By Ally Kebba
Contributing Writer
It’s a conundrum all college students will eventually face: where to find good food after 3:00 a.m. Whether you’ve been spending your Saturday night in the library preparing for a daunting midterm or relaxing at a bar on Market Street with your closest friends, you may find your stomach asking for a little extra fuel during the wee hours of the night. Though you may not have expected it, there are several places you can go when you get that inevitable craving for a “fourth meal” that a granola bar from your dorm room simply cannot satisfy.
First is the University’s own Seventh Street Café, open 24 hours a day, which offers a wide array of sandwiches, wraps, salads, fruit, desserts and, of course, delicious one-of-a-kind beverages. Armed with cozy couches, plush loveseats and group-friendly booth seating, who could resist stopping inside for some music and a hot drink? It becomes very calm, but students are consistently “running in and out to grab something to eat on the way to the dorms,” said a staff member manning the café during the late shift on Saturday night. While enjoying my own white hot chocolate, I witnessed a small but cheerful group engaged in games and conversation, as well as a few dedicated academics reading or working on assignments. Seventh Street Café is certainly a safe haven for a hungry student in search of a peaceful and warm atmosphere to escape the brisk early-morning air.
If you seek a more exciting, frenzied environment in which to enjoy your late-night snack, nowhere beats the Market Street Deli. They are open until roughly 3:30 am or “whenever [they] stop getting bombarded by the late-night bar crowd,” a busy cashier said. This sandwich shop offers the best in delicious, hunger-defeating food. Since its debut in January 2008, this hectic, loud and fun restaurant has maintained a loyal crowd. A frequently requested late-night delicacy is the cheesesteak with runny eggs. The staff at the Market Street Deli laughingly relate their experience to “a nuclear bomb going off” and describe the patrons as “bubbly people coming from the bars.” It’s easy to picture a vivacious group quickly filling up the red chairs, ogling the countertop fish tank and various University memorabilia as they scarf down one of the late-night specialties.
If you feel like making your way down Route 15, a few other fast food options await you. When asked where they like to eat at 3:00 a.m., many students said Sheetz. With a wide selection of cold and hot sandwiches, salads and packaged snacks, you won’t find a wider selection of midnight munchies. As exhaustion sets in, students become more and more amazed by the never-ending possibilities offered by the computerized, touch-screen menu. If you’re looking for something to quench your thirst, they also offer specialty coffee drinks, fruit smoothies and many soft drink favorites. This satiating, student-loved nourishment is only a couple of miles away. If you find yourself looking for a tried and true late-night snack, you can’t go wrong with Sheetz.
This weekend, when you start to feel your night come to a close and hear your stomach start to growl, don’t reach for that all-too-familiar bag of Orville Redenbacher’s. Instead, take a walk and see if you discover that you are like the many other students who love a good meal after a long night.
