During finals week and constant late-night study sessions, midnight cravings are inevitable. Spending a semester’s worth of hard-earned cash on restaurant food, though, is not. HC CMU’s compiled simple tips for eating good, cheap food to help you get your study on (and take a few well-deserved breaks from the books). Good luck on your finals, and bon appetit!
Pizza Pizza
Let’s start with the staple food of college culture: pizza. This cheesy marinara delight possesses the unique talent of putting our hunger in check without inducing food coma, making it the perfect study food.
Atwood’s street of $5 pies
For cheap, quick eats order from one of Atwood’s fine dining locations. Antoon’s, Pizza Roma, and more are waiting to fill your tummy for a mere $5. Split a pie with friends or have your way with your own–you can always store leftovers for tomorrow.
The Porch
This new venue at Schenley plaza (the corner of Forbes and Schenley Drive) has college students and food reviewers alike raving about their talent for taking simple dishes and making them magical. Their magic extends to their intricate pizzas, which they offer for half-price on weeknights from 9:30 til close. Perhaps you’ll try the Bianca (fig jam, goat cheese, mozzarella, arugula, truffle oil) or the Barbeque Chicken (roasted chicken, red onion, pineapple, cilantro, bbq sauce) when you stop in.
OrderPitt.com
Let’s face it: when you’re craving the great American classics like Domino’s and Papa John’s, nothing else will do. With its easy-to-use interface OrderPitt.com connects you to all your favorite pizza shops and more. They also feature unbeatable specials, helping you compare pizza prices across Pittsburgh. Plus, feel no guilt eating pizza delivered via OrderPitt–by ordering through this website you are supporting a Tepper start-up. Pizza never tasted so Tartan.
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Late Night Eats
Did you say you want to EAT, capital E, capital A, capital T, EAT? For a hefty midnight snack to carry you through any night, find refuge at half-off in Oakland.
From 11pm – close take Fuel and Fuddel and Joe Mamma’s for a run, but rumor has it that walking the extra blocks to loaded nachos at MadMex will satisfy your stomach like no other (and you won’t be bombarded by 30-person Fringe party forcing you to wait outside for a table).
For an earlier half-off try India Garden or Hemingway’s, who offer some of Pittsburgh’s best food for half-off starting at 9pm.
Though 50%-off meals may be startlingly cheap, remember to eat and tip responsibly (for you penny-pinchers out there, that means you should tip on full price).
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Daily Specials
Want to get food at a normal eating time? Tons of restaurants and bars across Pittsburgh offer daily specials on food. When used wisely, these daily specials can ensure you never pay full price for a meal out again.
LivingPittsburgh.com
No website offers a more extensive list on how to eat cheap in the Burgh. From happy hours, wing nights, cheap burgers, to student discounts, if a weekly special exists in Pittsburgh, Living Pittsburgh knows about it.
Happy Hours
The Happy Hours app, available for iPhone and Android, will help you find food and drink specials at any hour of the day. Try filtering for location, cuisine, even features like air-conditioning and free Wi-Fi. This is the ultimate app for the bargain food hunter.
Social Media
One of the best things about social media networks today is that restaurants are finally starting to figure them out. While “liking” a restaurant on Facebook used to be a mere ploy for free advertisement, today many restaurants offer exclusive deals to their Facebook followers. Find your favorite venues on Facebook and Twitter and watch the deals roll in.
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What about those fancy restaurants?
Seeking a break from the college diet? There are many ways to score discounted certs and gift cards. Deal sites like Groupon, Living Social, and Google Offers are tried-and-true methods to eat fancy for less. The Post-Gazette runs a Daily Deal program from their homepage–try subscribing to receive daily offers in your inbox.
For ultra-cheap restaurant certificates in Pittsburgh try using Restaurant.com and WXPI’s Just Pay Half. These sites offer certificates to places like Ibiza and South Aiken Bar & Grille at major discounts.
Now that we’ve dished (no pun intended) all our cheap-and-delicious dining secrets, promise us one thing: you’ll get out and eat!