The saying goes, "Nothing good happens after 2 a.m." But the way most foodies see it, the only real problem with being out past midnight is the dearth of good dining options.

Sure, you could satisfy your late-night cravings with some boring diner grub, a few bags of Taco Bell, or a run through the McDonald's drive-thru. However, just because you're out late doesn't mean you have to sacrifice good taste. Instead, check out some of the area's best spots for late-night eats.

From a sushi gem and grilled cheese sandwiches to stacked Colombian perros, here are the best late-night eating spots from West Palm Beach to Hollywood.

Photo by Candace West

If tater tots are your ideal late-night snack, look no further than Bar Red Beard. The ones they serve here aren't your average thimble-size, deep-fried potatoes. These tots are made from scratch, each one a mashed potato sphere the size of a golf ball with a hefty serving of creamy, smooth-whipped potato encased in a thin shell of golden-fried crust. They're so good you might even consider forgoing the sweet-and-spicy homemade rémoulade on the side for dipping. Served as an appetizer ($6 to $10) or side dish for Bar Red Beard's steak burger ($12), this house-made specialty is just one of several dishes you can get after hours (until 2 a.m. every day of the week) from this Fort Lauderdale bar and restaurant — along with a pint of your favorite local brew.

While most places that open their doors late are serving the type of food you can hold in one hand as you drive with the other, Delray Beach standby Dada serves sit-down diners until 2 a.m., Monday through Sunday. That means you can get a full plate of great food — with menu features that have stood the test of time from one of the area's greatest chefs, Bruce Feingold — well past midnight. Most guests are suckers for popular menu items such as the bacon-wrapped dates ($10), Cointreau-glazed roast duck ($28), and butternut squash ravioli ($19).

Photo by Nicole Danna

This Hollywood Chinese restaurant is located just minutes west of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, serving Hong Kong-style eats that merit a return trip at any hour. Craving Kung Pow baby shrimp ($11.50) at midnight? No problem. The kitchen stays open until 2 a.m. Choose to dine in or take out. The simple dining room offers quite a view, with a number of fish tanks filled with creatures ready to be cooked. And what it may lack in refinement, it makes up for with a lengthy menu that doesn't shy away from oddities and assertive flavors.

Open 24 hours, seven days a week, The Floridian — also South Florida chain, Lester's Diner — is that multi-page menu diner for people who like to eat their pancakes ($6.25 to $7.50) at any hour of the morning. The kitschily decorated Floridian provides ritzy Las Olas Boulevard with a taste of down-home diner fare. Weekend mornings find the place packed with couples (gay and straight) loading up on huge made-to-order omelets ($7.50 to $12.95), pancakes, and French toast ($6.25 to $8.90). For an old-fashioned, protein-heavy meal, the country-fried steak and eggs ($9.95) can't be beat, and the biscuits and gravy ($6.45) will remind you that you're in the South. There's also a large selection of sandwiches including "The Floridian" — a satisfying tuna melt ($8.95) — and salads, plus homey hot plates including four kinds of meatloaf, fried chicken, and veal cutlets. Eighteen varieties of burgers are almost too much to choose from, but the cheddar burger is one of the best in town. Service is diner-friendly too — efficient and kindly, but not the least bit saccharine.

Havana Restaurant

At West Palm's Havana, the walk-up counter is open until the early morning. It's where the WPB late-night crowd goes for a steaming box of sweet plantains ($2.99) at any hour. The place also proves there's no need to schlep all the way down to Miami for an authentic Cuban sandwich, because the ham, marinated pork, Swiss cheese, and pickles between two slabs of fresh-baked Cuban bread they serve up here is one of the best around ($9.19). Pair it with one of the natural fruit milkshakes or juices made from papaya or mango ($4.59), then end your pig-out session with steaming cups of café Cubano, cortaditos ($2.79), or café con leches ($2.99) and a jiggly serving of caramel or coconut flan ($6.99).

An update on the classic American diner — with a digital jukebox, flat-screen TVs, a full liquor bar, and live music — Howley's has been open in the same West Palm Beach location for half a century. Known for attracting the late-night bar crowds and the servers and bartenders that work the late-night shifts, Howley's has a colorful clientele in the early-morning hours. Diner fare includes homemade mashed potatoes and meatloaf ($15.95), Philly cheese steak with fat steak fries or onion rings ($9.95), a daily turkey dinner with all the trimmings ($16.95), New York strip steaks ($23.50), Caesar salads ($5.50), Reuben sandwiches ($10.50), crab cakes ($24.95), and sides of sauteed Brussels sprouts or spinach ($4.25). Howley's is open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

La Perrada Del Gordo

You'll know you've reached your destination when you see the neon glowing signs hovering above the door and in the window at this Colombian fast food mecca. La Perrada's enormous hot dogs ($4.99 to $6.99) can be served with a wide variety of toppings including pineapple, pink and green sauce, and even crushed potato chips. You'll also love the burgers ($5.99 to $10.50) — made with chicken or beef patties — topped with your choice of a haystack of shredded chicken or beef, then a colorful finish of mayo, pink sauce, pineapple purée, potato chips, and chopped bacon. La Perrada Company has expanded from its original West Palm Beach location to include La Perrada del Gordo restaurants in Boca Raton and Sunrise, all open from 11:30 a.m. to as late as 4 a.m. on the weekends.

The three things most needed after a long night out imbibing are grease, carbs, and comfort. Luckily, New York Grilled Cheese Co. (now with a second location in Boca Raton) serves all three in one scrumptious, handheld bite. The original location is open until 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 3 a.m. Thursday and Sunday, and 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. This Wilton Manors shop makes grilled-cheese sandwiches that will blow your inner child's mind. Options include the Soho Sweet Cheese with brie, caramelized onions, crunchy bacon, and berry marmalade on toasted oatmeal wheat bread ($10.95); the Manhattan Grilled Mac 'n' Cheese ($9.95), and the Wall Street Grindr Award with American cheddar cheese, French fries, bacon, caramelized onion, garlic butter, and a fried egg atop its country loaf ($10.95) — all served along with a dipper-sized cup of creamy tomato bisque.

Photo by Adam Sheetz

If a good burger is your idea of a late-night meal, head to Rebel House for the restaurant's "Seariously Freakin' Good Late-Night Burger." It's first-come-first-serve with these babies: Only 24 are available on Friday and Saturday nights, and they're served exclusively from 10 p.m. until closing time at midnight. For $8.95, these three-and-a-half-ounce bone marrow double patties are specialty-made by Sunshine Provisions. The burgers are topped off with American cheese, Jersey Turnpike Exit 18 secret sauce, and served with a choice of grilled onions, thick-cut bacon, or a fried egg between an "everything bagel" seasoned bun.

When you like to eat at odd hours of the night and you hate that the only thing available is fast food, Sushi Song gives you options. They're slicing up sushi way past midnight. With locations in Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Himmarshee Village, these cozy sushi joints offer a taste of big-city late-night eats to laid-back Broward County. The sushi is fresh and creative, with options ranging from a straightforward sushi appetizer ($13) to over-the-top signature rolls such as Japan Red Hot with shrimp tempura, cucumber, and jalapeño topped with tuna, black tobiko, and the house special sauce ($16) and the A1A, with Maine lobster, avocado, cilantro, and spicy mayo topped with seared wild salmon and special sauce ($22).

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