So, it’s nearing bar close—whether you’re a freshman partaking in the slow walk of shame down the stairs of Summit at 10 p.m. or you’re a newly initiated member of the 21 club singing along to classic oldies in Pints at 2 a.m.—and it goes with out saying that there is always one thing on everyone’s mind. Food. In a town that never sleeps, it makes sense that all of the restless college students need another reason to stay out past bar close, frat socials, or wherever else the evening may take you.

At one point or another, we have all convinced ourselves that no matter how many calories were just consumed from the box of pokie sticks or mac and cheese pizza, none of them actually count after the clock hits midnight. Especially as a freshman, you will whole-heartedly follow and commit yourself to this rule as a way to justify and find reassurance in all of your new drunk-eating habits. Keeping this idea in mind, that all of the slobbery and greasy food calories are simply nonexistent, I have come up with a few late-night food suggestions to help broaden your drunk-eating horizons. Let me just warn you, if you were hoping to read an article on helpful diets and healthy eating, this may not be the right article for you.

Mashed Potato Bowl Stand— Just introduced to the food stand area in 2014, this one-man business has gradually risen to the #1 top spot for late night food purchases. Though the menu is limited to a mashed potato bowl, now is the time to let your maybe-not-so-sober mind go wild with your choice of toppings…or even none at all. A personal favorite of mine is the loaded mashed potato bowl, which includes double the toppings of cheese, popcorn chicken, and a homemade gravy sauce. Yes, I said double. In other words, it’s a combination of everything your 12-year-old self would dream about even though it always failed to make its appearance at your family’s Thanksgiving dinner table. With out your parents here judging you on your newfound obsession for this random concoction, now is the time to place an order and fulfill all of your childhood dreams! The line never last longer than 2-3 minutes, the bowls take even less time to prepare, and you can watch it be made right in front of you!

Falbo’s Pizza— Of course, nothing ever sounds more satisfying than a large slice of pizza to soak up all of the alcohol you just consumed over the past few hours. With pizza being such a hot commodity on campus, and everywhere in America, it’s often difficult to decide on one restaurant for you and all of your friends to agree on. Luckily enough, Iowa City has Falbo’s: a small-sized pizza parlor located right next door to Sam’s pizza (which ironically is known for their karaoke more than for their actual pizza). The menu includes a variety of pizza choices with each being displayed at the very front, all hot and fresh off the oven! Though we may sometimes wish we could try a slice of each, nothing beats their spinach and tomato pizza with some Parmesan cheese to add on top for the final touch. If you let yourself forget about the bread and endless amounts of cheese, the spinach and tomato combination seems somewhat on the healthier side (not really, but don't tell yourself otherwise)! Only costing you $2 total, it’s the perfect spot to stop on your way home from the bars after nearly emptying your pockets of all the cash you started out with.

D.P Dough— An up and coming restaurant and the very first to specialize in calzones on campus raises a brilliant question for all of us: how have we survived our late night food cravings with out one of D.P Dough’s cheesy-and-gooey calzones before now? It’s a mystery to us all. Yet, an even larger mystery is who and how someone came up with all of these different types of calzones, including mac and cheese, buffalo chicken, chicken parmesan, and most importantly, the Hawkeye Zone. The fun doesn’t stop there. The menu offers additional items including hot wings, cheese sticks, tater tots, and freshly made chocolate chip cookies so that you and all your friends can find something of interest! And the best part of all…D.P Dough offers a delivery service right to your front door in case the walk down Washington Street is too much of a hassle. So, the next time you find yourself pacing the halls of your apartment and unable to come up with any other ideas besides the typical Jimmy Johns’ Turkey Tom, take a look at D.P Dough’s full menu and give them a call!