March Madness: Late Night Food at State College Edition

As the clock strikes midnight (or 2 a.m.) and our night starts to wind down, we feel ourselves craving a late night meal to sober us up. The options can feel endless, but we all have our favorite places.

From East to West College Avenue, food places that don’t close until the wee hours have healthy competition with one another on who can attract more intoxicated college students. In honor of March Madness, VALLEY has decided to create a bracket of its own– with all of Penn State’s late night food places. 

West End Eliminations

Over on the west side of State College, the first matchup is the infamous Halal Cart and Allen Street Pizza. While both places offer two different styles of food, Allen Street Pizza can’t take the heat and falls short by closing at midnight. Therefore, Halal Cart advances to the second round. 

This next matchup might be an upset: Lupita’s vs. Doggie’s Pizza. Two strong competitors with large fan bases and late hours. While it’s a close game, Doggie’s Pizza pulls through at the end with their late night special of 2 slices for 3 dollars. 

Eastside Eliminations

Our first matchup is Yallah Cart and McDonald’s. While both satisfy our late night cravings, McDonald’s can’t compete with Yallah’s packed tacos and bowls that push them forward to the second round. 

Up next, El Jefe’s and DP Dough go head to head early on. Both places attract people from The Lion’s Den and Pman’s, creating long lines that have all of us waiting for a quesadilla or a buffalo chicken calzone. Their stats are so similar that the game goes into overtime. Towards the end, El Jefe’s takes the lead as DP Dough falls short. 

Fast Forward to the Final Four 

Now it’s getting serious. On the West End, Halal Cart and Doggie’s Pizza are going head to head. Place your bets now as these two elite food places face off in the final four. Halal Cart starts off strong with its massive food portions of rice and any choice of meat, but Doggie’s begins to make its comeback with its combo of acting as both a bar and pizza place.

Who doesn’t love to order any greasy food with their drink? It’s down to the wire. Ultimately, Doggie’s Pizza takes the win over Halal Cart as its location is unmatched.  

Happening over on Eastside, one of the matchups of the century is happening: Yallah Cart vs. El Jefe’s. As one of the most heated debates here in State College, this event is hard not to miss. Yallah and El Jefe’s have similar stats, difficult to predict who will come out on top.

It’s a close game between these two popular food places, but Yallah Cart doesn’t attract as big of a line as El Jefe’s. With that, El Jefe’s moves forward to the championship. 

The Championship. 

The game we’ve all been anticipating. The winner of the Westside plays our Eastside champion. It has come down to El Jefe’s vs. Doggie’s Pizza. Two great competitors and two different styles of food. Nobody wants their favorite food place to lose in the championship, but only one can come on top. 

This matchup leads to an intense game where it’s tied at the end of the first half. Doggie’s Pizza cannot compete with El Jefe’s chips and guac, but Jefe’s does not stand a chance against Doggie’s garlic knots. There’s 10 seconds left and El Jefe’s has the opportunity to win it all. 5… 4 … 3 … 2 … El Jefe’s is about to- WHAT? Everyone’s screens are frozen. Who ended up winning?

Let @VALLEYmag know on X who you think won– El Jefe’s or Doggie’s Pizza.

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