Trust me I get it. Whether you’ve been up late trying to get a project done, deeply entrenched in an all-night boozing sesh’, or you just plain old can’t sleep, the late-night munchies get to the best of us.
But you don’t have to resign yourself to trashy drive-thrus and frozen pizzas. No, instead become a connoisseur of the nocturnal grub pubs. Check out these killer late-night spots and never settle for a tv dinner or Hotpocket ever again. Okay, maybe you can settle sometimes. Hotpockets are pretty dang delightful.
Old Towne Tavern

Not only is this a pretty cool neighborhood bar with a diverse group of regulars, but it’s got a hugely dope grub menu as well. I recommend the Red Masher; A grilled cheese sandwich with red mashed potatoes, broccoli, bacon bits, melted cheddar, and Havarti all between two slices of sourdough bread.
Yeah. I bet that does something for ya’, doesn’t it? That moment when you’ve had more than a few shots of 4roses and you’re on the struggle bus but then the bartender saves your life by sliding a Red Masher in front of you.
Closing time: Kitchen closes at 1 a.m.
Website: Olde Towne Tavern
Dirty Franks

You ever wanted to try a hot dog topped with baked beans, sour cream, and crushed up potato chips? Yeah… heh, me neither. And I’ve definitely never ordered one at 1:30 in the morning right after doing ‘Intergalactic’ by the Beastie Boys for karaoke and absolutely CRUSHING IT. That would be ridiculous and wrong and oh so awesome. But if you wanna be boring and order normal human food you can totally get a dog topped with a sweetcorn, pickle relish,and jalapeno blend with a dash of celery salt (It’s called the Ohioana and it is DOPE). Just a warning though, food cowards are not revered here.
Closing time:Kitchen Closes at 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and Midnight on Friday & Saturday
Website: Dirty Franks
Hound Dogs Pizza
Not only do they have some pretty killer pizza but they also sport a pretty decent beer selection, including one of my absolute favorites; Left Handed Milk Stout. So good. All of their toppings and sauce taste fantastic but do yourself a favor and ONLY EVER ORDER THE SMOKIN’ JOES CRUST. I mean, sure, the other crust is great, but the Smokin’ Joes Crust is a revelation. This place was once famed to stay open 24 hours but they sold out completely and now are only open until about 2:30 a.m. like a bunch of squares. You can’t complain too much though, they still have some of the best pizza in the whole of the Arch City.
Closing time: 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 1 a.m. on Friday & Saturday
Website: Hound Dogs
The Thurman Cafe

Home of the glorious Thurmanator, a burger spoken of only in hushed tones of fear and reverence. So hefty and challenging is this juggernaut of ground beef that they had to send in a specialist to examine the thing; Adam Richman from the show Man Vs. Food. It’s really less of a burger and more of a rugged animal demi-god that happens to prefer wearing buns instead of a toga. If you plan on challenging this guy, good luck and godspeed.
Closing time: 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 12 a.m. on Friday & Saturday
Website: The Thurman Cafe
Mikey’s Late Night Slice
Mikey’s Late Night Slice is the veritable holy promised land for the desperately hungry, nocturnal city dweller. Yeah, sometimes you leave the bar a little too late to hit up the other spots listed, but if you miss Mikey’s Late Night before closing, you straight up don’t deserve to eat. You take your hungry self to bed and wallow in your tummy growling shame.
Not only is their pizza super clutch, but their Unicorn sauce (formerly known as slut sauce) could make a pair of work boots edible (and arguably good eatin’ at that).
Closing time: Open until 2:30 am Sunday through Thursday, 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday
Website: Mikey’s Late Night Slice
Buckeye Donuts
Is there anything more representative of Ohio than stopping into Buckeye Donuts at 3 am when you’re slightly less than sober? Nothing helps a hangover quite like a Buckeye Donut so if you swing by, do future you a solid by grabbing one for now and one for the morning. There are two different locations you can visit, one on campus and one in the South End.
Both locations are open 24 hours but if your late-night craving doesn’t involve a desire to dine in, then head to the S. High Street location. They’ve got a drive-thru.
Closing time: Never
Website: Campus Location and South High Location
Club 185
Club 185 is tried and true, dutifully serving up delightful pub grub (and amazing drinks) to satisfy those late-night cravings. It’s a great place to end a long day or to start a long night. They’ve got a menu full of munchable morsels including sandwiches, pizza, and their daily specials.
It’s also worth mentioning that Club 185 has genuinely some of the most chill vibes you’ll find in town. It’s a local watering hole in the truest sense and if you’re feeling chatty, you’ll probably meet someone interesting.
Closing time: Food ‘until 1 a.m. and drinks until 2:30 a.m.
Website: Club 185
Castello Pizza
You can’t dine in at Castello Pizza but you can grab a pizza and some cheesy breadsticks to go at 2:15 am on a random Tuesday night, and there is beauty in that friends. I guess you could also get it delivered but you won’t get the nostalgic, old-school pizzeria vibes that way, which is half of the fun.
Closing time: Open until 2:30 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 3:30 a.m. on Friday-Saturday
Website: Castello Pizza
Myungrang Hotdog Columbus
If we’re being honest, Korean corn dogs sound great at any time of the day. But they sound especially perfect after a drink with friends (that probably turned into a couple of drinks). The menu has a bunch of different breaded hotdogs to choose from, but it also has some surprising options like the Squid Ink & Mozzarella Hot Dog which is exactly what it sounds like except way better than you are imagining.
Closing time: Sunday-Thursday until 9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday until 1 a.m.
Website: Myungrang Hotdog Columbus