The Most Affordable Lunch Plate in All of Arkansas, Found At The Dinner Bucket in New Blaine.

Love an old-fashioned country diner where breakfast comes on platters, plate lunches are dependable, and a friendly waitress keeps your coffee topped off at all times? Better plan a visit to The Dinner Bucket, a spot alongside the highway in the Arkansas River Valley that may have the state’s most affordable meals.

Opened in 1985, The Dinner Bucket (also called Debbie’s Dinner Bucket or The Dinner Bucket #2) is simply “The Bucket” around these parts. Located alongside Arkansas Highway 22, it looks like a throwback general store from the road. But when it’s open, the full parking lot tells you everything you need to know.

Inside, pink walls are dressed up with cooking tools and country-kitchen décor above a dining room of simple tables.

I’ve brought my crew here more times than I can count, especially for Sunday lunch. You can do country dinners, burgers, sandwiches, salads… cheaply. Most items are priced “per” so you can mix and match without an upcharge (hamburger with a chef salad? done). Grilled cheese sandwiches are $2, cold cut sandwiches with American cheese are $2.75 - I don’t know anywhere else with cheaper eats. Breakfast tops out under $9 (except for the ribeye steak spread)—just don’t try ordering it after 11 a.m. On Saturdays you can still get chocolate gravy with a biscuit for $2.50.

The burgers are solid—nothing fancy, and they don’t need to be. A traditional hamburger starts at $4.75, and a double bacon jumbo cheeseburger runs $7. You can add fries, curly fries, tots, onion rings, or even jalapeño poppers. Grilled ham and cheese, steak sandwiches, and fish sandwiches are $5 each, and they come with hearty portions of meat.

Dinner plates come with sides, salad, and homemade bread,

and again, except for the 10-ounce ribeye, they’re all under $11. Choose from hamburger steak, fried shrimp, fish, chicken fried steak, grilled chicken, chicken strips, chicken nuggets, or grilled ham. Portions are generous, and you won’t leave hungry.

But the real reason to come, every single time, is dessert. There’s always a cooler packed with homemade sweets: chocolate cream pie, coconut pie, pecan pie, and a rotating lineup of cakes. Depending on the season you might spot possum pie, blueberry cream pie, fresh strawberry pie, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin roll in the fall.

On my most recent visit, the star was a lemonade pie: a gorgeous icebox slice crowned with whipped cream and a lemon wedge. Cobblers, cherry cream cheese pie, and banana pudding are all winners, too. Get a to-go box, or just go ahead and order dessert first. Best of all: they’re just three bucks.

If you’re looking for a filling meal that won’t empty your wallet, The Dinner Bucket is a top choice. Bring your family, bring your appetite, and save space for something sweet.

You’ll find The Dinner Bucket at 19963 East Arkansas Highway 22 in New Blaine. If you want to find out what’s in the pie case before you go, call (479) 938-7034. Look for specials on the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063550091938