The best meal deals in the UK fall into two groups: the supermarket lunch deals from Tesco, Boots, Sainsbury’s and M&S, and the restaurant offers like kids eat free and two-for-one mains. The cheapest supermarket meal deal is currently Tesco at £3.85 with a Clubcard. Here is a rundown of the best meal deals around and how to get the lowest price.
UK meal deals at a glance
| Cheapest supermarket deal | Tesco, £3.85 with Clubcard (£4.25 without) |
|---|---|
| Most choice | Boots, 450+ items |
| Best restaurant deal | Kids eat free with a paying adult |
| Cheapest café for kids | Asda, kids eat for £1 all day |
| Last updated | June 2026 |
Best supermarket meal deals
A supermarket meal deal gets you a main, a snack and a drink for a fixed price, and the gap between them comes down to loyalty cards.
| Shop | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tesco | £3.85 Clubcard / £4.25 | Cheapest with a Clubcard, huge range |
| Boots | around £4.00 | 450+ items, very dietary-friendly |
| Sainsbury’s | around £4.00 | Nectar prices on some items |
| M&S | around £4.50 | Higher quality, slightly dearer |
Restaurant meal deals and kids eat free
Plenty of restaurant chains run their own deals, and the best value for families is the kids-eat-free offer, where one or two children eat free with a paying adult. Chains like Bella Italia, Bill’s, Prezzo and ASK Italian run these regularly, often through their apps, and supermarket cafés do the same: Asda lets under-16s eat for £1 all day, and Tesco Cafés offer a free kids meal with an adult purchase. Outside of family deals, look for two-for-one mains and fixed-price set menus, which are common on weekday lunches and early evenings.
How to get the cheapest meal deal
The single biggest saving is a loyalty card, since Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar prices cut the shelf price on the meal deal itself. For restaurants, the app is almost always where the deal lives, so download the chain’s app before you order. If you are feeding a family, plan around the kids-eat-free windows, which often run during school holidays as well as set weekdays.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest meal deal in the UK?
The Tesco meal deal at £3.85 with a Clubcard is currently the cheapest supermarket option, rising to £4.25 without the card.
Which restaurants do kids eat free?
Chains such as Bella Italia, Bill’s, Prezzo and ASK Italian regularly run kids-eat-free offers with a paying adult, usually through their apps. Asda Café lets under-16s eat for £1 all day.
Do you need a loyalty card for a meal deal?
No, but it is much cheaper with one. Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar both lower the meal deal price compared with the standard shelf price.
How supermarket and restaurant meal deals compare
Supermarket meal deals, a sandwich, snack and drink for a fixed low price, occupy a genuinely different category from restaurant meal deals, since they’re built around convenience and speed for a quick lunch on the go rather than any kind of dining experience, making direct comparison somewhat misleading despite both using the “meal deal” label. Restaurant meal deals, whether fast food combo meals or pub-restaurant set menus, involve some element of preparation and often seating, justifying a higher price point than the supermarket equivalent even at the cheaper end of restaurant options. Understanding this distinction helps you choose the right category for your specific need, a supermarket meal deal for genuine grab-and-go convenience, a restaurant deal when you want an actual meal experience.
Maximising value across both meal deal categories
For a genuine quick lunch with minimal time available, supermarket meal deals remain hard to beat on both speed and price, worth comparing across the major supermarkets since pricing and inclusion criteria differ slightly between them. For a proper sit-down or table-service meal, comparing restaurant meal deals specifically against ordering items individually reveals whether the bundled pricing genuinely saves money, since this isn’t universal across every chain. Checking whether your workplace or local area has a specific meal deal partnership with a nearby supermarket or restaurant, sometimes tied to employee discount schemes, is worth doing if you eat out or grab lunch regularly.
More frequently asked questions
Are supermarket and restaurant meal deals really comparable?
Not directly, supermarket deals are built for grab-and-go convenience while restaurant deals involve preparation and often seating, justifying different price points.
Which supermarkets offer the best meal deal value?
Pricing and inclusion criteria differ slightly between major supermarkets, so comparing a couple before settling on a regular choice is worthwhile.