Welch Avenue is arguably a central component to the student ecosystem at Iowa State University.
Local businesses fill the inclined road, where every student is sure to find something to enjoy. While Welch Avenue is home to various bars, sit-down restaurants and shops: an element that deserves more attention is the late-night eats.
The corner of Welch Avenue and Chamberlain Street is home to Superdog. This food cart has supplied Welch Avenue with hot dogs, chips and drinks for around 13 years. Their menu has five hot dogs the customer can choose from, and toppings range from potato chips to chili to pineapple sauce.
Their signature Superdog has melted Monterey jack cheese, bacon, crushed potato chips and five different sauces.
After careful consideration and recommendations from the two employees manning the cart, Kelsey Creten, a senior in genetics, decided that she would give the Superdog a shot.
Creten gave it a 8.5 out of 10 with bonus points for the pineapple flavor that she was pleasantly surprised by.
Superdog operates Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Their hours vary by day and can be found here along with the rest of their menu.
Just on the next block from Superdog is Omar’s Mediterranean Restaurant, frequently referred to as “Omar’s Gyros,” at 122 Welch Avenue. Previously, the Gyro shop was a cart, but in August 2024, they held the grand opening for their own storefront.
The new shop has plenty of seats and TVs to accommodate their many loyal customers and operates 6 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Mondays and 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Omar’s entree options include a gyro, beef burger, chicken shawarma, walking tacos, hot dogs and a hummus wrap.
Creten decided to go with the gyro wrap filled with gyro meat, lettuce, tomato, onion and one sauce of their choice free of charge, to which they opted for tzatziki.
“I’m thinking this is giving me more than Superdog, more flavor, an overall 9/10,” Creten said.
As you venture towards campus another block or so, you will eventually hit Lincoln Way, and after a short walk towards Stanton, you will pass by Jeff’s Pizza Shop at 2402 Lincoln Way.
While they do have an extensive menu that can be viewed here, what makes Jeff’s unique from other pizza restaurants in the area is that you can purchase pizza by the slice. There are usually around three different flavor options to choose from at a time, with new flavors ready to rotate in.
The fresh buffalo chicken pizza caught my eye, and of course, any slice of Jeff’s Pizza is not complete without a side of their ranch.
I would say the slice was the perfect level of spicy, and give it a 9/10 rating.
Jeff’s recently underwent a remodel, re-opening in August 2024, expanding and renovating their dining space to accommodate their growing number of customers. Now, it is uncommon to walk by on a Saturday night and see a line out the door and halfway down the block.
Another element of the business that changed with the renovations is the addition of a coffee bar that is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., serving cappuccinos, lattes, drip coffee and more.
In the opposite direction of Jeff’s is Mr. Burrito at 2508 Lincoln Way. This Mexican restaurant claims to have “the best burritos in town” and, aside from its storefront, also has a food truck located at the North Grand Mall in Ames. Their menu and hours can be found here.
The menu includes six different meal options, and each one can be customized to the patron’s liking. Should you choose to build your own burrito, bowl or nachos you can choose your rice, beans, meat and additional toppings.
After receiving my burrito with rice, black beans, beef, lettuce, pico, cheese, corn, fajita veggies, mild salsa and queso the generous portion sizes were immediately noted as the burrito began to unravel. However, I decided this was not a negative.
I would say there is enough for both dinner and breakfast the next day, and would give it a 10/10.
Max Anderson, a freshman in marketing, and Louis Rogers, a freshman in finance, tried Mr. Burrito for the first time on the same day I was there.
When asked how they heard about the establishment, Rogers responded, “We walk by it a lot,” so they finally decided to give it a try.
There is no clear winner as to which late-night food spot is the best, as each place has its own strengths that make it unique in its own right. What can be stated with confidence is that there is no shortage of good eats on Welch Avenue.
