A person can only stand so many “fourth meals” from Taco Bell and late night Frosty and fries fixes. Although the grocery stores around here are open 24 hours, sometimes you just want to grab a bite while you’re out. Thankfully, there are a few local haunts that come to the rescue.
For those of you who are looking for a chill place to hang out with friends and score a late-night caffeine pick-me-up, try Familiar Grounds. This coffee shop is completely student run, open Thursday through Saturday from around 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. They serve all the gourmet coffee favorites like lattes and cups full of frozen blended goodness, but they also have big, soft cookies and other baked goods to snack on. The real reason to try out this place is because it’s unlike anything else you’ll find in the Clemson area. Drinks and snacks don’t “cost” a thing: you donate dollars, they take out the money to cover the cost of running the shop, and the rest goes to Hurricane Katrina relief. Familiar Grounds is located behind Beezer’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop, in the downstairs of a Methodist church. Try this place for live, laid back music, good coffee, and do a good deed at the same time. Check out http://www.familiargrounds.com/ for more details and exact hours.
Speaking of Beezer’s, eating there after being in the downtown bars seems to be a right of passage for Clemson University students. Sunday they close at 1 a.m., but all other nights of the week they stay open until 3 am or later. From dinner time until the bar rush, there’s a slow stream of business. But come 1 a.m., especially Thursday through Saturday, the line is out the door. With sandwiches like the T-Bird and Cattleman’s Classic, how could you go wrong? The Godfather, an Italian sub, is the best seller. Choose between turkey, roast beef, ham and salami. Beezer’s also boasts one of the best veggie friendly sandwiches around, with double provolone and tasty guacamole. Don’t forget my favorite part of Beezer’s, the Beezer’s Freeze. Made daily, this treat is for those with a sweet tooth: two chocolate chip cookies with Breyer’s vanilla ice cream sandwiched between. Don’t forget that they deliver, just call (864) 654-6543.
Waffle House is a quintessential late night standby. Located on Hwy. 123 toward Seneca and open 24 hours, you can satisfy your craving for filling, diner style foods at any day of the week, night or day. They have a full breakfast menu with eggs any style, bacon and sausage, grits and the infamous hash browns. These potatoes even speak their own language, coming scattered, smothered, and diced just to name a few, but don’t worry, there is a translation guide. According to Waffle House’s Web site, they are the “world’s leading server of waffles,” cooking up about 500,000,000 since the chain opened their doors in 1955. Although the sweet cream waffle is delicious, try the ones with pecans. Each year, Americans consume about 21 million pecans just in these waffles alone.
So, when your stomach starts to grumble after dark, don’t fear and run to your freezer and wait for what seems like an eternity for a frozen pizza. Remember, you don’t have a curfew anymore.
