For many of us, giving a donation to a charitable cause is a great idea in theory but a challenge in reality. If you’re not able to cough up that extra dough this month but want to do some good, look no further than Liberty’s Kitchen and Café Reconcile. These two philanthropic eateries are both non-profit organizations that teach life skills and job training to at-risk youth.

Boneless Fried Chicken from Cafe Reconcile. Photo by Jenny Sklar.

Less than a five-minute drive away from each other in Central City, these two venues are quite similar in their mission and their cuisine. Both serve many traditional New Orleans dishes as well as a variety of salads and sandwiches. Café Reconcile leans toward Southern cooking with an emphasis on comfort food, while Liberty’s Kitchen features more of a café menu. Both restaurants are inexpensive with no entrees that cost more than $10. Best of all, each dollar you spend helps keep these organizations alive.

Aside from the philanthropic aspects of these lunch spots, the food is phenomenal. Café Reconcile has the best “Boneless Fried Chicken” (chicken tenders under another name) I have ever had. For just $8.49, you get a heaping portion of golden, flaky, and crispy fried chicken breast served with your choice of two sides, like their awesome baked macaroni and cheese or garlic mashed potatoes, for instance. They also have a fabulous fried crawfish salad with remoulade for only $7.99, but it is nothing compared to Liberty’s Kitchen’s Cajun Shrimp Cobb Salad, which comes with blackened shrimp, smoked sausage, bleu cheese, avocado, hard boiled eggs, pickled onions, and grape tomatoes! A pretty fancy salad for just $8.95—I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

Not many sit-down restaurants can feed you this well for under ten bucks, not to mention help you make a community contribution. Whether you want to do a good deed on a budget or just get a darned good meal that tastes like old-fashioned home cooking, these two spots are a good way to go.