It’s 1:30 a.m. on a Friday and you’re starved. After making your zillionth grilled cheese on the George Foreman, you need something different. You can a) forgo eating for the evening, b) search your dorm room for scraps, or c) venture outside the confines of the University campus in search of something tasty and affordable.
Allow me to help you out. Here are the best places to go when the munchies hit, and you’re willing to walk a few blocks to satisfy that rumbling stomach.
Burrito Boy Taqueria
If you have lived in Eugene or its surrounding area for more than a month, it would be shocking to learn that you had never enjoyed a burrito, or heard a story from this Mexican eatery. Yet those poor souls do exist.
Located on East Broadway, Burrito Boy has been a student staple for years. Although the restaurant raised its prices a few years ago and were met with protesting students, the eatery has sustained most of its popularity. Thanks to its close proximity to campus, low prices and hours of operation (24 hours a day, seven days a week), Burrito Boy is not only a restaurant, but a nearby spot to meet friends and munch in the early morning hours.
The menu includes all the essentials: A bean and cheese burrito for $3, with the option to add rice, sour cream or other add-ons for 75 cents. A Regular Burrito includes: Meat, beans, guacamole, tomatoes, onions and cilantro for $4.75. Beyond the basics is the beloved Wet Burrito for $7.25, including the same as a regular, but adorned with mole sauce, sour cream and melted cheese. Side items include chips and salsa, rice and beans and a variety of sauces, such as red salsa and guacamole.
Sy’s Pizza
Opened with the intention of bringing New York-style pizza slices to hungry college students, Sy’s is one of the campus area’s essential late-night diners. The store is small, ornamented in giant triangular mirrors and retro posters of John Lennon and Marilyn Monroe, with rotating red stools. The tiny shop inside of an 80-year-old building on Alder Street (across from Sacred Heart Medical Center) offers little room for big groups of students, but is perfect for grabbing a slice to go.
The menu includes cheese pizza by the slice for $2.50, or Sicilian style slices for $2.75. Toppings can be added for 80 cents. Choices of toppings include pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, tomatoes, chopped black olives, onions, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, fresh or canned mushrooms, pineapple and extra cheese. Not only are the slices substantial and delicious, they are also made of 100-percent mozzarella cheese and baked in a brick oven.
Although busy during lunch and dinner hours, Sy’s gets much of its business in the later evening; it’s open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to midnight, and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Dough Co.
It’s hard to encapsulate your first experience with a calzone from this eatery. Gooey, cheesy, mozzarella goodness with pesto and breaded chicken all cooked into a warm calzone. Mmm. Dough Co., located at 13th Avenue and Hilyard Street, is just. So. Good.
Serving 31 different kinds of calzones, and offering a variety of fresh baked cookies, salads, ice cream and drinks, all for under $6.25 is something to get hungry over.
These calzone creations include the Hawaiian Zone, ham, pineapple, ricotta and mozzarella cheese. The Chicken Bomb Zone has breaded chicken, peppers, onions, mushrooms and ricotta and mozzarella cheese. The Breakfast Zone included two eggs and cheddar cheese with your choice of steak, bacon, ham or sausage.
And the list goes on. Dough Co. is open from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. every day, with the option to eat-in, carry out or get it delivered.
Prince Pückler’s
Another Eugene essential, Prince Pückler’s has been a student favorite for years, and a recent trip from President Obama in 2008 sent business booming. Located at 19th Avenue and Agate Street, this is one delicious ice cream and coffee shop.
Offering more than 49 flavors, Prince Pücklers has something for everyone. Aside from the traditional scoop on a cone, you could opt for a sundae: your choice of ice cream with banana slices, almonds, whipped cream and a hot fudge or caramel topping for $3.25. Milk shakes, banana splits and novelty items like chocolate-covered bananas and ice cream pies are also made regularly.
Open from noon to 11 p.m. daily, Prince Pücklers frequently gets late-night rushes of students who need to end, or start, the night with something sweet.
[email protected]