Chefs’ Picks tracks down what the pros are eating and cooking from coast to coast.

Food may be the last thing you want to face after a booze-centric night on the town, but chefs know that the right dish can help to successfully stave off that dreaded hangover. From midnight snacks to greasy grub, find out what the pros eat to revive after imbibing.

It was in his homeland of Puerto Rico that Chef Hector Santiago found his favorite food for bouncing back after a night of heavy drinking: a Medianoche or Midnight sandwich, preferably paired with a Malta India soft drink. Santiago offers a play on the Puerto Rican classic — which he dubbed the Medio Dia (midday) sandwich — at his bustling Atlanta shop, El Super Pan. For this sandwich, Santiago slicks a sub roll with habanero-pineapple mustard, then stuffs it with adobo roasted pork, housemade chayote pickles and salty, crunchy chicharron. “These flavors and textures combined will wake you up, as opposed to putting you to sleep!” Santiago says.

For Chef John Hogan of River Roast in Chicago, soup is the ultimate hangover cure. Hogan is such a believer in its restorative powers that he put Hangover Soup on the menu at his riverside restaurant. To make it, the chef plops a meaty piece of pork shoulder into a spicy broth composed of dried chiles, then adds cabbage and radish garnishes. The resulting dish closely resembles traditional Mexican posole. Hogan says it works wonders when it comes to soaking up alcohol from the night before.

Chef Daniel Herget of Little Octopus in Nashville, Tennessee, spends his days immersed in the vibrant flavors of the Caribbean. When a hangover strikes, however, he turns his attention to France’s culinary canon and a plate of steak frites with fried eggs and Béarnaise sauce. ““If you can brave the sound of a blender on high, you will be right as rain after this killer breakfast,” Herget says. “I’ve never met a hangover that could stand up against this onslaught of egg, grease and starch!”

Get inspiration for your own riffs on steak frites with recipes like this one from Food Network Kitchen.

When it comes to staving off a hangover, Chef Kevin Nashan of Sidney Street Café and The Peacemaker Lobster and Crab Co. in St. Louis heads to a spot that’s perfected the art of pairing suds with snacks. He scores his preferred hangover remedy at 4 Hands Brewing Company, where they’ve created a food menu to complement the local beer. Housemade pretzels arrive alongside rarebit, a common Welsh dip. “I love it because it helps soak up all the carnage from the night before,” Nashan says.

Create your own take on the comforting snack with this recipe from Alton Brown.

Photography courtesy of Sarah Dodge, River Roast, Antonis Achilleos and Tara Donne