What To Order When The World Cup Goes Late
Words: Tobi Ilori
Staying up for the World Cup? Here are the Just Eat shouts for when the match goes late, the snacks are gone and someone finally admits crisps were never dinner.
Can we all agree that World Cup nights are disastrous for normal dinner planning? You start with your favourite crisp. Maybe a dip if someone was feeling tactical. Someone sitting on your lovely couch will say they are “not hungry”, which should never be trusted in a room full of people watching football.
Then the match goes on late, the group gets progressively louder, and suddenly everyone needs actual food to keep on giving the ref abuse at slightest of blunders.
So, with the World Cup games taking over the next month, we’ve pulled together a class list of some late night Just Eat picks across Ireland. Fried chicken, pizza, noodles, curry, piri piri, Turkish grill energy. The important food groups when the fridge has absolutely nothing useful to add to the conversation.
Opening hours and availability can vary by location so check Just Eat before settling too deeply on the couch.
Hillbilly’s
Available: across 10 locations nationwide
Hillbilly’s is the one stop shop for when snacks have officially stopped being enough.
There is a point in any late night match where fried chicken starts making the most logical sense. Usually after the crips are gone , someone has screamed at the ref, and nobody wants to be the person who suggests cooking.
Designed for that specific scenario, the Variety Box Bucket is available for €25.90. This isn’t just a minor snack; with five pieces of chicken, five tenders, three portions of fries, and gravy, it’s a comprehensive intervention for the whole group.
It’s super reliable and a strong choice for the room that has accepted dinner is now happening in front of the telly. With the World Cup being hosted across America, a big fried chicken bucket doesn’t feel like a stretch.
Fat Phill’s
Available in: Dublin and Cork
Fat Phill’s is for the fixtures that escalate into something far more intense than anyone anticipated.
Forget anything frilly or delicate. This is big, filling, American-style comfort food for when someone announces they are starving with the urgency of a breaking news alert.
Originating from the Netherlands, Fat Phill’s brings a touch of Dutch assurance to the table and the perfect energy for the World Cup, particularly when the atmosphere in the room shifts from casual viewing to intense, screen shouting excitement.
The double cheeseburger hits the spot for a reason: two Irish beef patties, cheddar, pickles, salad, and a solid helping of Phill’s sauce. It is a substantial meal that actually delivers, rather than a light snack just going through the motions.
Fat Phill’s makes sense when the squad needs something more substantial than another round of “just a few pretzels”.
Sano
Available in: Dublin and Cork
Pizza is the great peace treaty of group ordering.
Nobody has to explain themselves. Nobody has to build an extensive case. You just order enough and accept that the person who said they “only want one slice” is lying to themselves and everyone around them.
It is difficult enough that Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup. Forcing fans to endure the entire tournament without the comfort of Italian carbohydrates would simply be cruel.
Go gooey and cheesy Margherita if the group needs a safe bet. Go for spicy as hell Diavola if the room can handle a bit of heat.
Sano is a deadly shout for the World cup nights because pizza works at almost every stage of the evening. Before kick-off. Half-time. Extra time. The part where everyone starts discussing substitutions like they have UEFA badges.
Roosters Piri Piri
Available in: Dublin and Cork
For the squad that requires a bit more heat with their meal, this is the go to chicken pick.
This is for when you and your mates need something hot, saucy and easy to pick at without fully tipping the evening into chaos. Roosters piri piri is a good match meal because it works well with groups. People can go mild, People can go spicy. People can pretend they are pacing themselves too.
They are not, but let them have that.
For a shared meal that hits the mark, the €24.95 wing platter for two is a top suggestion. This baddie comes with 30 chicken wings and your choice of two sides. You can tailor the heat to your liking with Piri flavours ranging from no spice and lemon & herb to medium, hot, or extra hot honestly, you’re being spoiled.
When the match intensity rises and your squad demands variety, Roosters Piri Piri stands as a dependable late-night choice. This is good World Cup food because it gives the group options without requiring a diplomatic summit. People can pick, dip, argue, pace themselves badly and return for more during half-time.
Noodlee
Available in: Cork
Noodle options are a must-have for any World Cup campaign. Eventually, a night arrives when pizza seems cliché and chicken feels uninspired. That is when someone, in between sips of their drink, will suggest “noodles?” with the poise of a hero who just salvaged the entire evening’s meal plan.
Noodlee fills that role nicely.
If you are watching from Cork, the Singapore noodles are a logical choice for the occasion. This dish is freshly made with stir-fried noodles with eggs, onions, carrots, bean sprouts, and scallions, topped with your preferred meat. It is the perfect couch-friendly meal: warm, filling, and quick, allowing you to stay focused on the screen while remaining completely stationary.
For the games that stretch into the night, this Just Eat exclusive is a top-tier option to keep on your radar.
Charlies
Available in: Dublin
In the realm of late night fuel, Charlies is perhaps the reigning champion. Some Dublin takeaway names do not need much explanation. They just belong to certain hours, certain cravings and certain moments when nobody in the room pretends they want something light.
Charlies is the Just Eat pick for when the match is still going, the snacks have failed and the group has landed firmly in Chinese takeaway territory.
For a group that prefers the classics, the 3-in-1 for €7.00 is a reliable heavy hitter that doesn’t need an introduction. It is extremely hard to beat the combination of fried rice, chips, and curry sauce all in one tray while the footie is on.
This is defeat food. Draw food. “We are not speaking about that second half” food.
It offers a sense of familiarity and solace, particularly during those moments when your team is suffering a heavy defeat. This is exactly the kind of food that draws a crowd, with everyone gathering around the moment the delivery arrives.
Adda
Available in: Dublin
While certain match nights are made for pizza or fried chicken, others demand a legitimate biryani intervention.
When the fixture stretches late and the group craves something warming, substantial, and rooted in genuine comfort, biryani stands as a formidable solution. With its blend of rice, spice, and authentic depth, it ensures no one has to pretend a bowl of crisps was ever going to suffice through the final whistle.
For those in Dublin, Adda is the definitive choice when you need a meal more significant than a snack, without the logistical nightmare of managing ten separate orders. A biryani during a long World Cup night feels like a tactical substitution that actually worked.
If you are looking for where to start, the Double Chicken Dum Biryani which serves two, is the standout. It is a masterclass in slow cooked excellence, featuring tender chicken and fragrant basmati rice infused with saffron, mint, and caramelised onions. Woof.
Pasha Turkish Grill
Available in: Dublin
Türkiye are back at the World Cup for the first time since 2002, so keeping Pasha Turkish Grill in the rotation feels only right.
Pasha Turkish Grill stands as the essential Dublin choice for that exact feeling. Delivering a robust mix of meat, bread, and sauce, it brings a particular grill side energy that is heavy enough to quiet a loud room and end the half-time debates.
The Mixed Doner Kebab Meal Deal for €18.00 is the natural shout if you want something hearty without turning the order into a full group negotiation. If you’re leaning more grilled than kebab, the Chicken Shish for €19.00 is another strong option.
Make sure to keep this one in your rotation for the World Cup nights that call for something genuinely filling.
Woozza Wood Fired Pizza
Available in: Galway
Spectators in Galway require a pizza strategy of their own.
When a match stretches into the small hours, Woozza Wood Fired Pizza becomes the essential Galway pick. It provides a reliable, shareable alternative to the sad realization that the salt at the bottom of a crisp bag does not qualify as a meal. The appeal of wood fired pizza is its capacity to serve as a proper dinner without requiring any heavy lifting from you.
The Meat Supreme Pizza is the definitive match-night shout here. Fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, Italian sausage, chorizo, pepperoni and finely sliced ham. Basically, the kind of pizza that arrives with enough going on to make everyone briefly stop pretending they were “grand with crisps.”
Inevitably, once the group gathers and the boxes are flipped open, a friend will swipe the specific slice they previously insisted they didn’t want.
Kashmir
Available in: Galway
The decisive goal has hit the net, your team’s victory is locked in, and you’re finally letting go of your mate after that celebratory bear hug. It’s in this moment of relief that your appetite suddenly returns, and the hunger you ignored during the tension starts to demand attention.
Kashmir’s butter chicken for €15.95 is the perfect answer to that late evening cravings. Featuring charcoal grilled chicken simmered with julienne onions and peppers in a gentle, creamy butter sauce topped with fresh cream, it’s the kind of meal that elevates the tournament experience.
It turns a night of shouting at the TV into a delicious memory fueled by plenty of rice and naan.
World Cup evenings are endurance tests for your appetite. Eventually, the snacks disappear, and that one friend who swore they weren’t hungry will inevitably start huffing and puffing about the lack of anything to snack on. It is simply the way of the world.
The professional move is to have your Just Eat shortlist ready before kickoff. Whether it’s Hillbilly’s for a fried chicken fix, Sano or Woozza when only pizza will do, or Fat Phill’s for those high-intensity group hunger emergencies, there is a solution for every match-day mood. You’ve got Roosters for the spice seekers, Noodlee for any Cork based noodle crises, and the trio of Charlies, Adda, and Pasha for late night Dublin cravings. In Galway, Kashmir is your go to for butter chicken induced comfort.
Don’t forget to verify opening hours and local availability on the Just Eat app, as these can change depending on where you are. The game might be a nail biter, but your dinner plans should always be a breeze.
