side up egg on a toasted soft roll

Sidecar Bar
5-7pm Tuesday-Thursday
Half price quesadillas and nachos; $1.00 PBR, $2 Highlife, $2 Well Drinks, $3 Call Drinks

Ansill
6-8pm Monday-Friday
$1 oysters, $5 Finlandia martinis, $5 Prosecco sparkling wine and $3 Yards Philadelphia draft beer. Available at the bar only.

Zocalo
4:30-6:30 nightly
Zocalo offers 25% off house margaritas, sangrias & selected beers & 25% off all appetizers.

WEEKDAY LUNCH DEALS

Under $10

National Mechanics
$5 beef or veggie burger. Lunch only. [Thanks, Tyler]

The Khyber
$4 Royal Burger, hot dogs and sausage sandwiches from $2.25-$4, chili $2.25 (Noon to 7pm DAILY) [Menu]

Su Xing House: Chinese vegetarian lunch specials, large portions (Monday-Friday)

Under $20

Amada: $12.50 Catalan Express prix fixe (Monday-Friday)

Tinto: $14.50 Bilbao Express prix fixe (Monday-Friday)

XIX: $19 three-course prix fixe (Monday-Friday)

MONDAY

Under $10

McGillin’s Olde Ale House: half price pizzas and $5 pitchers of Coors Light & PBR

Vango: half price apps all night and $3 wine beer and martinis

Under $20

Devil’s Alley Mama Devil’s Kitchen: $17.50 for three courses of comfort food (Homemade soup or mixed greens salad, choice of comfort food classics like Beer Can chicken, BBQ’d Turkey Meatloaf, Stout Braised Beef & Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie or Lager Battered Fish & Chips. Dessert usually includes a choice between homemade bread pudding, seasonal fruit tarts & triple layer chocolate cake.)

Ansill: In the biz night - 15% off of your food bill. [Of course, you have to be in-the-biz, but since this is a recession, you’ll probably have a second job waiting tables soon. Or, make a waiter friend.]

Above $20, [but still a deal]

Matyson: $45 four course prix-fixe. (Monday-Thursday)

Zot: $25 all-you-can-eat mussels, includes house salad and one drink. CASH ONLY. [I’m not sure if this is a deal or not. Two of us ate at Zot, shared a salad and a kilo of mussels and had three beers and the bill was only $50. I guess you need a bigger appetite for mussels than we have.]

TUESDAY

Under $10

Tattooed Mom’s: Taco Tuesday! $1.50 beef and vegetarian tacos from noon till 9pm and half priced margaritas from 5-7pm

McGillin’s Olde Ale House: 25 cent wings and $5 pitchers of Bud Light, Coors Light & PBR

O’Neal’s: $2 Mexican bottles, $3 margaritas plus Mexican food specials all night

Rum Bar: 50 cent jerk wings

Bump: half off all small plates on the menu

Under $20

Above $20, [but still a deal]

Bar Ferdinand: $35 five course chef’s tasting menu

Matyson: $45 four course prix-fixe. (Monday-Thursday)

Alison at Blue Bell $33 three course prix-fixe. Choose any three courses out of four: appetizers, entrees, desserts or wines. Each course includes several options. (Tuesday-Thursday)

WEDNESDAY

Under $10

Tattooed Mom’s: Pierogie Wednesdays! 25cent pierogies from noon to 11pm

McGillin’s Olde Ale House - Two tacos for $1; $5 Pitchers of Bud Light, PBR; $2 Pint of featured micro brew

Under $20

Above $20, [but still a deal]

Gayle: $35 Veal Stew Wednesdays. Includes glass of house wine, salad, veal stew and apple pie dessert

Fork, Etc.: $40 Bistro Table. Every Wednesday night, 8 pm. Three courses, chef’s choice, including wine

Iron Hill in West Chester: $40 Chef’s Table. Every other Wednesday night, 7 pm, four courses, chef’s choice, paired with wine or beer.

Matyson: $45 four-course prix fixe. (Monday-Thursday)

Alison at Blue Bell $33 three course prix-fixe. Choose any three courses out of four: appetizers, entrees, desserts or wines. Each course includes several options. (Tuesday-Thursday)

THURSDAY

Under $10

McGillin’s Olde Ale House: $2.99 Cheese Nachos and $2.99 Margaritas; $5 pitchers of Coors Light & PBR

Under $20

Xochitl: Thursday’s “staff meal.” Late-night menu is half-off in the lounge

Above $20, [but still a deal]

Matyson: $45 four-course prix fixe. (Monday-Thursday)

Alison at Blue Bell $33 three course prix-fixe. Choose any three courses out of four: appetizers, entrees, desserts or wines. Each course includes several options. (Tuesday-Thursday)

FRIDAY

Under $10

Tattooed Mom’s: half price sandwiches

Under $20

Above $20, [but still a deal]

SATURDAY

Under $10

Tattooed Mom’s: half price sandwiches

McGillin’s Olde Ale House $5 meal: 5-oz Sirloin Steak, potato & vegetable, plus (99¢ buys a side salad) and $5 Pitchers of PBR (all day) & Coors Light (11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)

Under $20

Bump: half off all big plates on the menu

Above $20, [but still a deal]

SUNDAY, INCLUDING BRUNCH

Under $10

Brunch

Bar Ferdinand: three brunch plates for $10 (11am-3pm)

All Day/Dinner

Tattooed Mom’s: half price sandwiches

O’Neal’s: 25cent wings; $3 Guinness and Stella Draft

Under $20

Tria: Sunday School. Learn about and enjoy a different not-so-common wine, cheese and beer—and at 50% or more off regular prices. Limit one each per guest at Sunday School prices. [Ed. Note - we’d appreciate this more if you could have more than one drink at the Sunday School price, but it’s still a deal if you can control yourself. We can’t.]

Above $20, [but still a deal]

Brunch

Jose Pistola’s: $25, one first course and one entrée course, plus BOTTOMLESS margaritas and bloody marys. (11:30 to 3pm)

Dinner

Supper: $35 three course prix-fixe; BYOB or pay half-price for select bottles from their list. (first Sunday of every month only)

Little Fish: $28 five course prix-fixe

Brasserie Perrier: $35 three course prix-fixe plus BYOB with no corkage

Xochitl: $35 Enjoy Guacamole prepared tableside and any appetizer, entree and dessert

Marigold Kitchen: $30 for three courses off of the menu

Pumpkin: $35 for five courses

BYOB or HALF OFF NIGHTS AT LICENSED RESTAURANTS

Ansill: BYOB with no corkage fee on Tuesdays

Bar Ferdinand: Half off all bottles of wine on Monday

Farmicia: B.Y.O. WINE Every Night!
Pair your favorite wine with our farm-fresh cuisine any night. No corkage fee for groups of 10 or less!
A corkage fee of 15.00 per bottle will be applied to three or more bottles per table
and to all bottles for groups over 10 guests. not available during special promotions or holidays

Gayle: BYOB with no corkage on Thursdays

RANDOM BARGAINS AND RUMORS

Under $10

DiBruno Brothers - Show up after 7pm and order a sandwich. You may just be offered two for the price of one. When asked if this was always the case the clerk said, “as long as you don’t ask for it.”

Capogiro - Stop in to Capogiro for a late evening panini and you’re likely to go home with a second one free.

Fair Food Farmstand - Occasionally, the Farmstand has their frozen pastured/organic/hormone-free meats and poultry for half off the original price due to packaging issues. The meat is perfectly fine and for half the price, I don’t care if it’s wrapped in an old pair of sweatpants.