It’s been a healthy week since that last cheat day and the time has come. Find out the hottest places to eat at for satisfactory cheat day cravings.

Pizza all day

Elliot Kruege, general manager and partner with Jeff’s Pizza, believes that individuals can’t go wrong with a good tasty meal.

“It’s good food. I can’t go wrong there,” Krueger said, “ I think the price is right too, I mean if you’re looking to spend as little as possible and eat as much as possible, you come in our restaurant, you’re looking at $5.89 for a humongous slice of pizza.”

Krueger said that some of the most popular pizzas are the chicken bacon cheddar and the classic pepperoni. He also mentioned that there are other great foods that guests should try out when coming in.

“We do some creative ones too, like spinach tomato pizza, that’s pretty tasty, and then other options like lasagnas and sub sandwiches. As far as sub sandwiches, there’s the bbq ranch chicken bacon and the jive turkey,” Krueger said, “Bosco cheese sticks are really good, we put our own spin on it. We add garlic butter and our own seasonings, so they’re a little jazzed up.”

There are other options such as the smotherella sticks, which are glorified cheese sticks with italian seasonings and dipping sauce, as well as one of the newer pizza on the menu — the American classic cheese burger pizza.

“It’s really unique. Instead of pizza sauce we use ketchup, mustard, pickles and ground beef. It taste like a real cheese burger,” Krueger said.

Jeff’s Pizza offers various toppings and specialties that will fill cheat day cravings craving.

They are located at 2402 Lincoln Way.

BURGERS, BEER, LIQUOR OH MY!

Not craving pizza? How about stopping by Oddfellow’s Burger Kitchen for a juicy meal with your favorite drink or a tasty appetizer with your favorite crafted or drafted beers?

Chris Patterson, owner of the Oddfellow’s Burger Kitchen, believes that homemade meals are the best to cheat on.

“Everything we have here we make from scratch, including the buns, and grinding our own hamburgers,” Patterson said, “It’s a very high quality product in a very fun and funky atmosphere.”

Patterson suggested that guests should try the upmost popular burger, the Oddfellow.

“It is a sweet and savory burger that is served on homemade glazed donuts as the buns,” Patterson said.

There are other alternative than burgers such as the yardbird sandwich, a succulent chicken smothered in a smoky adobo sauce, topped with melted pepper jack cheese with slices of crispy bacon and some husky, spicy mayo on top. Patterson also mentions about the extraordinary peanut butter pasta.

“Most customers would come to us because of our burgers, but those two are the best items on the menu,” Patterson said, “The peanut butter pasta is really good because it’s different and unique. You take peanut butter, chicken, coconut milk and some chili paste, and you have a wonderful sweet and spicy dish.”

Every day, Oddfellow’s Burger Kitchen has a special burger of the day that is not on the menu. Patterson recommend that guest should try it because of the remarkable flavors that it provides.

Steal a craving from the only burger joint in Ames at 823 Wheeler St.

Cupcakes galore

Finish off your savory meals with a little taste of heaven at Cupcake Emporium.

Tawnya Zerr, flavor imaginator and owner of Cupcake Emporium, explained that guests should stop by on their cheat day due to their delicious selection.

“Instead of pigging out on a whole cake, you get your own personal sized little darling cupcake,” Zerr said.

Peanut butter cup is one the top selling cupcakes for men and red velvet cupcakes are a best-seller for women. Zerr also explained that guests should try the fried ice cream cupcake.

“Everyone could say that it’s the ultimate cupcake,” Zerr said, “It kicks real fried ice cream’s butt.”

The cupcake is compacted with cinnamon, honey, injected with a custard, has chocolate ganache whipped cream and is topped with a cherry.

“It’s got everything you need to exist in life,” Zerr said.

As their motto states, they offer more than 100 flavors, featuring 9 to 14 flavors daily.

They are located at 300 Main St.

Chocolate, gelato, wines and coffee

Terry Stark and his wife Anne built Chocolaterie Stam in November 2006.

Stark believes that Chocolaterie Stam is an ideal place for guests because they offer a whole range of sweet cravings. He also explained that there are a lot of medical studies that show dark chocolate and red wine as a health benefits to the body.

“Little bit of dark chocolate has shown to help with blood pressure, help with serotonins and things that release in your brain that makes you feel good,” Stark said. “Within reason using moderation, it’s a good healthy alternative.”

Dark chocolate and milk chocolate are the popular choices that most guests prefer. They also offer various types of creamy and mouth watering gelato that’s all homemade. Stark believes that gelato is a healthier and tastier alternative for those who wish to cheat on ice cream.

“The difference between gelato and ice cream is that gelato is served about 10 degrees warmer so it hits your [palate] a little more quicker, it has more of a vibrant taste and has very little air whipped into it to get volume,” Stark said, “Since it’s denser, you can’t eat as much because you start to feel more full and since there’s a lot of air whipped into ice cream, you would eat more of it.”

Stark pointed out that the major difference between the two comes down to butter fat.

“If it got butter fat in it, typically gelato is three to five percent of butter fat as oppose to premium ice cream,” Stark said, “If you research that, you’ll see that most of them go around 16 to 18 percent butterfat.”

Stark recommend that guest should steer towards the chocolate when coming in for a visit.

“It’s high end chocolate, it’s called cooperative chocolate in the business. It’s what high end chef would use, so it’s some of the best chocolates in the world.”

Stark also suggested that guest should try their heartwarming European coffee blends, their Iowa wines and their hay stack chocolate.

“If you go to the chocolates we have the hay stack, it has real coconut in it and I prefer mine dark over milk chocolate,” Stark said.

This chocolate wonderland stands at 230 Main St.