The Southern Restaurant Chain Where You Can Snag Breakfast For Under $5

Every now and then, an eggy, meaty, cheesy breakfast from a fast food chain hits the spot, but paying an unexpectedly high total can be damper on your day. Before you cough up the cash, know that some restaurant chains still offer breakfast under $5. When you're in the southern United States, one great option is Whataburger, which sells a delicious breakfast taquito for around $4.

With locations in southern and western states including Alabama, New Mexico, and (most prominently) Texas, Whataburger is one of the best regional fast food chains, beloved for its big burgers. Fans name the Taquito with Cheese as another standout. Made with a flour tortilla stuffed with fluffy scrambled eggs, melty American cheese, and your choice of crispy bacon, savory sausage, or fried potatoes, this package delivers on comforting breakfast flavors, plus plenty of protein to fuel your morning. The potato, sausage, and bacon versions deliver 17, 19, and 20 grams respectively.

While the Whataburger taquito isn't as huge as the chain's burgers, it's much larger and contains more filling than traditional taquitos. Priced at about $3.80 to $4.60 depending on location, it's a bang for your buck with rave reviews from customers. The only Whataburger that charges more than $5 for this item is on the Las Vegas Strip, where just about every restaurant has inflated prices. Customizing your taquito will also push the price up, but Whataburger's fun and tasty toppings can be worth a few extra cents.

Fans agree that one of the best things about Whataburger is the ability to customize your order, including the breakfast taquito. If you're not into American cheese, you can sub in Monterey Jack for no extra charge. Cheese lovers can also add extra American or Jack to their taquito for around $.50. Can't decide between bacon, sausage, or potatoes? You can ask for more than one of these for a small upcharge.

To wake up your taste buds with a dose of spice, you can request grilled or regular jalapeños, or veg things up with peppers and onions or chopped avocado. These add-ins take the taste of your taquito just a smidge closer to authentic southwestern fare. But Whataburger hacks go far beyond the handful of suggestions you see on the menu.

You can request all sorts of dipping sauces for your taquito, including creamy pepper sauce, spicy picante sauce (which fans love with the taquito), and even Whataburger's beloved honey butter. Customers have also asked for grilled veggies like tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions in their taquitos, all of which would taste amazing and add some heft. On that note, if you need an extra-filling breakfast, order a Taquito and Cheese Whatameal, which adds a bag of hash browns and cup of coffee. This will cost you more than $5, but it's a worth-it upgrade for those days where you won't be eating lunch for a while.