Ali's 6 Favorite Cheap Taco Spots 6 Photos
Roll along with Ali's favorite stops for great tacos.
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The best bargains are sandwiched in between Kobe beef and the dollar menu.
Episodes
See Episode GuideBirmingham Magic
Ali Khan has 12 hours and 35 bucks to find the best deals in Birmingham, Ala., for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. For breakfast, he starts the day with hash brown baskets stuffed with Andouille sausage and eggs. Then he gets his home cookin' fix with bacon-wrapped meatloaf made with a lot of love. After snacking on a red velvet cheesecake brownie, Ali melts away with "Ragin' Cajun" blackened chicken with habanero Jack cheese. There's no doubt that Alabama's largest city is filled with diverse, award-winning eats, all served up with Southern hospitality and charm.
ATL Eats
Ali Khan has just one day to find Atlanta's best deals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack! Atlanta is a large, cosmopolitan city with a diverse food scene, which Ali discovers as he starts his day with a crazy, innovative breakfast -- French toast tacos. He chows down on perhaps the best grilled cheese in America for lunch and then cleanses his palate with a blueberry cobbler ice pop. Everyone's heard of a sloppy joe, but Ali ends his day with a Sloppy Jai -- a slightly Americanized version of classic Indian street food. No matter where you roam or what cuisine you choose, ATL always brings the flavor.
Authentic in Athens
Ali Khan is in one of the coolest college towns in the country, Athens, Ga., to find the best breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack deals. For breakfast, he grabs sweet and sticky Georgia peach French toast. Then he rolls across town for a delicious bowl of authentic Mexican posole, and the hits keep coming with a scrumptious snack that's part doughnut and part biscuit. Ali wraps up the day with a visit to hometown band R.E.M's favorite fried chicken shack -- that's automatic for the people.
Greenville Goodness
Ali Khan has 12 hours and only 35 bucks to find the best deals in Greenville, S.C., for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the town boasts a quaint Main Street, hundreds of restaurants and a killer food scene. Ali starts his day off in true Southern fashion with a buttery "cathead" biscuit and country-fried pork, and then he makes his mark while getting his burger on ... au poivre-style! After he gets his chocolate fix with a light, creamy chocolate mousse, Ali wraps up his day with fresh, fusion tacos filled with a decadent duck mole and Bangkok shrimp.
Awesome in Asheville
Ali Khan is taking in the mountain views in Asheville, N.C., as he looks for the best local deals on breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. He starts his day off big with a breakfast of fried chicken covered in sausage gravy, accompanied by Southern-sized sides. For lunch, he dives into the booming food truck scene and finds tasty Thai served up fresh on a homemade bao. After snacking on the best dessert in America -- a made-to-order maple bourbon doughnut -- Ali's day ends right with chopped Carolina pork doused in tangy, vinegar-based barbecue sauce.
Throwin' Down in Beantown
Ali Khan is exploring Boston for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack deals. First up, he takes on a coffee-encrusted Bloody Mary burger for breakfast in Boston's financial district. Then he's off to Chinatown for a tasty and innovative twist on Chinese dumplings, and he migrates over to Little Italy for an Old World snack that dates back centuries. Ali caps off his day in Boston with a local favorite and a steal of deal, the lobstah roll.
Hungry in New Haven
Ali Khan is looking for the best deals in New Haven, Conn., for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack! He starts his day with a creative culinary feast of French toast stuffed with creamy custard made with a 100-year-old recipe, and then he's off to the landmark birthplace of the hamburger for a truly old-school burger. After a sugar rush from winners of Food Network's Cupcake Wars, Ali settles in for a taste of the Old World with New Haven-style pizza, locally known as "apizza."
Boulder
Ali Khan hits the ground running in Boulder at a diner with pancakes so manly, only a chef who moonlights as a strong man could make them. Then he seeks out some of the most authentic Chinese noodles found on the West Coast and finishes his day at a Boulder staple with a soulfully-crafted shrimp po' boy, accompanied by one of the best views in the city.
Chicago
Ali Khan's Windy City expectations are as high as Chicago's Willis Tower, so his breakfast is a tower of fried chicken, biscuits, egg and bacon. For lunch, Ali dives into the city's unofficial sandwich, the Italian beef. He scores a killer chocolate almond croissant at a bakery with a child baker protege and brings down the house with a unique mac and cheese with a gourmet twist.
Miami
Ali Khan travels to Miami and breaks his fast with a classic Cuban staple: empanadas. He then samples some fruits of the sea, with right-off-the-boat mahi mahi sandwiches and a fisherman's stew. He closes out the day with a Latin-Middle-Eastern-American fusion bowl that could only come from Miami.
Albuquerque
While Albuquerque is known for hatch green chile and New Mex cuisine, Ali Khan discovers a lot more behind the hype. He goes sweet on a vegan waffle that delivers like a decadent dessert, then makes tracks for one of the best green chile cheeseburgers in town. His afternoon gets a sugar and spice kick with a designer donut, and he brings it home with a New Mexican staple, carne adovada.
Charleston
Ali heads south to Charleston and starts the day off right with creamy grits topped with all the morning classics. Then a crab cake sandwich that's the talk of the town, followed by seafood-stuffed hushpuppies and finally letting loose with a Carolina pulled pork dinner.
Pit Stop
Pittsburgh has Ali Khan flipping over some cheesy pancakes, and battles a sub that might blow the classic Philly cheesesteak out of the water. He discovers the secrets to Pittsburgh's best pretzels and finishes the day at one of the city's hottest new spots, a taco joint growing crowds -- and tentacles!
Filling Up in Florida
Ali Khan is scouring St. Petersburg, Fla., for the best deals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. He starts the day strong with a Chopped champion's hearty French crepe with an American twist and then keeps things rolling at a Brooklyn-style deli serving a mouthwatering braised pork sandwich. A berry-licious white chocolate cheesecake satisfies Ali's sweet tooth before he brings it on home with a rich and creamy duck confit quesadilla.
Big D Delights
Ali Khan is tracking down the best deals in Dallas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. He comes in hot with a sweet and savory Monte Cristo doughnut and then checks out the The Big D's BBQ scene for some succulent burnt ends with a slide of blue cheese slaw. Snack time gets dreamy with a slice of creamy Cloud Nine pie, and finally Ali is blown away by authentic, hand-pulled dan dan noodles.
Sweet Deals Down South
Ali Khan has only 35 bucks to find the best deals in Savannah, Ga., for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack! He starts his day with a classic Southern haystack piled high with cheesy grits, hash browns and salsa. Lunch gets explosive at Betty Bombers with the juicy and spicy Fire in the Hole burger. At snack time, Ali smoothes things over with a scrumptiously sweet red velvet whoopie pie, and he dives in for a taste of the sea with a low country boil that might be one of his best dinner deals yet.
Killer Eats in KC
Ali Khan is in Kansas City, Mo., looking for the best deals on breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. He kicks things off with an innovative breakfast flatbread topped with gravy, scrambled eggs and cheddar. Then, he tries a spin on the classic Vietnamese banh mi sandwich that's full of juicy pork, and he snacks on the perfect kind of twister, the Donado -- a doughnut cone overflowing with soft serve ice cream. Ali polishes off a perfect day of eating with some meat-on-meat action in the form of a burger piled high with succulent KC burnt ends.
Savory San Antonio
Ali Khan is in San Antonio, Texas, looking for deals on breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. He starts with a stack of what are quite possibly the world's best pancakes, piled high with delectable bananas Foster. Then he gets his deli fix with a meat-filled mega sandwich. After scoring a San Antonio two-fer -- a kolache filled with mouthwatering barbacoa -- Ali finishes strong with a smoky plate of barbecue baby back ribs.
Hungry in the Jax
Ali Khan is hunting for the best deals in Jacksonville, Fla., for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. He kicks off his culinary escapades with a chef-driven dish of chorizo corn cakes with vegan queso and spicy guajillo chile sauce. For lunch, he bellies up to a food truck serving some of the best smoked meats in town. After a chocolaty take on baklava from a friendly Greek grandma, Ali hits up a Jacksonville institution for an old-fashioned jumbo chicken pot pie.
Queen City Cravings
Ali Khan is out to find the best breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack deals in Charlotte, N.C. Good things take time, so Ali starts his day with the sweet and satisfying "slowberry" cobbler waffle. Then he slides over to a food truck that's serving up mouthwatering sliders that are too good to try only one. He finds an elegant snack in a decadent French Pot Du Creme, and cultures collide as Ali closes his day with ramen gumbo that's packed with a fusion of flavor.
Cream of the Crop
Ali Khan starts his day in Louisville, Ky., by cutting into a towering stack of thick hot chocolate pancakes. Lunchtime in Louisville means a saucy Mata Hari hot brown. He snacks his way to apple brandied pie heaven and finishes strong with a glorious Southern fried chicken and sweet potato waffles.
All Aboard in Chat-town
Ali Khan is looking for the best deals in Chattanooga, starting with a glorious colossal cinnamon roll before he digs into an out-of-this-world sweet and sassy lamb burger for lunch. He snacks on an indulgent Tennessee whiskey pot de creme and then an Irish spin on tacos for dinner.
Culinary Cornhuskers
Ali Khan starts his Omaha food adventure with breakfast from a fast made-from-scratch joint offering a crazy good egg boat with hash browns. For lunch, Ali tips his hat to an iconic Omaha lunch with a housemade Reuben. A butter brickle ice cream cone holds him over before his dinner of pork ragu meatballs.
Far from the Farm
Ali Khan starts his day in Des Moines the way Iowans do, with crisp and cheesy breakfast nachos. Then it's onto a roasted chicken lunch with comforting mashed potatoes and onion rings, before snacking on a truly divine Napoleon. For dinner, Ali has an unexpected and luxurious seafood stew.
Bayside Bites
In Baltimore, Ali Khan comes face-to-face with bacon-infused pancakes fit for "the king," then channels his inner Neanderthal for his first taste of Maryland pit beef. It's a fancy snack of Basque-style fried cheese balls before he slurps down on some out-of-this-world Korean-style street noodles.
Fillin' up in the South
Ali Khan hits the ground running in Richmond, Va., at a bakery that puts a spicy twist on a traditional Southern biscuit. Then he heads to a diner for a curry-inspired, country omelet before brewing up a chocolate cake with coffee. But a visit to Richmond isn't complete without a soul food dinner of fried catfish.
More Than You Bargained For
Ali's 5 Favorite Cheap Burgers
Most of Ali's free time is spent uncovering the best burgers for your hard-earned buck.
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