Five is the magic number — $5, that is. Subway ran into trouble after launching its $5 foot-long sandwich campaign, with the exception of Hawaii, where the $5 sub was offered for $6 instead.

Once upon a time, like maybe three years ago, the promotion may not have grabbed as much attention. Back then it seemed you didn't have to search far for a $5 meal, about the limit of what I care to spend on daily lunch.

The cost of plate lunches is typically closer to $8 or $9, so nothing turns heads faster these days than signs bearing that magic $5 combo.

I happened to find myself at Ward Warehouse last week, looking for a quick, inexpensive lunch, when I stopped into Brian's Hawaiian Kitchen and was told about its $5 deal for a mini loco moco with a small drink. Well, you have to be in the mood for loco moco, and that day I opted for a the mini mochiko chicken ($5.95, $7.95 regular plate).

It turns out many of the Ward Centers restaurants are offering at least one $5 deal through Feb. 28. It's a win-win situation for them as well, as people discover there are other items on the menus they might want to try. Pick up the “;$5 Meal Deals”; brochure and check it out if you're in the vicinity. I wouldn't want you to spend $2 for gas for a $2 break on food.

Once you start looking, you might even find better deals than the $5 specials. And don't forget to consider the regular price of the food items offered. Some deals are better than others. All are offered during restaurant hours daily, except where noted:

Big City Diner: One of the best deals is BCD's early-bird special of two eggs prepared any style with choice of bacon or link sausage, white or brown rice, and coffee. It's offered 7 to 9 a.m. Mondays to Fridays. It applies to dine-in orders only and isn't valid on Presidents Day, Feb. 15, or during special events.

If you happen to be on Twitter.com, follow @BigCityDiner for other specials and a weekly Twitter Tuesday password that might get you the week's deal, such as a recent 20 percent discount for dine-in food and drink purchases.

Dairy Queen/Orange Julius: There are other hot dog deals around town, but here, a hot dog and 16-ounce Julius will cost you close to $7 at regular price, so the $5 price is a deal, any day of the week.

Diem Cafe: There are three $5 options here. The standard plate lunch is a lemongrass chicken plate with rice and tossed salad. There's also a chicken salad plate.

I usually think of their rolls as an appetizer sort of dish, but the Rolls Combo is something of a platter that includes two shrimp summer rolls cut in half, two chicken spring rolls and two crepes filled with chicken and bean sprouts. It's actually more varied than you would think at first glance at the menu, and better yet, there's enough for two to share, or to take home for a second meal later.

Kaka'ako Kitchen: A mini sweet chili chicken plate is offered with one scoop each of rice and macaroni salad.

Korean BBQ Express: Bi Bim Bap — meat, veggies and a fried egg piled on a bed of rice — is the $5 offer. But even better, head there after 4 p.m., when the same dish is $3.99. Otherwise, regular plates run an average of $7.25 to $7.75, with mini plates running about $5.95. The closest items to $5 are side orders of fried mandoo ($4.95) or a fried mandoo mini plate ($5.25) with a scoop of rice and choice of two vegetables.

Mr. Egg Roll: Here, $5 gets you a mini plate with one entree choice plus fried rice or noodles and a fried gau gee.

Pa'ina Cafe: Offered here is a small poke bowl with one free topping. The regular price of the bowl is $4.95, but toppings are normally $1.75. Some are more substantial than others. For instance, it makes more sense to get the taegu or ocean salad topping than a sprinkling of shredded nori or green onions.

Panda Express: Pay $5 for any three appetizers from noon to 5 p.m. Choose from one chicken egg roll, two veggie spring rolls, three cream cheese rangoons or three chicken potstickers.

Satura Cakes: Combine a panini with a choice of iced tea or iced coffee.

Sushi at Ward: Get eight pieces of California maki with a small drink. Note that you can also get various hand-rolls off the regular menu at $2.19 or less.

Taco del Mar: Get a single taco with chips and salsa and a small drink. If you're dining after 5 p.m., you can try one of the meal platters for $6.

The Wedding Cafe: Pick up a sweet treat of homemade pumpkin crunch with a cup of Illy coffee.

Wraps & Rolls: I recently reviewed this one (see http://www.hsblinks.com/1r7). You can typically pick up $3.30 rolls here, but this deal gives you two for $5, with the exclusion of the smoked salmon and shrimp wraps.

ZPizza: Choose a slice of pizza from the day's featured selections, with a fountain drink and chocolate chip cookie. There's also a daily special of two slices of pizza and a drink for $7.50.

Not all establishments are represented. Some notable absences include Old Spaghetti Factory, Kua 'Aina, Goma Tei, Buca di Beppo, Dave & Buster's, Kincaid's, Wahoo's Fish Tacos and Ryan's Grill. How about it?

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Nadine Kam's restaurant column appears every Wednesday.