What is Comfort Food? Our Top 3 Menu Items to Warm Your Heart.

As November's crisp, chilly air settles, there's nothing quite like comfort food to warm us up. But what exactly is comfort food? It's more than just calories – it makes you feel good emotionally and even physically. It conjures up good memories. Comfort food can make even the dreariest days feel a little brighter.

Scientists have found that comfort food actually triggers the release of feel-good hormones in our brains. We instinctively reach for these dishes on rainy days, during breakups, or when we're wearing our "fancy" sweatpants for the third day straight. 

But here's the thing - not all comfort food is created equal. Your grandma's questionable casserole might hold a special place in your heart, but let's be honest: some comfort foods deserve their legendary status. Here are three classic comfort foods from Hungry Howie’s that never fail to turn a bad day around.

Pizza, The Ultimate Comfort Food

If you grew up eating pizza, you probably have a lot of good memories associated with it. This is the number one factor for comfort food; it is usually associated with your childhood and pleasant memories. Maybe you went out for pizza with your family as a special treat or sat around the TV watching scary movies with your siblings, eating your favorite pizza pie. These memories have great sentimental value, and as comfort food, they are something we turn to when we need a boost.

Aromas like freshly baked pizza are sometimes all it takes for a strong craving for comfort food to take over. Dough made fresh daily creates the perfect foundation for our premium toppings, which can transform simple ingredients into your all-time favorite pizza combo. Whether you're a fan of our hearty Meat Eaters pizza loaded with savory toppings, prefer the loaded vegetables on the Veggie pizza, or prefer a classic Pepperoni, each one is created to deliver you from hunger.

Oven-Baked Subs: Handheld Happiness

Sometimes, you need your comfort food to be portable. Our 8" and 10" oven-baked subs are what would happen if a calzone and a sub came crashing together. Fresh dough wrapped around fresh ingredients, folded and baked to golden perfection - like a warm, edible security blanket you can eat with one hand while doom-scrolling with the other. Perfect for our times. 

Wings! Comfort Food That’s Made for Sharing

Some comfort foods are best enjoyed with your crew, your tribe or whatever you call your favorite people, and our Howie Wings® fit that bill. Available in both traditional bone-in and boneless varieties (because we respect your life choices) and enough sauce options to match your mood: Original for the purists, BBQ for the sweet-toothed, Spicy Buffalo for those who like their comfort food with a kick, and Asian sauce for the adventurous souls. We think nothing brings people together like a pile of wings and shared life crises.

Can comfort food solve all your problems? Probably not, but the best comfort food for rainy days (or any days when adulting is just too hard) is the kind that reminds you everything's going to be okay. Or at least okay-ish. Sometimes that's all we need.