Campus After Midnight (For Non-Drinkers): Late Meals Near Campus
In my previous entry I mentioned the large number of food businesses open in the campus area. What may be surprising is the number of such establishments still open after midnight. Somewhat less common are the businesses still open after 2:00 AM, but even here there are options.
To start with, there are the four dining options present on campus itself. Mirror Lake Café, Burritos Noches Café, the P.A.D, and the Street Sweets coffee counter all have the advantage of being closer to many of the dorms. A long walk in the middle of the night can be an annoyance to consider in warmer months, a deal breaker in the colder ones. Additionally, they are the only two locations open after midnight where one can use the OSU meal plan (if they have one), allowing one to save their money while they're at it. Of course, for some dorms High Street is just as close as either of these. Street Sweets is good for coffee, but not for full meals, and even those with meal plans may feel like broadening their options beyond the sub-and-pizza fare of Mirror Lake or the P.A.D. or the Chipotle-esque menu of Burritos Noches.
There are many other locations near campus that remain open after midnight. Catfish Biff's is virtually on campus, and thus shares the same convenience of proximity as the official campus locations. It should be noted, however, that the service is carry-out only. Flying Pizza is a good choice despite it's small menu, with decently-sized slices and relatively quick serving times. This is probably what everyone else was thinking, as the place was literally packed during the survey; it is unknown how much of this was Michigan weekend and how much of this was regular occurance. Pochi Bubble Tea adds variety not only to late-night but High Street dining in general, with fare not found elsewhere near campus; however, it is perhaps better suited to serving as a snack station than as a location for a full meal. The Taco Bell just past the Gateway represents the limits of how far from campus the author was willing to walk for this survey at 2:00 AM. Nevertheless, this is good choice for those watching their wallets, as $5.00 is usually more than enough for a filling meal. Other locations open after midnight include Apollo's (Greek), Moe's (Mexican), and Raising Cane's (chicken fingers), out of which the author is generally unfamiliar with the first and does not recommend the latter two.
Just as midnight serves as the closing time for a good number of food places on High Street, 2:00 AM serves as the same for many after-midnight locations. However, enough locations remain open that one still has a few options at that hour. The only major fast-food franchise near campus that does so, McDonalds is open 24 hours during the weekends (though last the author knew this was no longer the case for weekdays). Buckeye Donuts also remains open into the wee hours of the morning, and unlike McDonalds still accepts Buck ID. The location is a good substitute for StreetSweets after 2:00 AM. It was a pleasant surprise for the author to find that Donato's Pizza remained open at this hour, as the author is partial to this franchise (as a direct result, I find I am at a loss to provide a counterpoint to it's choice, which I hope the reader will excuse).
Of course, one cannot write on late-night dining options near campus without making special mention of Steak N' Shake. As a sit-down restaurant, open 24 hours, with a reasonably large menu, the location is a natural choice for those looking to eat out rather than simply go out for food. It also seems to be the most familiar choice to those on campus, as the place is full of people even past 2:00 AM. Yet suprisingly, even on Michigan weekend the wait for seating wasn't all that long, and service was not noticably hampered.
I will round out this essay in the next entry with a short audio interview on the nature of transportation on campus after midnight.
On to Part 3
Back to Part 1
To start with, there are the four dining options present on campus itself. Mirror Lake Café, Burritos Noches Café, the P.A.D, and the Street Sweets coffee counter all have the advantage of being closer to many of the dorms. A long walk in the middle of the night can be an annoyance to consider in warmer months, a deal breaker in the colder ones. Additionally, they are the only two locations open after midnight where one can use the OSU meal plan (if they have one), allowing one to save their money while they're at it. Of course, for some dorms High Street is just as close as either of these. Street Sweets is good for coffee, but not for full meals, and even those with meal plans may feel like broadening their options beyond the sub-and-pizza fare of Mirror Lake or the P.A.D. or the Chipotle-esque menu of Burritos Noches.
There are many other locations near campus that remain open after midnight. Catfish Biff's is virtually on campus, and thus shares the same convenience of proximity as the official campus locations. It should be noted, however, that the service is carry-out only. Flying Pizza is a good choice despite it's small menu, with decently-sized slices and relatively quick serving times. This is probably what everyone else was thinking, as the place was literally packed during the survey; it is unknown how much of this was Michigan weekend and how much of this was regular occurance. Pochi Bubble Tea adds variety not only to late-night but High Street dining in general, with fare not found elsewhere near campus; however, it is perhaps better suited to serving as a snack station than as a location for a full meal. The Taco Bell just past the Gateway represents the limits of how far from campus the author was willing to walk for this survey at 2:00 AM. Nevertheless, this is good choice for those watching their wallets, as $5.00 is usually more than enough for a filling meal. Other locations open after midnight include Apollo's (Greek), Moe's (Mexican), and Raising Cane's (chicken fingers), out of which the author is generally unfamiliar with the first and does not recommend the latter two.
Just as midnight serves as the closing time for a good number of food places on High Street, 2:00 AM serves as the same for many after-midnight locations. However, enough locations remain open that one still has a few options at that hour. The only major fast-food franchise near campus that does so, McDonalds is open 24 hours during the weekends (though last the author knew this was no longer the case for weekdays). Buckeye Donuts also remains open into the wee hours of the morning, and unlike McDonalds still accepts Buck ID. The location is a good substitute for StreetSweets after 2:00 AM. It was a pleasant surprise for the author to find that Donato's Pizza remained open at this hour, as the author is partial to this franchise (as a direct result, I find I am at a loss to provide a counterpoint to it's choice, which I hope the reader will excuse).
Of course, one cannot write on late-night dining options near campus without making special mention of Steak N' Shake. As a sit-down restaurant, open 24 hours, with a reasonably large menu, the location is a natural choice for those looking to eat out rather than simply go out for food. It also seems to be the most familiar choice to those on campus, as the place is full of people even past 2:00 AM. Yet suprisingly, even on Michigan weekend the wait for seating wasn't all that long, and service was not noticably hampered.
I will round out this essay in the next entry with a short audio interview on the nature of transportation on campus after midnight.
On to Part 3
Back to Part 1
Labels: Campus After Midnight (For Non-Drinkers), essays, food rant
posted by Mithrandalf at 9:04 PM
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