What is the best late-night food?

Everything here tastes better after midnight and worse in daylight. Judgement is suspended until the morning.

1. 1
   Tacos

   Street-cart staple that gets better the later the hour and the shorter the queue moves.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Pizza

   Sold by the slice until closing time and the default answer in most American cities after midnight.
   785pts
3. 3
   Döner kebab

   Shaved spit-roasted meat in flatbread, the closing-time institution of most European city centres.
   694pts

   US
4. 4
   Poutine

   Fries, curds and gravy, the Québécois answer to two in the morning.
   555pts
5. 5
   Ramen

   A bowl of broth and noodles eaten fast at a counter, built for the last train home.
   454pts
6. 6
   Shawarma

   Marinated meat carved into flatbread with garlic sauce and pickles, wrapped tight for walking.
   394pts
7. 7
   Cheeseburger

   Griddled patty and melted cheese from a diner or a drive-through window that never closes.
   394pts
8. 8
   Instant noodles

   Three minutes, one kettle, zero standards — the cheapest option on this list by far.
   394pts
9. 9
   Chicken wings

   Ordered in tens, eaten with fingers, and never a good idea on a light-coloured shirt.
   325pts
10. 10
    Fried chicken

    Crisp, salty and reheatable, sold from counters that stay lit long after the kitchens close.
    324pts
11. 11
    Bacon, egg and cheese

    The New York deli roll that works equally well as a last meal or a first one.
    324pts
12. 12
    Nachos

    Chips under melted cheese, designed to be shared badly by a table that has stopped counting rounds.
    324pts
13. 13
    Hot dog

    Cart food that costs little, takes ten seconds and requires no decisions.
    245pts
14. 14
    Falafel

    Fried chickpea balls in pita, the vegetarian late shift in a hundred cities.
    245pts
15. 15
    Grilled cheese

    The one thing anyone can still make at home once they get through the door.
    245pts
16. 16
    Pancakes

    Breakfast eaten at the wrong end of the night in a diner that keeps the griddle on.
    245pts
17. 17
    Quesadilla

    Folded tortilla and cheese, fast enough that it arrives before anyone changes their mind.
    245pts
18. 18
    French fries

    The order everyone claims not to want and then finishes on the walk home.
    151pts

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